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Balázs Kovács

  • Can ChatGPT Accelerate Social Science Research? 

    Yale SOM’s Balázs Kovács and his co-authors spent years designing a computer-based method to measure “typicality.” In a new study, they found that ChatGPT could duplicate their results at a fraction of the cost.

    An illustration of researchers watching a robot write on a blackboard
  • How Grammy Wins and Losses Shape Artists’ Creative Trajectories

    Prof. Balázs Kovács and his co-authors found that Grammy winners tend to branch out in new directions afterward—but nominees who don’t win become more creatively cautious.

    Billie Eilish with an armful of trophies at the Grammy Awards in 2020.
  • What Separates the Ideas that Endure from Those That Fade?

    For a study of the evolution of management concepts, Prof. Balázs Kovács and his co-author tracked keywords in 90 years of Harvard Business Review articles. Their conclusion: concepts get an initial boost from being similar to popular ideas, but need to distinguish themselves to last.

    A vintage photo of a horse race
  • Can Legalizing Cannabis Curb Deaths from Opioids?

    A new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Balázs Kovács uses new data to uncover a striking association: the more legal cannabis dispensaries there are in a given county, the fewer opioid overdoses.

    A cannabis shop in Leicester, Massachusetts, in November 2018, when the sale of recreational marijuana became legal in the state. Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images.
  • Online and Off, We Are Drawn Toward Those with Similar Writing Styles

    Both online and in-person friendships are more likely to develop between people who have similar linguistic styles, according to a new study co-authored by Balázs Kovács at Yale SOM.

    An illustration of overlapping profiles
  • We’re Not Sure What Authenticity Is, But We Know We Like It

    Foodies, employees, and art lovers all prize authenticity—but each means something a little different when they say that something or someone is authentic.

    A man inspecting a diamond using a magnifying glass, with a trash can full of discarded diamonds behind him
  • Can You Trust Bad Online Ratings?

    A poorly rated item with few reviews is likely scored lower than it deserves to be, according to research by Yale SOM’s Balázs Kovács and his co-authors.

    Collage of online ratings
  • Why Do Women Inventors Win Fewer Patents? 

    Women inventors are less likely to have their patent applications approved than men. But that disparity dips if an examiner can’t guess an inventor’s gender from her name.

    A drawing of an improved telegraph machine from an 1869 patent application by Thomas Edison.