Publications

February 26, 2024
Article

Making Workplaces Safer Through Machine Learning

By: Matthew S. Johnson, David I. Levine and Michael W. Toffel

Machine learning algorithms can dramatically improve regulatory effectiveness. This short article describes the authors' scholarly work that shows how the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) could have reduced nearly twice as many occupational... View Details

Keywords: Government Experimentation; Auditing; Inspection; Evaluation; Process Improvement; Government Administration; AI and Machine Learning; Safety; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

June 2012
Article

Racial Colorblindness: Emergence, Practice, and Implications

By: Evan P. Apfelbaum, Michael I. Norton and Samuel R. Sommers

We examine the pervasive endorsement of racial colorblindness-the belief that racial group membership should not be taken into account or even noticed-as a strategy for managing diversity and intergroup relations. Despite research demonstrating that race is perceived... View Details

Keywords: Management; Strategy; Law; Practice; Race; Research; Social Issues; Diversity

2025
Working Paper

A Preference for Revision Absent Improvement

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

People regularly encounter revised stimuli (e.g., revised versions of products, new editions of books, tweaked recipes, and technological updates). In principle, a world of constant revision should benefit people by affording them the most up-to-date offerings. In... View Details

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

SSRN

Article

Humblebragging: A Distinct—and Ineffective—Self-Presentation Strategy

By: Ovul Sezer, Francesca Gino and Michael I. Norton

Self-presentation is a fundamental aspect of social life, with myriad critical outcomes dependent on others’ impressions. We identify and offer the first empirical investigation of a prevalent, yet understudied, self-presentation strategy: humblebragging. Across nine... View Details

Keywords: Humblebragging; Impression Management; Self-presentation; Interpersonal Perception; Competence; Liking; Sincerity; Behavior; Perception; Interpersonal Communication; Personal Characteristics

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, until recently, only humans could... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

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

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 Business School Case 512-018 In... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

03 Feb 2015
First Look

First Look: February 3

drive this reaction. February 2015 Perspectives on Psychological Science When Does Familiarity Promote Versus Undermine Interpersonal Attraction? A Proposed Integrative Model from Erstwhile Adversaries By: Finkel, Eli J., Michael View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

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

March 2022 (Revised January 2025)
Technical Note

Exploratory Data Analysis

By: Iavor I. Bojinov, Michael Parzen and Paul Hamilton

This module note provides an overview of exploratory data analysis for an introduction to data science course. It begins by defining the term "data", and then describes the different types of data that companies work with (structured v. unstructured, categorical v.... View Details

Keywords: Data Analysis; Data Science; Statistics; Data Visualization; Exploratory Data Analysis; Analytics and Data Science; Analysis

Educators

Purchase

06 Mar 2018
First Look

First Look at Research and Ideas, March 6, 2018

paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=50612 Surfacing the Submerged State: Operational Transparency Increases Trust in and Engagement with Government By: Buell, Ryan W., Ethan Porter, and Michael View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Feb 2011
First Look

First Look: Feb. 1

Smith, Maryanne Lewis, and Michael Tushman Publication:In Handbook on Positive Organizational Psychology, edited by K. Cameron and G. Spreitzer. Oxford University Press, in press Abstract Positively deviant... View Details

October 2021
Article

Communicating Resource Scarcity and Interpersonal Connection

By: Grant E. Donnelly, Anne V. Wilson, Ashley V. Whillans and Michael I. Norton

Consumers often cite insufficient time or money as an excuse for rejecting social invitations. We explore the effectiveness of these excuses in preserving interpersonal relationships. Six studies—including perceptions of couples planning their wedding—demonstrate that... View Details

Keywords: Time; Interpersonal Relationships; Communication; Money; Relationships; Interpersonal Communication

22 Jan 2013
First Look

First Look: Jan. 22

imprinting. This theory provides a distinct lens for organizational research that takes history seriously. Rituals Alleviate Grieving for Loved Ones, Lovers, and Lotteries Authors:Norton, Michael I., and F. Gino Publication:Journal of... 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

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 I. Norton... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

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