Experience Faculty & Research

Excerpt from Scientific American -- "Although psychologists have known for a long time that people associate dark skin with negative personality traits, this research shows that the reverse is also true: when we hear about an evil act, we are more likely to believe it was done by someone with darker skin. This 'bad is black' effect may have its roots in our deep-seated human tendency to associate darkness with wickedness. Across time and cultures, we tend to portray villains as more likely to be active during nighttime and to don black clothing. Similarly, our heroes are often associated with daytime and lighter colors. These mental associations between color and morality may negatively bias us against people with darker skin tones. If this is true, it has far-reaching implications for our justice system. For example, eyewitnesses to crimes may be more likely to falsely identify suspects who possess darker skin." Read more

Excerpt from The New York Times -- "Mr. Horton concluded that when forced to pay more in wages, many employers were hiring more productive workers, so that the overall amount they spent on each job changed far less than the minimum-wage increase would have suggested. The more productive workers appeared to finish similar work more quickly." Read more

Excerpt from Forbes -- "What is the cost of shareholder activism? The impact of the stock market on investment has been quantified in a brilliant study by economists from the Stern School of Business and Harvard Business School, Alexander Ljungqvist, Joan Farre-Mensa, and John Asker, entitled 'Corporate Investment and Stock Market Listing: A Puzzle.' The study compared the investment patterns of public companies and privately held firms. The study found that 'keeping company size and industry constant, private US companies invest nearly twice as much as those listed on the stock market: 6.8 per cent of total assets versus just 3.7 per cent.'" Read more

Excerpt from The Atlantic -- "The researchers, Stephen Brown, Yan Lu, Sugata Ray, and Melvyn Teo, began with a hypothesis about a psychological trait called “sensation seeking.” As they write, the trait is 'defined by the seeking of varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences, and the willingness to take physical, social, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experience.' Major sensation seekers, in other words, are the sort of people who probably make for good Hollywood protagonists, and they are more likely to step outside the law. Among other correlates established by earlier research, people with the trait are less careful with spending and engage in risky driving. So when their disposable incomes start to swell, the researchers reasoned, they are more likely to stop by a Ferrari showroom than a Subaru lot." Read more

Excerpt from Scientific American -- "Psychologists have known for some time, thanks to work led by Nira Liberman from Tel Aviv University and Yaacov Trope from New York University, that goals look different in the distant versus near future. Three months ago, when you booked your holiday travel, you probably had some abstract notions of 'family togetherness,' 'relaxation,' or 'adventure.' The night before you left, however, you probably had some more immediate concerns in mind. Concerns like, 'How is all this stuff going to fit in the suitcase?' and 'Will I be able to get an Uber driver at 4:45 AM?'" Read more