Publications

2014
Article

Paying It Forward: Generalized Reciprocity and the Limits of Generosity

By: Kurt Gray, Adrian F. Ward and Michael I. Norton

When people are the victims of greed or recipients of generosity, their first impulse is often to pay back that behavior in kind. What happens when people cannot reciprocate, but instead have the chance to be cruel or kind to someone entirely different—to pay it... View Details

Keywords: Moral Sensibility; Behavior; Situation or Environment; Attitudes

October 2012
Article

The Gifts We Keep on Giving: Documenting and Destigmatizing the Regifting Taboo

By: Gabrielle S. Adams, Francis J. Flynn and Michael I. Norton

Five studies investigate whether the practice of "regifting"-a social taboo-is as offensive to givers as regifters assume. Participants who imagined regifting thought that the original givers would be more offended than givers reported feeling, to such an extent that... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Attitudes; Behavior; Research

05 May 2015
First Look

First Look: May 5

improving a firm's ability to understand and improve its architecture over time. Download working paper: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2554646 Working Papers Humblebragging: A Distinct-and Ineffective-Self-Presentation Strategy By: Sezer,... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

30 Aug 2016
First Look

August 30, 2016

Psychology Time, Money, and Happiness By: Mogilner, Cassie, and Michael I. Norton Abstract—We highlight recent... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

July–August 2021
Article

Surfacing the Submerged State: Operational Transparency Increases Trust in and Engagement with Government

By: Ryan W. Buell, Ethan Porter and Michael I. Norton

Problem definition: As trust in government reaches historic lows, frustration with government performance approaches record highs. Academic/practical relevance: We propose that in co-productive settings like government services, peoples’ trust and... View Details

Keywords: Government Services; Behavioral Operations; Operational Transparency; Government Administration; Service Operations; Programs; Perception; Attitudes; Behavior; Trust

17 Jan 2018
Research & Ideas

If the CEO’s High Salary Isn't Justified to Employees, Firm Performance May Suffer

season. Sources: "How Much (More) Should CEOs Make? A Universal Desire for More Equal Pay" by Sorapop Kiatpongsan and View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

23 May 2017
First Look

First Look at New Ideas and Research: May 23, 2017

in press Journal of Experimental Psychology: General Pseudo-Set Framing By: Barasz, Kate, Leslie John, Elizabeth A. Keenan, and Michael I. Norton... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

March–April 2015
Article

Why We Think We Can't Dance: Theory of Mind and Children's Desire to Perform

By: Lan Nguyen Chaplin and Michael I. Norton

Theory of Mind (ToM) allows children to achieve success in the social world by understanding others' minds. A study with 3–12 year olds, however, demonstrates that gains in ToM are linked to decreases in children's desire to engage in performative behaviors associated... View Details

Keywords: Theory Of Mind; Self-Esteem; Behavior; Attitudes; Performance; Cognition and Thinking

30 Oct 2012
First Look

First Look: October 30

analysis and framework in this paper can help broaden the understanding of accounting's globalization. Read the paper: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1875682 The Preference for Potential Authors:Zakary L. Tormala, Jayson Jia, View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Dec 2015
News

Alumni and Faculty Books for December 2015

to explore this emerging area of research. The Cambridge Handbook of Consumer Psychology edited by Michael I. Norton, Derek D. Rucker, and Cait... View Details

17 May 2016
First Look

May 17, 2016

in press Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Flying into a Rage: Physical and Situational Inequality on Airplanes Predict Air Rage By: DeCelles, K.A., and View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2014
Article

Thought Calibration: How Thinking Just the Right Amount Increases One’s Influence and Appeal

By: Daniella Kupor, Zakary L. Tormala, Michael I. Norton and Derek D. Rucker

Previous research suggests that people draw inferences about their attitudes and preferences based on their own thoughtfulness. The current research explores how observing other individuals make decisions more or less thoughtfully can shape perceptions of those... View Details

Keywords: Thoughtfulness; Liking; Social Influence; Decisions; Attitudes; Cognition and Thinking; Power and Influence

07 Oct 2008
First Look

First Look: October 7, 2008

future do not show this want/should pattern, and we discuss a potential explanation. Download the paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/07-078.pdf Conversational Blindness: Answering the Wrong Question the Right Way Authors:Todd Rogers... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

13 Mar 2018
First Look

March 13, 2018

Backhanded Compliments: How Negative Comparisons Undermine Flattery By: Sezer, Ovul, Alison Wood Brooks, and Michael I. Norton Abstract—Seven... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

05 Dec 2011
Research & Ideas

It’s Alive! Business Scholars Turn to Experimental Research

indication that experimental research is becoming more mainstream is the fact that a number of faculty who are not primarily experimentalists use the CLER, including HBS Dean Nitin Nohria. The Tipping Point To explain this surging interest over the past decade,... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

19 Apr 2016
First Look

April 19, 2016

forthcoming Journal of Marketing Research Does 'Liking' Lead to Loving? The Impact of Joining a Brand’s Social Network on Marketing Outcomes By: John, Leslie K., Oliver Emrich, Sunil Gupta, and Michael View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2008
Article

Getting off the Hedonic Treadmill, One Step at a Time: The Impact of Regular Religious Practice and Exercise on Well-Being

By: Daniel Mochon, Michael I. Norton and Dan Ariely

Many studies have shown that few events in life have a lasting impact on subjective well-being because of people's tendency to adapt quickly; worse, those events that do have a lasting impact tend to be negative. We suggest that while major events may not provide... View Details

Keywords: Health; Religion; Behavior; Happiness; Welfare