Tag Archives: persuasion

If everyone is winning, how come we all lose so much? The perils of hot stock tips

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Kerry

I have a friend — we’ll call her Ai — who has made some disastrous investment decisions. You see, Ai worked for a long time in the high tech sector, where Ai was exposed to a large number of tech … Continue reading →

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The self-enhancement bias: Or, how I ended up with the Slap Chop

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Kerry

Recently, a friend of mine was asked how tall he was. He quickly replied, Do you mean in person or online? He was joking of course, but the joke is funny because we all know that people tend to, well… … Continue reading →

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She’s not looking at you: What really inspires a woman to go shopping

Posted on September 14, 2012 by Kerry

Recently, I have discussed research demonstrating that when men engage in conspicuous consumption, such as buying an expensive sports car, they are often doing so in order to signal to potential mates that they are good mate bait. Not only … Continue reading →

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Commas and Cents: Why $1,999.00 is More Than $1999

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Kerry

Try this at home… read the following numbers aloud: 1900 1,900 Notice anything funny? If you are like most people, you read the comma-less 1900 as “nineteen-hundred” and the comma’d 1,900 as “one thousand nine-hundred.” Also, notice that the first (1900) … Continue reading →

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Why A Bird in My Hand is Worth Two Anywhere Else

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Kerry

Our natural inclination is to value what we already have more highly than others would. When considering whether it is worth hanging on to that stock, or whether we should accept a price for our used car, try to step back and consider the thing more objectively. Ask yourself how you would establish the value of that item if you encountered it for the first time. You might make a better decision. Continue reading →

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It’s a boy! On The Developmental Biology of Your… Car?

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Kerry

One of Volkswagen’s promotional billboards for the latest version of their popular Beetle proclaimed, “It’s a boy!” in reference to the new styling the car sported for 2012. That would seem to suggest that perhaps the model prior to 2012 … Continue reading →

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Persuasion

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Kerry

Last week’s blog entry described a series of studies conducted by Professor Robert Cialdini and colleagues, which demonstrated one of the means by which we are persuaded. Professor Cialdini’s work also illuminated a variety of other means by which we … Continue reading →

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The Anchoring Effect: The Old Numerical Ball and Chain

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Kerry

We like to think we are rational decision-makers, but if you have read any of our blog entries (here, or here, or here, for instance) or, indeed, any of dozens of popular books about how we decide (e.g., How We Decide, … Continue reading →

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I’ll just have what you’re having: On feeling left out and buying our way back in

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Kerry

Imagine yourself in this situation. You’ve been asked to participate in a series of marketing studies. That’s fine, because you are getting course credit for it. The experimenter tells you that you are going to record a short video introduction … Continue reading →

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Sticks and stones may break our bones, but some words make us materialistic!

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Kerry

Simply referring to people as “consumers” rather than “individuals” caused people to be less generous, accept less responsibility, and to view others as competitors rather than allies. Continue reading →

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