Skip to main content

Behavioral

Can Reflection Dislodge a Faulty Intuition?

Sometimes our gut is right. But a new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Shane Frederick shows that when it’s not, the erroneous intuition can be difficult to overrid.

An illustration of two women looking at a bat and ball, one with a lightbulb over her head and the other reflecting carefully on math
  • For Holiday Cheer, Switch Off Zoom and Pick Up the Phone

    After an extraordinarily difficult year, we are all looking for respite from the isolation and uncertainty of pandemic life. We asked Marissa King, who studies personal and team dynamics, to share some quick tips for making this year’s holiday season a little brighter.

    A rotary phone on a table
  • No Matter What We Earn, We Believe Our Richer Neighbors Have More to Give

    According to a new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Gal Zauberman, people of a wide range of income levels believe that they are giving what they should to charity—but that even richer people have more spare income and a greater obligation to give.

    An illustration showing progressively richer neighbors, each pointing to the next
  • How to Keep Your Sense of Purpose While Working Remotely

    Yale SOM’s Amy Wrzesniewski, an expert in how people find meaning in their jobs, says that working remotely can diminish our sense of community and structure—and offers suggestions for staying anchored.

    A cat sitting next to a laptop on a sofa
  • Rational Order from ‘Irrational’ Actions

    Prof. Shyam Sunder outlines a strain of research, drawing on complexity theory, that suggests that outcomes of a social system can be rational even if its individual participants are not rational.

    A crowd of people.
  • A Passionate Startup Pitch Is Powerful—But Can Be Misleading

    According to a new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Song Ma, those with cheerful and enthusiastic presentations are more likely to get venture capital funding—and less likely to build successful ventures.

    An illustration of an entrepreneur leaping in the air and wearing pom-poms while presenting
  • To Reach Weight-Loss Targets, Start with Small Goals

    Drawing on data from a weight-loss app, Yale SOM’s Kosuke Uetake and his co-author found that setting small goals and changing them frequently helped dieters reach their long-term goals.

    An illustration of a mountain with a path marked by small flags and a large flag at the top.
  • 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 More Likely to Stick to Decisions Rooted in Emotions

    Should you trust your gut? A new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Taly Reich finds that decisions made on the basis of feelings hold up longer in the face of new information than decisions made deliberately and rationally.

    Two paths diverging in a forest
  • When Charitable Organizations Thank Donors, Should They Ask for More?

    For charitable organizations that rely on donors for financial support, there is a delicate art to asking for gifts and expressing gratitude.

    Speech bubbles reading "Thank you!" and "Just one more thing..."
  • How Will We Tell the Story of COVID-19?

    We asked Yale SOM’s Robert Shiller, whose latest book is 'Narrative Economics,' to tell us what collective stories are forming around the pandemic and what they might mean for our economic future.

    Parents waiting to receive meals at Byrd Middle School in Sun Valley, California, on April 17, 2020. Photo: Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images.