Using ‘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.
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