People often make judgments about their own and others' valuations and preferences. Across 12 studies (N=18,818), we find a robust bias in these judgments such that people overestimate the valuations and preferences of others. This overestimation arises because, when making predictions about...

Across seven studies (N = 9,028), we provide evidence that quantity requests, wherein people consider multiple choice options of how much to donate (e.g., $5, $10, or $15), increase contributions compared to open-ended requests. Specifically, quantity requests encourage greater donations (Study...

How do people use ranking information when evaluating products? In seven pre-registered experiments, we find a persistent preference for products ranked within shorter lists (vs. longer lists). For instance, participants rated a product ranked 2nd on a list of 8 products more positively and...

As technology and big data join forces, consumers are increasingly able to receive customized options. However, despite the abundance of available choice options, people may not necessarily view their choice options as customized to their wants and needs. Across five studies, we provide evidence...

Do people have an irrational dislike for risk? People pay less for uncertain prospects than their worst possible outcomes (Gneezy, List, and Wu 2006), and researchers have proposed that this effect occurs because people strongly dislike risk. We challenge this proposition across seven studies....

Though consumers frequently face uncertainty, much of that uncertainty is eventually resolved (e.g., a person entered in a raffle eventually learns what prize they have received). How do people evaluate options (e.g., prizes) that result from uncertainty (e.g., an uncertain raffle)? Seven...

Forecasters predicting how people change their behavior in response to a treatment or intervention often consider a set of alternatives. In contrast, those who are treated are typically exposed to only one of the treatment alternatives. For example, managers considering a wage schedule consider...

Can social preferences sustain a for-profit company? We analyze panel data tracking payments of 57,196 customers for five years from an online retail firm whose profitability relies on consumers' altruism. Most customers are generous and remain so over time. However, their generosity slowly...

Social behavior is heavily influenced by the perception of the behaviors of others. We consider how perceptions (and misperceptions) of kindness can increase generosity in economic transactions. We investigate how these perceptions alter behavior in a novel a real-life situation which pits...