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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

Article

'Many Others Are Doing It, So Why Shouldn't I?': How Being in Larger Competitions Leads to More Cheating

By: Celia Chui, Maryam Kouchaki and Francesca Gino

In many spheres of life, from applying for a job to participating in an athletic contest to vying for a date, we face competition. Does the size of the competition pool affect our propensity to behave unethically in our pursuit of the prize? We propose that it does.... View Details

Keywords: Unethical Behavior; Cheating; Competitors; Social Norms; Ethics; Behavior; Competition; Societal Protocols

03 May 2004
What Do You Think?

How Much Is Enough?

compared to the others. As a manager, this is very complex because one must consider not only what is just enough for the firm and each employee, but also each employee's perception of what is just enough." It raises the question... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

29 Apr 2019
Research & Ideas

Is the Digital Age Making Us Petty?

punish the person socially, such as by assigning them boring tasks. These results held across age groups and cultures. (One study compared the perceptions of American participants with those of participants... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

12 Nov 2018
Blog Post

Student Portraits - Armed Forces Alumni Association

armed forces. Many served in combat. They are proud to share this deeply personal aspect of their lives with you. CAMERON R. ARMSTRONG / 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment / US Army ENTERED SERVICE FROM: Woodstock, GA REASON FOR... View Details

19 Jul 2013
Working Paper Summaries

Helping You Help Me: The Role of Diagnostic (In)Congruence in the Helping Process within Organizations

Keywords: by Colin M. Fisher, Julianna Pillemer & Teresa M. Amabile

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

26 Jul 2016
First Look

July 26, 2016

less competent than employees who do not. Across five experiments, we explore how reframing a socially inappropriate emotional expression (distress) by publicly attributing it to an appropriate source (passion) can shape perceptions of,... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Research Summary

Research

Professor Cuddy studies the origins and outcomes of how we perceive and are influenced by other people, investigating the roles of variables such as culture, emotions, nonverbal behaviors, and hormone levels. Much of her work focuses on social categories (e.g.,... View Details

10 Oct 2019
Blog Post

Coming Out at Business School

private. We accept everyone in any stage of their coming out process and hope that you will be inspired by the stories of these students as they continue to grapple with a world that is not always accepting of who they are. Here, students share their View Details

August 2004
Article

Inequality and Happiness: Are Europeans and Americans Different?

By: Rafael Di Tella, Alberto Alesina and Robert MacCulloch

We study the effect of the level of inequality in society on individual well-being using a total of 123,668 answers to a survey question about “happiness”. We find that individuals have a lower tendency to report themselves happy when inequality is high, even after... View Details

Keywords: Equality and Inequality; Happiness; Global Range; Local Range; United States; Europe

2023
Working Paper

Job Design and Workers’ Wellbeing: Evidence from a Hospital Setting

By: Susanna Gallani and Jacob Riegler

This study examines the relationship between job design imbalance and workers’ well-being. We build on Simons (2005) framework for the design of high-performing jobs and develop a survey instrument to capture workers’ perceptions of their job design and work... View Details

Keywords: Well-being; Job Design and Levels; Working Conditions; Perception; Work-Life Balance; Health Industry

Research Summary

Emotional Experience, Expression, and Regulation

By: Alison Wood Brooks

Once considered irrational, emotions often exert a more profound influence on decision-making and workplace outcomes than logic or reason. Professor Brooks studies emotional experience, emotional expression, and how individuals can regulate their emotions... View Details

2023
Working Paper

Sending Signals: Strategic Displays of Warmth and Competence

By: Bushra S. Guenoun and Julian J. Zlatev

Using a combination of exploratory and confirmatory approaches, this research examines how people signal important information about themselves to others. We first train machine learning models to assess the use of warmth and competence impression management... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Personal Characteristics; Perception; Interpersonal Communication

September 2019
Article

The Self-Presentational Consequences of Upholding One's Stance in Spite of the Evidence

By: Leslie John, Martha Jeong, Francesca Gino and Laura Huang

Five studies explore the self-presentational consequences of refusing to “back down” – that is, upholding a stance despite evidence of its inaccuracy. Using data from an entrepreneurial pitch competition, Study 1 shows that entrepreneurs tend not to back down even... View Details

Keywords: Self-presentation; Belief Perseverance; Judgment; Confidence; Persuasion; Personal Characteristics; Behavior; Perception; Decision Making; Outcome or Result

2010
Article

I May Not Agree With You, but I Trust You: Caring About Social Issues Signals Integrity

By: Julian Zlatev

What characteristics of an individual signal trustworthiness to other people? I propose that individuals who care about contentious social issues signal to observers that they have integrity and thus can be trusted. Critically, this signal conveys trustworthiness... View Details

Keywords: Personal Characteristics; Moral Sensibility; Perception; Trust

14 May 2008
Research & Ideas

Getting Down to the Business of Creativity

"Creativity does have a reputation for being magical," says HBS professor Teresa Amabile. "One myth is that it's associated with the particular personality or genius of a person—and in fact, creativity does depend to some... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Retail; Apparel & Accessories; Fashion; Entertainment & Recreation

16 Aug 2024
In Practice

Election 2024: What's at Stake for Business and the Workplace?

and the International Economy Unit. Elisabeth Kempf: Political views shape economic outlook Political views influence the perception of economic reality among finance professionals. In a study linking credit rating analysts to party... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

November 2010
Article

People Often Trust Eloquence More Than Honesty

By: Todd Rogers and Michael I. Norton

This article presents a dual interview based on a research study we conducted. Our study found that an artful dodger of questions was generally considered more likable than a person who answered the same questions directly but with less eloquence. We comment on the... View Details

Keywords: Research; Social Psychology; Communication; Perception; Business or Company Management; Government and Politics