While theories of signaling and conspicuous consumption suggest that more explicit markers facilitate communication, this article examines the utility of subtle signals. Four studies demonstrate that while less explicit branding increases the likelihood of misidentification (e.g., observers...

Can there ever be too many options? We argue that because choice overload has multiple antecedents, simply searching for a main effect across all conditions and a single "sufficient" condition that is likely to solely predict this effect is not informative. Moreover, because prior research has...

Some decision situations are so objectionable or repugnant that people refuse to make a choice. This paper seeks to better understand taboo responses, and to distinguish choices that are truly taboo from those that are merely difficult or confusing. Using 22 scenarios that describe potentially...