Area: Behavioral Decision Making

Person looking through a multifaceted gemstone Research Brief / Health

Embryo Selection, Polygenic Scoring and Unrealistic Expectations

False hope for instilling disease resistance and desirable traits?

Research Brief / Nudges

Fresh-Start Framing Boosts Retirement Plan Participation

A behavioral nudge passes a real-world test with 6,000 workers

Diverse group of high school students having a discussion Research Brief / Diversity

Schooling Alongside Minorities Reduces White Students’ Tendency to Vote Republican

One system’s end to busing offers data on integration’s impact on future partisanship

Graph of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. Research Brief / COVID-19

Graphic Presentation of COVID-19 Data Can Skew Perceptions of Risk

Showing cumulative cases — not day-to-day trends — could nudge people to avoid reckless behavior

Man sits on a chair and ponders Research Question / Education

Lifelong Decisions Based on a Momentary Mood

Fatigue during a morning class dissuades some from rewarding majors

Queue of disgruntled people waiting in line for a bank teller Research Brief / Nudges

We Hate Crowds, But Fail to Strategize on Avoiding Them

When might most other people choose to visit the bank?

Research Brief / Time Management

Too Much Free Time? Blame Solitude or Lack of Productive Activity

Even abundant free time, used in meaningful pursuits, brings happiness

Research Brief / Nudges

Why a Surcharge Can Alter Behavior Better than a Discount

Equal incentives perceived differently and can affect norms

Research Question / Happiness

As Income Rises, Link Between Meaning and Happiness Weakens

Globally, lower-income people feel a stronger connection

Poster with text that reads, "colorectal cancer screening tests here" Research Brief / Nudges

Cancer-Screening Procrastination Can Be Deadly: a Nudge Lifts Compliance

At-home test for colorectal cancer delivered with a deadline

Line of bananas in order of ripeness Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Gesturing Left to Right for Passage of Time Occurs by Age 6

Cultural norms — reading and the calendar — affect native English-speakers’ motioning constructs

Reflection in the mirror of man brushing his teeth Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

Boring Tasks We Abandon Too Soon: a Method to Finish the Job

Pairing the mundane — hand washing, teeth brushing — with more engaging activities

Hands holding a framed photograph of a father and son holding a fishing pole Research Brief / Happiness

The Sad Fact of Reminiscing About Good Times

Happy memories of life-stage transitions can be bittersweet

A hospital hallway full of mediical personnel and patients Research Brief / Health Care

Exhausted Doctors Less Likely to Prescribe Pain Meds

At the end of a night shift, empathy for patients’ hurting seems diminished

Book Review / Happiness

A Method to Happiness: Tested in the Lab and in Life

Cassie Holmes’ book combines social science and personal history; jilted on the way to the altar

A view of solar panels on the rooftop and the skyline at dusk Research Brief / Energy

The Relationship Between Adoption of Rooftop Solar and Attachment to One’s Surroundings

Applying the behavioral concept of “place attachment” to the logistics of battling climate change