Buying a BMW: How do social expectations influence your purchases?
People who drive BMWs and wear expensive suits must surely occupy roles of power and authority. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, when we can separate societal expectations of power from how power makes us feel,...
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Partners in crime: When do friends conspire to eat more chocolate?
As a human race we strive for perfection, knowing that no one is perfect. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research offers insight into why we surround ourselves with people who help bring out our best but don't make us...
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Negative stereotypes can cancel each other out on resumes
Stereotypes of gay men as effeminate and weak and black men as threatening and aggressive can hurt members of those groups when white people evaluate them in employment, education, criminal justice and other contexts. But the negative attributes of the...
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Stereotypes waning? Women leaders perceived as effective as male counterparts
When it comes to being perceived as effective leaders, women are rated as highly as men, and sometimes higher - a finding that speaks to society's changing gender roles and the need for a different management style in today's globalized...
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‘Date at your own risk’: Coworkers perceptions of workplace romances
Workplace romances are very common in contemporary organizations. In 2004, The Wall Street Journalreported that 47% of employees were currently involved in a workplace romance, and 19% would engage in one if the opportunity arose. However, little attention has been placed...
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Location matters when it comes to deal making, says new study
Even six-year-olds know who you sit beside matters, whether you're in first grade or at a high-powered dinner. But now a new study, using the U.S. Senate Chamber as its laboratory, provides documented evidence of that phenomenon. It shows that...
Read moreDetailsContrary to expectations, life experiences better use of money than material items
Despite knowing that buying life experiences will make them happier than buying material items, shoppers might continue to spend money on the latter because they mistakenly believe items are a better value, according to a San Francisco State University study...
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Female doctors spend more time than male doctors on parenting, household tasks
A new study finds gender differences in parenting and household labor persist among a group of highly motivated physician-researchers in the early stages of their career. The finding could shed light on why female academic physicians in general do not...
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Study finds that police work, like many other jobs, is mostly sedentary
Are you active at your job? If you’re like most workers, you probably aren't. And the consequences could be deadly. A team of researchers at the University of Iowa measured physical activity in police, whose jobs are presumably predicated on...
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Promise of a bonus counter-productive in brains with high dopamine levels
Researchers at the Donders Institute in Nijmegen have demonstrated for the first time that the amount of dopamine in the brain plays a role in how people perform when promised a high bonus. The journalPsychological Science will publish the results on...
Read moreDetailsExhausted? It’s the perfect time to make health decisions
Ironically, when it comes to making decisions about our bodies, a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research finds we make better health care decisions when we're feeling tired and run down.
Read moreDetailsLife and work — one and the same?
Flexible workplaces may seem attractive when considering work-life balance but new research being published shows it's not unusual for firms to cash-in, profiting from our free time and non-professional aptitudes, experts warn.
Read moreDetailsWomen find sexually explicit ads unappealing — unless the price is right
Sexual imagery is often used in magazine and TV ads, presumably to help entice buyers to purchase a new product. But new research suggests that women tend to find ads with sexual imagery off-putting, unless the advertised item is priced...
Read moreDetailsSee a Honda, buy a Mountain Dew? What happens when consumers fast-forward through commercials?
Consumers are bombarded with advertising throughout the course of any given day, often to the point where they rarely devote any conscious attention to processing the brand information. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, this...
Read moreDetailsConscientious people more likely to provide good customer service
Conscientious people are more likely to provide good customer service, according to a new study from researchers at Rice University.
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