JCR Authors in the News
 | The Washington Post A MAD Magazine Cartoonist Shows How Growing up Poor Sparks Creativity September 7, 2016 In a recent Journal of Consumer Research study, Meng Zhu and Ravi Mehta wrote: “Contrary to popular belief, abundant resources may have a negative effect on creativity.” They continued: “We found that scarcity forces consumers to think beyond the traditional function of a given product and enhances creativity.” Creating When You Have Less: The Impact of Resource Scarcity on Product Use Creativity by Ravi Mehta, Meng Zhu |
 | Broadly Machismo Is Ruining the Planet, Study Says September 2, 2016 According to a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, green behaviors like recycling and carpooling are considered "feminine," and therefore fewer men are interested in saving the planet than women. One way to fix this, the study's authors suggest, is for policymakers and marketers to make the branding messages of green products and behaviors more macho. Is Eco-Friendly Unmanly? The Green-Feminine Stereotype and Its Effect on Sustainable Consumption by Aaron R. Brough, James E.B. Wilkie, Jingjing Ma, Mathew S. Isaac, David Gal |
 | Quartz Studies Show People Think Caring About the Environment Is "Feminine" September 2, 2016 According to new research published in the Journal of Consumer Research, people perceive consumers who behave in eco-friendly ways as “more feminine,” and that those consumers “perceive themselves as more feminine.” What’s more, men may avoid green behaviors in order to protect their masculinity. Is Eco-Friendly Unmanly? The Green-Feminine Stereotype and Its Effect on Sustainable Consumption by Aaron R. Brough, James E.B. Wilkie, Jingjing Ma, Mathew S. Isaac, David Gal |
 | Boston Globe Tough Times for Health Insurance September 2, 2016 In a new study forthcoming in the Journal of Consumer Research, when asked to think pessimistically about the economy, people who grew up poor became significantly less interested in having insurance coverage than people who grew up rich. However, when people were explicitly given information about the probability of getting sick, the effect reversed. Silver Spoons and Platinum Plans: How Childhood Environment Affects Adult Health Care Decisions by Chiraag Mittal, Vladas Griskevicius |
 | New York Men Are Destroying the Earth Because They Think Environmentalism Is Too Girly September 1, 2016 In a new study, researchers found that men are less likely to buy environmentally friendly products because they perceive them as too feminine. The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, found that “greenness” is equated in both men’s and women’s minds with femininity. Is Eco-Friendly Unmanly? The Green-Feminine Stereotype and Its Effect on Sustainable Consumption by Aaron R. Brough, James E.B. Wilkie, Jingjing Ma, Mathew S. Isaac, David Gal |
 | The Washington Post Your Manliness Could Be Hurting the Planet August 31, 2016 Women tend to beat men on environmental metrics. They generally use less fuel and energy. They eat less meat. They're more concerned about climate change. "Men’s resistance may stem in part from a prevalent association between the concepts of greenness and femininity and a corresponding stereotype (held by both men and women) that green consumers are feminine," writes James Wilkie, a business professor at the University of Notre Dame, this month in the Journal of Consumer Research. "As a result of this stereotype, men may be motivated to avoid or even oppose green behaviors in order to safeguard their gender identity." Is Eco-Friendly Unmanly? The Green-Feminine Stereotype and Its Effect on Sustainable Consumption by Aaron R. Brough, James E.B. Wilkie, Jingjing Ma, Mathew S. Isaac, David Gal |
 | The Independent Ignore Office Dress Code and Wear Casual Clothes for Job Success, Study Suggests August 27, 2016 Wearing casual clothes and flouting the office dress code could make you seem more competent, a Harvard study suggests. Called the "red sneaker effect," intentionally standing out from the crowd could send a positive message of status, confidence and power, according to the study published in the Journal of Consumer Research. The Red Sneakers Effect: Inferring Status and Competence from Signals of Nonconformity by Silvia Bellezza, Francesca Gino, Anat Keinan |
 | Slate Eco-Friendly Branding Must Be Super Manly to Attract Manly Men, Study Says August 26, 2016 Men are more likely to buy eco-friendly products and donate to environmental charities if the branding strokes their fragile masculine egos, according to new research in the Journal of Consumer Research. A series of seven studies from researchers at universities in the U.S. and China show that people link “greenness” to femininity, making men less likely to engage in behaviors that might support the health of the planet they too must inhabit. Is Eco-Friendly Unmanly? The Green-Feminine Stereotype and Its Effect on Sustainable Consumption by Aaron R. Brough, James E.B. Wilkie, Jingjing Ma, Mathew S. Isaac, David Gal |
 | The Globe and Mail Why a Latte Tastes Better When You Pay with Cash August 25, 2016 Cash, cheque, debit or credit –- they all affect how much connection, or lack thereof, we feel toward our purchases, according to Dr. Shah, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Toronto. In a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, she and her fellow researchers found consumers tend to place higher value on products or services when they pay for them using cash. Conversely, with a debit or credit card, or some other automatic form of payment, our sense of connection lessens. 'Paper or Plastic?': How We Pay Influences Post-Transaction Connection by Avni M. Shah, Noah Eisenkraft, James R. Bettman, Tanya L. Chartrand |
 | Association for Psychological Science Dressing for Success: From Lucky Socks to the Red Sneaker Effect August 23, 2016 Under most circumstances, not conforming to etiquette rules tends to garner social disapproval; showing up to a business lunch in your gym clothes, for example, is not likely to impress your clients. However, Harvard psychological scientists Silvia Bellezza, Francesca Gino, and Anat Keinan hypothesized in a Journal of Consumer Research article that intentionally standing out from the crowd could also send a positive message conveying status, confidence, and power. The Red Sneakers Effect: Inferring Status and Competence from Signals of Nonconformity by Silvia Bellezza, Francesca Gino, Anat Keinan |
 | OUPblog Can We Encourage Healthier Choices by the Way We Display Food Options? August 22, 2016 When a healthy and an unhealthy item are organized laterally, there is greater preference for the healthy option when it is displayed to the left (vs. right) of the unhealthy option. Why does this happen? Consumers’ natural tendency is to mentally organize healthy items (grilled chicken) to the left of unhealthy items (fried chicken). Hence, a food display that is congruent with this natural mental representation facilitates information processing, which in turn enhances self-control, and ultimately leads to relatively higher likelihood of choosing healthy options. Healthy-Left, Unhealthy-Right: Can Displaying Healthy Items to the Left (versus Right) of Unhealthy Items Nudge Healthier Choices? by Marisabel Romero, Dipayan Biswas |
 | Psychology Today Who Deserves the Right to Choose Green? August 16, 2016 Fair treatment, a foundation of environmental justice, means that poor people living in perilous zones should be free to make decisions that affect their well-being. However, researchers found that the participants in their Journal of Consumer Research study were not so sure. When it comes to spending money on climate-friendly options, those who earned their income, as opposed to receiving welfare, were deemed more deserving of the right to spend extra cash to cool the planet. Wealth and Welfare: Divergent Moral Reactions to Ethical Consumer Choices by Jenny G. Olson, Brent McFerran, Andrea C. Morales, Darren W. Dahl |
 | Fast Company Four Things to Do outside the Office to Boost Your Creativity August 16, 2016 In a Journal of Consumer Research study that sounds like it came from Goldilocks and the Three Bears, researchers held brainstorming experiments in three environments to measure the impact of noise on creativity. Participants worked in near silent environments that registered about 50 decibels, loud environments at 85 decibels, and medium-noise environments at 70 decibels. The midrange spot -- about the noise level of a coffee shop -- turned out to be just right when it came to doing creative work. Is Noise Always Bad? Exploring the Effects of Ambient Noise on Creative Cognition by Ravi Mehta, Rui (Juliet) Zhu, Amar Cheema |
 | Pacific Standard It’s Not Easy Being Green -- and Manly August 16, 2016 Men are less likely than women to think and act in Earth-friendly ways. The mental association of caring for the Earth with femininity can “motivate men to avoid green behaviors in order to preserve a macho image,” write researchers in the Journal of Consumer Research. But their findings suggest there are effective ways to defuse this dynamic. They offer evidence that “men’s inhibitions about engaging in green behavior can be mitigated through masculine affirmation and masculine branding.” Is Eco-Friendly Unmanly? The Green-Feminine Stereotype and Its Effect on Sustainable Consumption by Aaron R. Brough, James E.B. Wilkie, Jingjing Ma, Mathew S. Isaac, David Gal |
 | Wall Street Journal For a Relaxing Vacation, Look to the Data August 5, 2016 In a series of six experiments published earlier this year in the Journal of Consumer Research, researchers found that activities like reading, coloring or walking can feel more like work when tracked. In one study, researchers asked 105 university students to color shapes for 10 minutes; one group’s coloring was quantified, the other’s wasn’t. The group whose output was measured produced more but rated the activity as less enjoyable than those who weren’t tracked. The Hidden Cost of Personal Quantification by Jordan Etkin |
 | The Washington Post Men Can’t Compromise without Women Around August 2, 2016 Researchers who published their findings in the Journal of Consumer Research recruited college students with course credit and asked them to pick a grill. The students' gender, they found, appeared to influence their willingness to compromise with each other on which grill to select. The female and gender-mixed groups generally found a compromise with their partner. Roughly 70 percent agreed to sacrifice their first choice to better meet their partner’s needs. Men and the Middle: Gender Differences in Dyadic Compromise Effects by Hristina Nikolova, Cait Lamberton |
 | Daily Mail Women Really Do Get the Better Deal: Couples Are More Likely to Receive a Discount if One of Them Is Female July 29, 2016 Whether it is a married couple choosing a new car or business colleagues investing in stocks and shares, if one of the two is a woman then the pair will take fewer risks. This means if you want a good deal, you should make sure there's a woman in the negotiations. A compromise is more likely when a woman is involved in the decision making, according to a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research. Men and the Middle: Gender Differences in Dyadic Compromise Effects by Hristina Nikolova, Cait Lamberton |
 | The Telegraph Want a Good Deal? Get a Woman to Negotiate July 29, 2016 A satisfactory compromise is more likely when a female is central to the decision-making, claims a study published to the Journal of Consumer Research. Whether it is a married couple choosing a new car, two friends booking a holiday or business colleagues investing in stocks and shares, if one is of the fairer sex, they will take fewer risks. But if when an all-male group tries to negotiate, chances are the offers will be too high or too low. Men and the Middle: Gender Differences in Dyadic Compromise Effects by Hristina Nikolova, Cait Lamberton |
 | TIME Want to Reach a Compromise? Add a Woman to the Conversation July 29, 2016 According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, when two men work together to reach some decision, they’re more likely to reach an all-or-nothing outcome than if they were working alone or with a woman. The researchers found that when two women work together, they’re more likely to reach compromise. Men and the Middle: Gender Differences in Dyadic Compromise Effects by Hristina Nikolova, Cait Lamberton |
 | Forbes Study: Paying Cash Is Painful and Makes You Value Your Purchase More July 28, 2016 In a series of different experiments, researchers demonstrated that the more pain we go through, the more we value what we buy. Different means of payment can actually trigger different levels of discomfort. Cash is the most uncomfortable, followed by checks, which require us to write down the amount and remember it. Credit and debit cards hurt the least. 'Paper or Plastic?': How We Pay Influences Post-Transaction Connection by Avni M. Shah, Noah Eisenkraft, James R. Bettman, Tanya L. Chartrand |
 | TIME Here's the Unexpected Way Gender Impacts Negotiation July 27, 2016 According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, negotiations between men often turn into power struggles, with both sides apt to stake out an extreme position. This is true even if both men have the same ostensible goal, the researchers found. This one-upmanship does not hold if a man is negotiating with a woman, nor is it how women negotiate with one another. If negotiating groups include one or more women, the tendency is to move to a middle ground or consensus decision. Men and the Middle: Gender Differences in Dyadic Compromise Effects by Hristina Nikolova, Cait Lamberton |
 | Big Think Weird Weather Behavior: Winter Makes Us Love, Summer Makes Us Violent July 26, 2016 In a 2012 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, researchers gave 53 male and female graduate students either hot or iced tea and asked them to fill out a survey about movie preferences. The students overwhelmingly chose romantic movies when holding cold drinks. They didn’t express a preference for any other film genre. A few didn’t prefer romantic movies when holding their cold drink, but that was most likely because they didn’t associate romantic movies with warm fuzzy feelings at all. Warm It Up With Love: The Effect of Physical Coldness on Liking of Romance Movies by Jiewen Hong, Yacheng Sun |
 | Psychology Today Specific Commitments Can Change Behavior July 26, 2016 In a 2012 paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research, researchers focused on energy-saving behavior by hotel guests. At check-in, guests at an Orange County, CA hotel were given either a general message about the importance of saving energy or a specific message asking them to hang their towels for re-use to save water and energy. Commitment and Behavior Change: Evidence From the Field by Katie Baca-Motes, Amber Brown, Ayelet Gneezy, Elizabeth A. Keenan, Leif D. Nelson |
 | TIME Why Changing Attitudes toward Cash Could Hurt Us in the Long Run July 26, 2016 Researchers published in the Journal of Consumer Research recently concluded that people assign greater value to things they purchase with cash. They showed that those who donated to a charity by check, not credit card, were more likely to donate again. They also showed that those who bought a $2 mug with cash demanded 75% more than those who paid with plastic, if they were to resell the mug. 'Paper or Plastic?': How We Pay Influences Post-Transaction Connection by Avni M. Shah, Noah Eisenkraft, James R. Bettman, Tanya L. Chartrand |
 | Forbes Pokemon Not a Go for Some Consumers, says Nielsen Games Report July 23, 2016 Researchers posit that people can superimpose their moral beliefs on certain products, creating an us-versus-them narrative, as a way to reinforce their own values and identities. The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, concludes that ”evoking the morality play myth produces identities that are dialectically linked and animated by adversarial relations among ideologically opposed consumers. Through this play of moral protagonism, consumers imbue their consumption practices and identity-relevant brands with sacralized meanings ... and existentially anchor their consumer identities in a system of ideological beliefs that are mythically canonized as being inherently virtuous.” Consumer Identity Work as Moral Protagonism: How Myth and Ideology Animate a Brand-Mediated Moral Conflict by Marius K. Luedicke, Craig J. Thompson, Markus Giesler |
 | Boston Globe Why Paying in Cash Connects Us to Products July 18, 2016 Paying by cash or check increases the value of the purchase to the consumer, according to a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Consumer Research. Paper payment can even lead a person to feel more loyal to a brand or more likely to repeat a donation to a charity. 'Paper or Plastic?': How We Pay Influences Post-Transaction Connection by Avni M. Shah, Noah Eisenkraft, James R. Bettman, Tanya L. Chartrand |
 | New York Times Paying with Cash Hurts. That's Also Why It Feels So Good. July 16, 2016 Paying with cash is painful -- and that’s a good thing, according to new research published in the Journal of Consumer Research. When people pay for items using cold, hard cash rather than by card or online, they feel more of a sting and therefore assign more value to the purchase. 'Paper or Plastic?': How We Pay Influences Post-Transaction Connection by Avni M. Shah, Noah Eisenkraft, James R. Bettman, Tanya L. Chartrand |
 | The Independent What Your Mindless Daily Habits Reveal about You, According to Science July 9, 2016 A series of experiments published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that explanation fiends score high on measures of cognitive reflection, meaning they analyze information to death and prefer lots of detail about products. Explanation foes, on the other hand, score low on measures of cognitive reflection, meaning they don't do well with so many details and prefer more general information. Explanation Fiends and Foes: How Mechanistic Detail Determines Understanding and Preference by Philip M. Fernbach, Steven A. Sloman, Robert St. Louis, Julia N. Shube |
 | Harvard Business Review High Online User Ratings Don’t Actually Mean You’re Getting a Quality Product July 4, 2016 Online user ratings and reviews are now one of the most important sources of product quality information. Consumers love them because they are free, widely available, easy to access, and ostensibly objective. But the trust we place in star ratings reflects an illusion of validity; we trust them much more than we should. Navigating by the Stars: Investigating the Actual and Perceived Validity of Online User Ratings by Bart de Langhe, Philip M. Fernbach, Donald R. Lichtenstein |
 | Inverse No, Netflix Doesn't Make You Hate Commercials More June 30, 2016 A paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research essentially flipped the script on the traditional television-watching experience: Instead of studying people watching commercials, they studied how the commercials affected how the people felt about the actual show. Regardless of what the commercial was about or how well it was made, commercial interruption actually intensified the enjoyment of watching the show. Enhancing the Television-Viewing Experience through Commercial Interruptions by Leif D. Nelson, Tom Meyvis, Jeff Galak |