Hengchen Dai

Associate Professor of Management and Organizations and Behavioral Decision Making

About

Hengchen Dai’s work is at home in the thriving tech and business environment of Los Angeles, where companies rely more and more on big data and the kind of custom analytics that drive her research. She seeks out opportunities to work with corporations, educational institutions and online platforms to conduct field studies that get to the heart of what motivates people. She seeks to advance understanding of when people are more or less likely to behave in line with their long-term best interests both inside and outside the workplace, and then applies insights from behavioral economics and psychology to steer people toward far-sighted decision-making.

Read Full Bio 
Topics
Photo of Hengchen Dai

17 Articles

Leadership Concept with Paper Ship Research Brief / COVID-19

The Case for Field Experiments in Behavioral Research

Nudges already proven to work in the real-world increased uptake of COVID-19 boosters; nudges based on lab findings and expert insights, not so much

An illustration of a man holding an umbrella standing ina sea of alarm clocks. Research Brief / Nudges

Lack of Urgency Can Undermine a Popular Behavioral Nudge

Encouraging pre-commitment to a future behavior helps people do hard things — but it can backfire

Workers in a warehouse putting together packages Research Brief / Productivity

Startling Productivity Leap: an Algorithm, Not a Manager, Assigns Work

Warehouse pickers perceive process to be fairer

AN illustration of matches in various stages of burning until it reaches then end and what looks like a man made out of matches is entirely burned Research Brief / Health Care

Doctors, Subjected to Peer Comparison, Felt Increased Burnout

Nudge to improve preventive medicine performance didn’t work – and yielded discontent

Research Brief / Nudges

Fresh-Start Framing Boosts Retirement Plan Participation

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

An illustration of four figures carrying a large syringe while reading texts about vaccine availability Research Brief / COVID-19

Texting Our Way Closer to Herd Immunity

A simple message with a behavioral nudge boosts vaccination rate

Two cartoon figures. One is sitting on a large pile of gold coins while the other has very few. Research Brief / Income

Wage Transparency Might Make Income Inequality Even Worse

Unintended consequences in trying to apply market solutions

Illustration of a calendar with 15th circled Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Motivation to Begin or an Excuse to Slack Off?

Fresh-start dates can serve as either — it’s a two-way nudge

Man buying jeans Research Brief / E-commerce

Retailing Cross-Platform Win: A Pop-Up Store Boosts Online Sales

Alibaba finds a fresh twist on an old-school store is an effective marketing tool

Mobile phone using the Yelp app Research Brief / E-commerce

Online Reviews Sway Experiential Purchases Less Than Those of Material Products

Reviews that explicitly talk about objective quality assessments are well received

Pink hot air balloon Feature / Behavioral Decision Making

How to Spot a Nudge Gone Rogue

Researchers find common warning signs in persuasion projects that went wrong

LA Dodger Manny Ramirez taking a swing Research Brief / Behavioral Economics

Not All Second Chances Are Good Ones

Hengchen Dai finds that hitting the reset button can help those who have recently struggled, but erodes the motivation and execution of top performers

A group of people climbing a mountain peak Research Brief / Behavioral Economics

Why Kickstarter Funders Quickly Kick in the Last 5 Percent

Research shows that people have a sincere desire to see projects take flight

A woman having coffee in front of a laptop Research Brief / E-commerce

Online Coupons Work in the Moment but Don’t Seem to Alter the Seller-Shopper Relationship

Studying 1 million Alibaba users, Hengchen Dai mostly confirms the transactional nature of internet retailing

Illustration of a house, cap, rings, car keys, baby crib Feature / Nudges

Behavioral Nudges Timed to Certain Days are Effective Motivator

Dates of milestones — major and minor — can spur us to action

Tennis player Nick Kyrgios Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

In Adversity, Some High Performers Give Up Rather than Dig In

The world of tennis sheds light on a potential downside to office ranking systems

Hand sanitizer dispenser Feature / Health Care

Hospital Hand-Washing: The Limits of Electronic Monitoring

The anti-infection procedure rises for a time, when workers are watched, and then falls off