Research

Maximize Achievement and Persistence by Aligning Rewards to Recognize Milestones
Individuals are more likely to persist if they receive their first reward after completing a chunk of a task followed by a stream of small incentives.

Leave your comfort zone to achieve motivation and growth
Developing a skill such as public speaking can be uncomfortable, but new research shows that instead of avoiding discomfort, seeking it out can actually result in better motivation.

Can combining finances lead to long-lasting love?
A new study shows that it pays to pool finances if you’re seeking a higher level of satisfaction, harmony, and commitment in serious relationships.

Sense of ‘professionalism’ linked to unethical behavior
Employees or managers who view themselves as more professional are more vulnerable to unethical behavior such as conflicts of interest, study.

Presence of food may decrease enjoyment of customer experiences, study
Research by Associate Professor Emily Garbinsky presents a lesson for marketers: food and experiences don’t mix.

Left, right agree selling bodies is wrong – but reasons differ
Both liberals and conservatives consider bodily markets morally wrong, but they do so for different reasons, according to new research.

Pictures, videos can send viewers down a ‘rabbit hole’
How many cat videos can you watch in one sitting? Associate Professor Kaitlin Woolley ’12, says they’re like potato chips: You can’t consume just one.

Lateral moves may ultimately benefit career trajectory, study
Professor Michael Waldman has found important links between lateral job moves in relation to promotions, wage dynamics, and education.

Low self-esteem leads to low-quality purchases
Study proposes that low self-esteem consumers gravitate toward inferior products because those products confirm their pessimistic self-views.