- 27 Nov 2017
- Research & Ideas
Beware the Lasting Impression of a 'Temporary' Selfie
Some social media apps promise to delete your messages after they are read. The problem: The memory of your uninhibited behavior lingers. Research by Leslie K. John and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 17 Oct 2017
- First Look
First Look at New Research and Ideas, October 17, 2017
Beware the lasting impression of a temporary selfie ... Competing against Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto film festivals ... Should a leading game developer sell out?
- 18 Sep 2017
- Research & Ideas
'Likes' Lead to Nothing—and Other Hard-Learned Lessons of Social Media Marketing
A decade-and-a-half after the dawn of social media marketing, brands are still learning what works and what doesn't with consumers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 24 Jul 2017
- Research & Ideas
People Have an Irrational Need to Complete 'Sets' of Things
People are irrationally motivated to complete arbitrary sets of tasks, donations, or purchases—and organizations can take advantage of that, according to new research by Kate Barasz, Leslie John, Elizabeth Keenan, and Michael Norton. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 May 2017
- First Look
First Look at New Research and Ideas, May 30
Advice for those seeking advice ... Should CEOs become social activists? ... What companies don’t know about location.
- 14 Mar 2017
- First Look
First Look at New Research, March 14
Is a Facebook 'like' worth anything? ... One company's Brexit strategy ... In Japan, 'womenomics' is a national priority.
- 03 Jan 2017
- Research & Ideas
5 New Year's Resolutions You Can Keep (With the Help of Behavioral Science Research)
As 2017 begins, we share some well-researched tips—based on the findings of behavioral economists at Harvard Business School—to help our readers keep some common New Year’s resolutions. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Dec 2016
- Research & Ideas
The 10 Most Popular 'Cold Call' Podcasts
As the year comes to a close, we revisit the Cold Call podcasts that attracted the most listeners in 2016. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 24 Aug 2016
- Research & Ideas
Behavioral Economists Can Make You a Healthier Consumer and Smarter Marketer
Video What’s behind the decisions we make, especially when it comes to eating well and losing weight? Can companies motivate employees to make healthier decisions? Leslie John discusses "interventions" to help people make better decisions when it comes to their health. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Jun 2016
- Research & Ideas
When Predicting Other People's Preferences, You're Probably Wrong
Marketers, job hunters and people looking for mates are all called upon to predict behavior—and many are probably wrong. The reason: We erroneously make assumptions about what others will like and dislike based on their previous choices, according to new research by Kate Barasz, Tami Kim, and Leslie John. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 07 Apr 2016
- Cold Call Podcast
The Key to Keeping Resolutions? Betting Against Yourself
It’s been a few months since many of us made New Year’s resolutions. Have you stuck with yours? Professor Leslie John studies how to help people change bad habits (and reinforce good ones) by looking at what makes them tick. Here, she discusses stickK, an application that motivates people by forcing them to put skin in the game of self-improvement. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 14 Mar 2016
- Working Paper Summaries
The Role of Incentive Salience in Habit Formation
Obesity is a serious problem in the United States. One established way to increase individuals’ exercise is to provide incentives, but merely offering them is not enough to change behavior. A field experiment with users of a pedometer-tracking app showed that marketing the incentives matters: Incentives that included a marketing component produced significantly more behavior change and more lasting exercise habits than incentives without significant marketing.
- 01 Jun 2015
- Research & Ideas
The Surprising Benefits of Oversharing
In a social media culture that encourages sharing of embarrassing information, revealing too much can benefit individuals but hurt businesses. New research papers from Leslie John and Michael Luca help explain why. Open for comment; 10 Comment(s) posted.
- 15 Dec 2014
- Research & Ideas
Deconstructing the Price Tag
A new study by Bhavya Mohan, Ryan Buell, and Leslie John has an important conclusion for retailers: Explaining what it costs to produce a product can potentially increase its sales. Open for comment; 10 Comment(s) posted.
- 07 Oct 2014
- Working Paper Summaries
Lifting the Veil: The Benefits of Cost Transparency
Most managers think about cost transparency in terms of a supplier-firm relationship: when there is a two-way sharing of cost information between a firm and its suppliers, with the goal of collaborating to reduce costs. What does cost transparency do, however, in customer-firm relationships, when firms voluntarily disclose their variable costs explicitly and directly to consumers? This is the question the authors examine in this paper. Results of several experiments indicate that one-way cost transparency enhances consumers' attraction to the brand, in turn increasing their willingness to buy. Overall, marketers can potentially improve both brand attraction and sales by revealing costs. Key concepts include: Relative to other marketing tactics, cost transparency might be an innovative and inexpensive way to build brand attraction and sales. Disclosing sensitive cost information appeals to consumers regardless of their prior relationship with a brand. Benefits of cost transparency weaken—but do not reverse—when a firm discloses higher prices relative to cost Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.
- 11 Aug 2014
- HBS Case
The Business of Behavioral Economics
Leslie John and Michael Norton explore how behavioral economics can help people overcome bad habits and change for the better. Open for comment; 4 Comment(s) posted.
- 13 Feb 2013
- Research & Ideas
5 Weight Loss Tips From Behavioral Economists
Behavioral economists study what motivates people to buy, save, donate, and any other number of actions that build society. The following studies reveal proven methods of encouraging healthy eating and exercise. Open for comment; 2 Comment(s) posted.
- 10 Dec 2012
- Research & Ideas
Why We Blab Our Intimate Secrets on Facebook
Leslie K. John and colleagues set out to discover the reason behind a common discrepancy: While many of us purport to be concerned about Internet privacy, we seem to have no worries about sharing our most intimate details on Facebook. Closed for comment; 15 Comment(s) posted.
- 27 Feb 2012
- Research & Ideas
When Researchers Cheat (Just a Little)
Although cases of clear scientific misconduct have received significant media attention recently, less flagrant transgressions of research norms may be more prevalent and, in the long run, more damaging to the academic enterprise, reports Assistant Professor Leslie K. John. Key concepts include: Many of the surveyed research psychologists admitted to bending scientific norms in their work, but most transgressions were innocuous. Over a third of those surveyed said they doubted the integrity of their own research on at least one occasion. Ten percent of the research psychologists had engaged in the most serious practice of using false data. This methodology could help business practitioners learn about undesirable practices inside their companies. Open for comment; 13 Comment(s) posted.
5 Career-Related New Year’s Resolutions (and 5 Tips for Keeping Them)
Here are well-researched tips from Harvard Business School faculty to help you keep your career-related resolutions this year. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.