Publications

2009
Working Paper

Feeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-Interested Charitable Behavior

By: Lalin Anik, Lara B. Aknin, Michael I. Norton and Elizabeth W. Dunn

While lay intuitions and pop psychology suggest that helping others leads to higher levels of happiness, the existing evidence only weakly supports this causal claim: Research in psychology, economics, and neuroscience exploring the benefits of charitable giving has... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Research; Behavior; Happiness; Motivation and Incentives

15 Oct 2008
First Look

First Look: October 15, 2008

is comprised of an extensive collection of Harvard Business School cases devoted to information technology. Learning (Not) to Talk About Race: When Older Children Underperform in Social Categorization Authors:Evan P. Apfelbaum, Kristin Pauker, Nalini Ambady, Samuel R.... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Web

Research - Race, Gender & Equity

Organizations & Markets 16 results Kristin W. Mugford Finance Kyle R. Myers Technology and Operations Management Das Narayandas Marketing 1 result Michael I. View Details

30 Jan 2018
First Look

January 30, 2018

Cassie, A.V. Whillans, and Michael I. Norton Abstract—Time and money are scarce and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

26 Nov 2013
First Look

First Look: November 26

Thinking-Not Feeling-Jobs By: Waytz, Adam, and Michael I. Norton Abstract—Technological innovations have produced robots capable of jobs that,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

May 2017
Article

Agent-based Modeling: A Guide for Social Psychologists

By: Joshua Conrad Jackson, David Rand, Kevin Lewis, Michael I. Norton and Kurt Gray

Agent-based modeling is a longstanding but underused method that allows researchers to simulate artificial worlds for hypothesis testing and theory building. Agent-based models (ABMs) offer unprecedented control and statistical power by allowing researchers to... View Details

Keywords: Social Psychology; Marketing; Mathematical Methods

November 2022
Article

Opportunity Neglect: An Aversion to Low-probability Gains

By: Emily Prinsloo, Kate Barasz, Leslie K. John and Michael I. Norton

Seven preregistered studies (N = 2,890) conducted in the field, lab, and online document opportunity neglect: a tendency to reject opportunities with low probability of success, even when they come with little or no objective cost (e.g., time, money,... View Details

Keywords: Opportunities; Behavior; Risk and Uncertainty; Success; Perception

Purchase

15 Feb 2014
Conference Presentation

Men as Cultural Ideals: How Culture Shapes Gender Stereotypes

By: Amy Cuddy, Elizabeth Baily Wolf, Peter Glick and Michael I. Norton

Four studies test whether cultural values moderate the content of gender stereotypes, such that male stereotypes more closely align with core cultural values (specifically, individualism vs. collectivism) than do female stereotypes. In Studies 1 and 2, using different... View Details

Keywords: Stereotypes; Gender; United States; South Korea

February 2011
Article

It's the Recipient That Counts: Spending Money on Strong Social Ties Leads to Greater Happiness Than Spending on Weak Social Ties

By: Lara B. Aknin, Gillian M. Sandstrom, Elizabeth W. Dunn and Michael I. Norton

Previous research has shown that spending money on others (prosocial spending) increases happiness. But, do the happiness gains depend on who the money is spent on? Sociologists have distinguished between strong ties with close friends and family and weak... View Details

Keywords: Happiness; Relationships; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

2024
Working Paper

The Revised-Is-Quality Heuristic: Why Consumers Prefer Products Labeled as Revised

By: Ximena Garcia-Rada, Leslie K. John, Ed O’Brien and Michael I. Norton

From downloading never-ending updates to tracking ever-newer releases, consumers today are surrounded by revised products that purport to have improved upon their predecessors. Seven experiments examine when and why consumers rely on a “revised-is-quality”... View Details

Keywords: Product Change; Versioning; Expectancy Effects; Heuristics; Intuitive Processing; Product Marketing; Change; Perception; Consumer Behavior

SSRN

06 Dec 2011
First Look

First Look: Dec. 6

case:http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/product/712004-PDF-ENG The Pepsi Refresh Project: A Thirst for Change Michael I. Norton and Jill AveryHarvard... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Article

Dying Is Unexpectedly Positive

By: Amelia Goranson, Ryan S. Ritter, Adam Waytz, Michael I. Norton and Kurt Gray

In people’s imagination, dying seems dreadful; however, these perceptions may not reflect reality. In two studies, we compared the affective experience of people facing imminent death with that of people imagining imminent death. Study 1 revealed that blog posts of... View Details

Keywords: Death; Language; LIWC; Positivity; Affective Forecasting; Open Materials; Perspective; Attitudes

04 Jun 2013
First Look

First Look: June 4

Emotional Benefits of Prosocial Spending By: Aknin, Lara B., Elizabeth W. Dunn, Ashley V. Whillans, Adam M. Grant, and Michael I. Norton... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

16 Apr 2013
First Look

First Look: April 16

I. Norton Abstract—This research provides the first support for a possible psychological universal: human beings around the world derive emotional benefits from using their financial resources to help others... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2012
Article

An Age Penalty in Racial Preferences

By: Deborah A. Small, Devin G. Pope and Michael I. Norton

We document an age penalty in racial discrimination: charitable behavior toward African American children decreases-and negative stereotypical inferences increase-with the age of those children. Using data from an online charity that solicits donations for school... View Details

Keywords: Stereotyping; Charitable Giving; Prejudice; Prosocial Behavior; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Age; Race; Prejudice and Bias

14 Mar 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, March 14

in U.S. and international samples. Humblebragging: A Distinct—and Ineffective—Self-Presentation Strategy By: Sezer, Ovul, Francesca Gino, and Michael View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

28 Oct 2008
First Look

First Look: October 28, 2008

Race and Seeming Racist? Evaluating Strategic Colorblindness in Social Interaction Authors:Evan P. Apfelbaum, Samuel R. Sommers, and Michael I.... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

Article

Men as Cultural Ideals: Cultural Values Moderate Gender Stereotype Content.

By: Amy Cuddy, Elizabeth Baily Wolf, Peter Glick, Susan Crotty, Jihye Chong and Michael I. Norton

Four studies tested whether cultural values moderate the content of gender stereotypes, such that male stereotypes more closely align with core cultural values (specifically, individualism vs. collectivism) than do female stereotypes. In Studies 1 and 2, using... View Details

Keywords: Gender Stereotypes; Stereotype Content; Individualism; Collectivism; Prejudice and Bias; Values and Beliefs; Culture; Gender