Area: Behavioral Decision Making

A girl smiling in front of a calendar Research Brief / Bias

Future Bias Is Present by Middle School

By age 10 or earlier, kids are putting more weight on the future than the past — just like adults

Research Brief / Nudges

Fresh-Start Framing Boosts Retirement Plan Participation

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

Person shopping online on a laptop Research Brief / Marketing

Free Shipping: Our Preference to Spend on Ultimate Goals vs. Preliminary Steps

Prerequisites are valued poorly in a series of six experiments

People in line to buy tickets at a booth Feature / Pricing

Fairness in the Allocation of Scarce Goods and Services

As alternative pricing schemes proliferate, researchers examine beliefs about their fairness

Female professor and male student having a discussion Q&A / Happiness

Faculty Q&A: MBA Students in Digital Detox, Committing Random Acts of Kindness

The empirical study of happiness, a growth area at business schools, enters the classroom

Aerial view of marathon city runners. One person leading marathon. Research Brief / Forecasting

Experts Struggle to Accurately Forecast Societal Change

On COVID-19’s impacts, social scientists’ predictions weren’t much better than those of laypeople

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

Illustration of salary men Research Brief / Compensation

Employees Are OK with Unequal Pay — If They Have a Say in It

Workers involved in compensation decisions might accept a co-worker’s better deal if management didn’t unilaterally decide

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?

Woman paying bills with a computer Research Brief / Student Loans

Education Pays Off Handsomely, but Borrowing for It Makes People Unhappy

Student debt weighs on happiness more than mortgages or credit card loans

Close-up angled image of someone's eye. The eye is reflecting a beach landscape Research Brief / Personal Finance

Do Money Troubles Make It Harder to Daydream?

Popular notion that the poor console themselves with fantasy is perhaps more a comfort to the rich

Police body cam point of view Feature / Public Policy

Do Body Cams Give Police an Unintended Break?

Video from officer-worn cameras is judged less negatively than footage captured on dashboard cameras

Pharmacists preparing perscriptions Feature / Health Care

Curbing Over-Prescription of Antibiotics: Ranking Clinicians Is a Nudge That Sticks

Peer ranking might cut dangerous antibiotic overuse

An illustration of people with center character wearing a cape Feature / Workplace

Collaboration’s Downside: Individuals Take Too Much Credit

Not just the office jerk. Even good colleagues overclaim. Managing around this destructive dynamic isn’t straightforward

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

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