Dieting in the Digital Age
Old-line companies like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig must get with the program -- including video conferencing software and other personalized online support -- if they want to avoid shedding...
View ArticleUsing ‘The Hunger Games’ to Encourage Healthier Choices
Recent Wharton research shows that the key to engaging in healthier behavior may be tying tempting activities -- like reading an escapist novel -- to things we know we should be doing.
View ArticleNeed a Fresh Start? Here’s How to Begin
While the new year is a popular time to make a fresh start at work or at home, Wharton experts say there are a number of techniques people can employ throughout the year to successfully change direction.
View ArticleEfficient Markets or Herd Mentality? The Future of Economic Forecasting
Once on the academic fringes, behavioral economics has been gaining considerable ground over the past year. While not all economists, government policy makers and corporate financiers agree...
View ArticleA Seasonal Sales Shift: For Bargain Hunters, Retailers Make Every Day Feel...
Target, Toys R Us, Sears and Kmart are just a few of the big retailers that have launched mega-sales in recent weeks to tempt increasingly cost-conscious shoppers to their stores. This phenomenon --...
View ArticleHold the Vegetables: How ‘Now vs. Later’ Affects Customer Choice
Do consumers' choices change based on when their purchases will be delivered? According to Wharton professor Katherine Milkman, the more immediate the gratification, the more freely customers tend to...
View ArticleMarketing Lessons from ‘The Man With the Golden Voice’
A viral video helped former radio announcer Ted Williams go from homeless to famous. What can his story teach marketers trying to create a stir about their products?
View ArticleWhen Fat Is No Longer Free
A proposal by the governor of Arizona to require obese Medicaid participants to pay $50 if they fail to lose weight has hit a hailstorm of controversy. How likely is it that the proposal will pass?
View ArticleHow the New Sunscreen Rules Will Affect Marketers — and Consumers
The FDA has issued new guidelines about how sunscreen makers can label and market their products. How will the crackdown affect what consumers see -- and buy -- at the store?
View ArticleResearch Roundup: The Financial ‘Arms Race,’‘Nudging’ Employees and Making an...
How do financial firms' efforts to stockpile expertise affect trading conditions -- particularly when the market becomes more volatile? Can a simple prompt to make a plan of action help people overcome...
View ArticleThe Psychology of Holiday Gift Giving: The Good, the Bad, the Irrational
Is holiday gift giving a waste of money, a futile exercise in buying gifts that people don’t want, or is there some intangible "goodness" that comes from focusing on others?
View ArticleThe Link between Smaller Sodas and Shrinking Waistlines
While the proposed ban on large-size sugary sodas in New York City won't entirely solve growing rates of obesity, University of Pennsylvania experts say it could have a positive impact -- both on...
View ArticleRace, Gender and Careers: Why ‘Stuffing the Pipeline’ Is Not Enough
Does having a female supervisor help women get ahead in their careers? New research by Wharton professor Katherine L. Milkman and a colleague shows that it does, but also points out an unintended side...
View ArticleE-mails Ignored, Meetings Denied: Bias at the Search Stage Limits Diversity
The process of obtaining a particular job or gaining admission to an educational institution often starts long before a candidate turns in his or her application. Many candidates spend months or weeks...
View ArticleIt’s January 7: Are You Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolution?
Only 8% of those who make a New Year's resolution will stick with it, according to a recent study. What can you do to increase your own odds?
View ArticleFrom Fitbit to Fitocracy: The Rise of Health Care Gamification
These days, anyone with a smartphone can download a variety of games designed to make users healthier, whether that means sticking to an exercise routine, losing weight or managing a chronic illness....
View ArticleWhy Social Networks Unwittingly Worsen Job Opportunities for Black Workers
African Americans are getting the short end in employment opportunities due to their lack of access to networking groups dominated by whites, according to a New York Times article published this week....
View Article‘Simpler’: Cass Sunstein on the Future of Government
In the past few years, the United States government has issued fewer regulations and worked to eliminate or improve existing ones. Cass R. Sunstein led many of these changes as administrator for the...
View ArticleVacation Reading: Summer Book Report
For those people whose idea of vacation includes packing a few hardbacks or loading up their e-readers, here are some suggestions for books that offer insight, advice, perspective and/or a return to...
View ArticleWhen Taking a Break Could Be a Matter of Life and Death
New Wharton research finds that over the course of a work day, employees pay less and less attention to the secondary tasks that, while not as central to their jobs, can create big problems if...
View ArticleThe Small Steps That Have a Big Impact on Achieving Goals
A number of seemingly small steps can make a big impact toward helping people face tough challenges or make a fresh start, says Wharton’s Katherine Milkman.
View Article‘Misbehaving’: When Psychology Meets Economics
A new book by Richard Thaler, a professor at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, offers a history of behavioral economics.
View ArticleThe Downside of Making a Backup Plan – and What to Do About It
New Wharton research shows that there is an important downside to thinking about a backup plan – it may actually cause people to exert less effort toward their primary goal.
View ArticleA ‘Stop in Your Tracks’ Hack for Forgetfulness
The key to remembering may actually be something completely unrelated to your intention – and something that stands out from the routine of everyday life.
View ArticleHow Facebook’s Big Bet on Video Could Change TV
Facebook is aggressively expanding into video, including licensing scripted shows from Hollywood, and it could change the face of TV.
View ArticleHow Richard Thaler’s ‘Simple Insights’ Led to a Nobel Prize
Wharton professor Katherine Milkman discusses the ground-breaking ideas that led to the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Economics to behavioral economist Richard H. Thaler.
View ArticleCan Firms Help Employees Make Better Retirement Choices?
Many employers purposely set low default rates for employee retirement savings -- but their worries about increasing them are largely unfounded, Wharton research shows.
View ArticleIt’s All About Timing: How Nonprofits Can Increase Charitable Donations
New Wharton research shows that timing is the key to maximizing donations, particularly from people with an existing connection to an organization.
View ArticleIs It Possible to Change Bad Behavior – Permanently?
What if a simple nudge could help you make better decisions? A new large-scale experiment headed by two Penn researchers aims to help people develop better exercise habits.
View ArticleWhy Top Performers Quit When the Going Gets Tough
When facing adversity, favorites are more likely to walk away than underdogs, new Wharton research finds. The reason: potential embarrassment over not meeting expectations.
View ArticleAre You a ‘Good-ish’ Person? How to Push Past Your Biases
In a new book, psychologist Dolly Chugh shows how taking deep stock of our unconscious biases can lead to enlightenment.
View ArticleDoes Diversity Training Really Work?
New research from Wharton examines whether online diversity training really changes the behaviors and attitudes of employees.
View ArticleWhen It Comes to Advice, It’s Better to Give Than Receive
New research by Wharton’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative shows that while offering advice benefits the receiver, it also boosts the giver’s self-confidence.
View ArticleWhat Poker Can Teach Us about Making the World a Better Place
Wharton’s Katherine Milkman talks with psychologist Maria Konnikova about her new book, ‘The Biggest Bluff,’ and how we can make decisions in an environment in which we have very little control.
View ArticleToo Much of a Good Thing? The Perils of Overconfidence
Wharton’s Katherine Milkman talks with Don Moore from the University of California, Berkeley, about his new book 'Perfectly Confident' and what happens when our confidence level doesn’t match up with...
View ArticleMaking Good Decisions: A Toolkit
Wharton’s Katy Milkman talks with author Annie Duke about her new book that provides tools for readers who want to make smart decisions in any situation.
View ArticleWhat Will Persuade People to Take a Vaccine?
Behavioral scientists at Wharton and Penn are studying the best communication strategies that nudge people into getting vaccinated for the flu, with implications for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.
View ArticleWant to Get Unstuck? How Science Can Help
Wharton’s Katy Milkman shares insights from her new book, 'How to Change,' which offers science-based strategies for creating lasting, effective change.
View ArticleThe Power of Nudges: Maya Shankar on Changing People’s Minds
Wharton’s Katy Milkman talks to behavioral scientist Maya Shankar about her career, which has taken her from the White House to her current role as senior director of behavioral economics at Google,...
View ArticleHow to Harness the Power of Belonging
Wharton’s Katy Milkman interviews New York University professor Jay Van Bavel about his new book, ‘The Power of Us,’ which explores how group affiliations shape our identity and can influence...
View ArticleOne Person, Many Needs: How Customer Centricity Has Changed
Wharton faculty offer advice on how companies can keep up with the complex demands of consumers by adopting a modern approach to customer lifetime value.
View ArticleHow Science Can Help You Keep Your Fitness Goal
Wharton’s Katy Milkman shares insights from a new megastudy on exercise that reveals the best ways to change behavior at scale.
View ArticleGiving Feedback That Works: Plant the Seeds of Confidence
In this Nano Tool for Leaders from Wharton Executive Education, Wharton’s Katy Milkman shares three action steps that can help you unleash your team’s potential by building their confidence.
View ArticleWe’re Good at Motivating Others, but What About Ourselves?
Wharton’s Angela Duckworth talks to Ayelet Fishbach, author of the new book 'Get It Done,' which offers a framework for setting and attaining goals.
View ArticleWhy Identity Matters When Asking for Career Help
When underrepresented workers are looking for career support, they are more likely to get it if they explicitly state their demographic identity, according to new Wharton research.
View ArticleGet It Done: Two Techniques to Fast-track Your Goals
Forget willpower. In this Nano Tool for Leaders from Wharton Executive Education, Wharton’s Katy Milkman offers insight into how short-term gratification can work for your team.
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