When it comes to teams, less is sometimes more. In a recent paper, Wharton management professor Jennifer Mueller found that while larger teams generally are more productive overall than smaller ones, individual members of the …
research
The Weird Ways Gender Ratios Affect Dating, Spending, Saving—and the Size of Your Engagement Ring
Men are known to go to great lengths—and great expense—to impress women. This is most obviously the case when the male population outnumbers that of females, and laws of supply and demand kick in.
How Shopping Is Good for the Economy—And Your Soul
Forget about diligent saving, careful spending, and avoiding debt. Forget about tax cuts and private investment. For the economy to blossom, it is essential—and morally, the right thing to do—for consumers and the government …
Foreclosures Are Bad for Your Health
Losing your home is a nightmare—enough to make you sick to your stomach, and then some. Just how stressful is it to go through a foreclosure? A new study indicates that a rise in foreclosures correlates to an increase in …
How Consumers Fool Themselves Into Thinking They’ve Made Good Purchases
If you think you make purchases because you logically and objectively evaluate the options at hand, then decide based strictly on your personal preferences and individual sense of value, think again. Here are four examples of how …
Study: The Rich Really Are More Selfish
“Lower-class” individuals—i.e., folks without much money or education—demonstrate more compassion and empathy than their wealthy counterparts, according to a series of psychological studies. In social scientist speak, …
The Reason You’re in Love With Material Possessions? Loneliness
People are supposed to love other people (and perhaps, pets and local sports franchises). So why is it that consumers are prone to borderline-romantic infatuations with stuff ranging from cars to computers, and even guns? Why do …
4 Weird Academic Studies on Economics and Consumer Behavior
Studies show that flexing one’s muscles may help fight off—or possibly cause—wasteful impulse purchases, and other weird money findings.
“It’s that second paycheck that’s the real killer, demonstrably more deadly than the first.”
“Money leads to autonomy but it does not add to well-being or happiness.”
The Evolution of Keeping Up With the Joneses, as Seen in 17th Century German Villages
When was consumerism, in the modern sense, born? Researchers say it was at least a century before the Industrial Revolution brought cheap, mass-produced goods to the world. Hoarding, and the popularity of storage units, came a bit later.
Oh, the Humanities! College Grads with ‘Fluffy’ Majors Make Way Less Money
A new study indicates that—shocker!—college students majoring in subjects such as social work, visual and performing arts, and theology can expect to make far less money than workers who majored in engineering, computer …
