Topic: Behavioral Decision Making

A man shouts during a congressional town hall meeting on March 13, 2025 in Asheville, North Carolina. Research Brief / Politics

Reducing Partisan Hostility Can Be Surprisingly Simple

Megastudy: strategies reduce political animosity, but don’t necessarily improve — and may harm — commitment to democratic principles

Man taking the grocery shopping left on the porch of the house. Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Grocery Delivery: Beyond a Gratuity, What Motivates a Gig Driver?

You as a customer can control two factors — time of day and whether you insist on personally accepting the goods — but not the third, route density

A for rent sign in front of a row of houses Research Brief / Housing

All Things in Moderation, Including Rent Control?

A California law seems to avoid worst side effects: rising condo conversions and a slowdown in new home construction

Exterior photo of Skyline High School in Dallas County, Texas. Research Brief / Taxes

Property Taxes to Fund Schools: Households With Enrolled Children Protest Levies Less Often

When people learn the actual portion of taxes spent on schools, tax protests by parents fall, but protests by nonparents rise

Saudi Arabian women working in an office. Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Cultural Norms, From Long Ago, Persist Even as They Clash With a Modern World

The fix is not to dismiss them, but to work with them

Aerial view of rush hour in city crosswalk. Feature / Data Analytics

We’re All Being Tracked. What Can We Learn From It?

A primer for researchers on use of smartphone location data offers a glimpse of how we’re watched

Love's gas station and sign on building exterior entrance in Missouri with convenience store closeup for food stamps. Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Research on Food Assistance Attitudes Shows People Overestimate Stigma Around Welfare

But correcting this misperception doesn’t necessarily boost applications

A woman and a man having a meeting. Feature / Behavioral Decision Making

The Listening Gap: Speakers Assume They’re Heard, the Spoken-To Often Feign Attentiveness

A growing body of research questions the value of the nod, eye contact, ‘mm-hmm’ and ‘uh-huh’

Illustration of an overbearing boss in color in the center with his office staff in black and white, three on each side of him Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Is Telling the World of Your Success Worth Five Times Your Private Knowledge of It?

The difficulties of study design in a braggy culture where few readily admit to bragging

Blue megaphones in a row with one of them is in orange color on blue background. Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Those Offering Opinions Are Better Remembered Than Those Uttering Facts

And recall of the source affects how we interpret information — and how we might act upon it

Three rows of bright abstract textured multicolored emoticons. Research Brief / Happiness

The Surprising Relationship Between Empathic Skill — the Ability to Read Others’ Feelings — and One’s Own Happiness

A surer path to contentedness might be believing one possesses empathy, even if one doesn’t

A glass jar filled with change and dollar bills with a white label that reads "tips." Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

As Tipping Booms Online, How Can Platforms Maximize Their Take?

A conundrum: When others’ tips are visible, users make larger tips to keep up. But they tip more often when tips aren’t displayed online

A man is seated in his car is using an ignition interlock, which is a breath test device linked to a vehicle’s ignition system. Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

The Deterrent Effect of Ignition Interlock Devices — Before They’re Even Installed

Adding a car breathalyzer to existing penalties could substantially discourage drunken driving

Personal perspective view of a female doctor talking with a patient Research Brief / Nudges

A Psychological Approach to Helping Doctors Do Better at Doing No Harm

Behavioral nudges reduced doctors’ overprescribing and overtesting of older patients

Two columns of three different menu price plans for internet services. Research Brief / Nudges

A Common Marketing Nudge Can Foster Consumer Distrust

Placing an inferior ‘decoy’ option in a menu of choices can trigger people to take their business elsewhere

Pre-adolescent boy wearing in red over a red background with a cool attitude. Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Major Adolescent Stress Reduces Connection to Future Self

And thinking less about one’s adult life can reduce the pursuit of higher education