Publications (* denotes equal contribution; † denotes student collaborators when the project started )
Oguz Acar, Phyliss Gai, Yanping Tu, and †Jiayi Hou (2025), "The Hidden Penalty of Using AI at Work," Harvard Business Review
Shaddy, Franklin, Yanping Tu, and Ayelet Fishbach (2023), “Synchronized Scheduling: Choosing to Experience Different Events in Different Places at the Same Time as Others,” Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 8 (2), 130-141.
This research documents a preference for synchronized scheduling—when people choose to experience different events in different places at the same time as others. We find that people are willing to incur costs—for example, by scheduling negative events sooner or positive events later—to synchronize their schedules. Thus, when unable to share physical space, people can nevertheless share “temporal space” by choosing to schedule separate experiences at the same time. Eight studies (N = 3,075) explore this preference, which does not extend to disliked others and persists even when only one person knows. We explain that this is because synchronized scheduling acts as “social glue,” increasing feelings of not only person-to-person social connection but also solidarity, trust, and cohesion within the group. As a result, it counteracts experienced and anticipated physical disconnection. We highlight implications for individuals and organizations seeking to create psychologically connected experiences in an increasingly physically disconnected world.
*† Xu, Minzhe, *† Zhihao Yu, and *Yanping Tu (2023), “I Will Get a Reward, Too: When Disclosing Referrer-reward Increases Referring,” Journal of Marketing Research, 60 (2), 355-370.
Incentivized customer referral programs (e.g., “Refer a friend, reward yourself!”) are prevalent, yet they usually have low referring rates. One reason, the authors suggest, is that existing customers (referrers) view incentivized referring as an exchange activity that feels incompatible with their communal relationship with friends (referees), resulting in a psychological barrier (i.e., negative feelings such as discomfort, conflict, guilt, etc.). In seven studies (five preregistered, two in the field; N = 2,060) and one preregistered supplemental study (N = 176), the authors propose and find that disclosing the referrer reward in the invitation message—a not yet widely adopted method—can promote referring by making the referring action seem more compatible with communal norms and reducing the experienced psychological barrier. They also document the potential of disclosing the referrer reward on increasing acceptance, conversion, and sales. The authors further identify three theoretically and practically relevant boundary conditions: (1) the relative reward amount (whether the referrer reward is greater than, equal to, or less than the referee reward), (2) the stated source of the referrer reward (the company or the referee's spending), and (3) the framing of the referral opportunity (whether it is already framed as a communal activity). The authors conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications.
*† Winet, Yuji, *Yanping Tu, Shoham Choshen-Hillel, and Ayelet Fishbach (2022), “Social Exploration: When People Deviate from Options Explored by Others,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 122(3), 427–442.
People often face choices between known options and unknown ones. Our research documents a social-exploration effect: People are more likely to explore unknown options when they learn about known options from other people’s experiences. Across four studies (N = 2,333), we used an incentive-compatible paradigm where participants chose between known and unknown options (e.g., cash bonuses). We found higher exploration rates (i.e., choosing of unknown options) when information about known options came from other people, compared with an unidentified source (Study 1a) or a computer (Studies 1b–4). We theorize that the social-exploration effect results from people’s tendency to intuitively adopt a group-level perspective with other people: a “we”-perspective. Thus, in social contexts, people explore more to diversify their experience as a group. Supporting this account, we find the effect attenuates in exploration of losses, where people do not wish to adopt a group-level perspective of others’ losses (Study 2). Furthermore, the effect is obtained only if others have experienced the outcome; not when they only revealed its content (Study 3). Finally, the social-exploration effect generalizes to everyday choices, such as choosing a movie to watch (Study 4). Taken together, these findings highlight the social aspect of individual exploration decisions and offer practical implications for how to encourage exploration.
*Ding, Ying, *Yanping Tu, *† Jingchuan Pu, and *Liangfei Qiu (2021), “Environmental Factors in Operations Management: The Impact of Air Quality on Product Demand,” Production and Operations Management, 30(9), 2910-2924.
The operations management literature has recently begun to analyze how novel data sources help practitioners better understand product demand. We extend this stream of research by analyzing how air quality, a prominent environmental factor that has received little attention in prior studies, can impact product demand. Specifically, we examine how air quality affects the demand for different product color options, and find a greater demand for blue-color product option on air-polluted days (vs. clear days). We attribute this pattern to compensatory consumption induced by need deprivation. Specifically, poor air quality deprives people of the visual experience of seeing a blue sky, leading them to seek compensation by acquiring blue-color options. By analyzing a three-year purchase-related dataset from an online retailer (Study 1) and conducting a field experiment (Study 2) and two laboratory experiments (Studies 3 and 4), we establish the external validity, internal validity, and robustness of this finding. We also provide empirical support for deprived visual experience as the mechanism: The proposed effect is driven by air quality indicators that affect visibility (Study 1) and is mediated by experienced visibility (Study 3). We further identify a theoretically relevant individual difference variable as a moderator: prior experience with air pollution, which strengthens the proposed effect in the laboratory setting because prior experience enables people to “relive” the deprived visual experience more vividly (Study 4). Given the prevalence of air pollution across the globe, our research sheds light on how practitioners can improve their operational decisions by factoring in air quality.
† Shaddy, Franklin, Yanping Tu, and Ayelet Fishbach (2021), “Social Hedonic Editing: People Prefer to Experience Events at the Same Time as Others,” Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(7), 1233-1240.
Previous research testing the hedonic editing hypothesis examined preferences for the timing of events that happen to the self—asking, for example, whether people prefer to experience two positive or two negative events on the same or different day(s). Here, we examine preferences for the timing of events that happen to the self and to others—social hedonic editing. Across five studies (N = 2,522), we find people prefer to experience a positive or negative event on the same day that (vs. a different day than) another person experiences a similar positive or negative event. Studies 1 and 2 document this “preference for integration” in interpersonal (i.e., for the self and others) but not intrapersonal (i.e., for the self) contexts, Studies 3 and 4 suggest people prefer integration because it increases interpersonal connection, and Study 5 highlights a boundary condition. People do not prefer integration for very emotionally impactful events.
Tu, Yanping and Christopher K. Hsee (2016), "Consumer Happiness Derived from Inherent Preferences versus Learned Preferences," Current Opinions in Psychology (Special Issue on Consumer Behavior), 10, 83-88.
We distinguish between two types of preferences. One is inherent (e.g., preference for warm over cold temperature); it is formed early in evolution and largely stable. The other is learned (e.g., preference for large over small diamonds); it is acquired more recently, and variable across time and contexts. We propose that compared with inherent preferences, learned preferences 1) rely more on social comparison, resulting in a relative (rather than absolute) effect on happiness, and 2) are more prone to hedonic adaptation, resulting in a transient (rather than durable) effect on happiness. In addition, we propose that preferences about resource-related attributes (e.g., size of home) are inherent in low-value regions, and learned in high-value regions. We discuss implications of this analysis for improving consumer subjective well-being.
Tu, Yanping, Alex Shaw, and Ayelet Fishbach (2016), "The Friendly Taking Effect: How Interpersonal Closeness Leads to Seemingly Selfish Yet Jointly Maximizing Choice," Journal of Consumer Research, 42(5), 669-687.
This research documents “the friendly taking effect” in choosing consumption packages for the self and others, interpersonal closeness leads to a preference for a self-benefiting package when this package also offers greater total benefit to the self-other collective (studies 1 and 2). We propose that a friendly intention (i.e., concern for the total benefit) underlies the friendly taking effect; therefore, people both take more from and give more to a close (vs. distant) other when doing so offers greater benefits in total (study 3), and people are cognitively tuned in to (e.g., acquire, remember) information about the total benefit more when choosing a package for themselves and a close (vs. distant) other (study 4). Moreover, the importance people place on the total benefit mediates the impact of closeness on people’s preference for self-benefiting packages (study 5). We explore boundary conditions (study 6) and implications for marketers of consumption packages (study 7).
Tu, Yanping and Ayelet Fishbach (2015), "Words Speak Louder: Conforming to Preferences More Than Actions," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109(2), 193-209.
Whereas people generally conform to others' choices, this research documents that conformity decreases once others have acted on their chosen options. It suggests words speak louder than actions-people are more likely to conform to others' preferences than their actions. Specifically, people are less likely to follow another person's food choice if that person has already eaten his or her selected food (Study 1), and are less likely to follow others' choices of household items if these choices are framed in terms of action (others "want to have it") rather than preference (others "like it"; Study 2). People's tendency to mentally share others' actions causes the decrease in conformity. Indeed, people recall greater past consumption of items that others have had (Study 3), choose differently only when they can complement (vs. contradict) what others have (Study 4), and are more strongly affected by the choices of those close to them (vs. strangers; Study 5). Finally, even when information about others' actions and preferences are simultaneously available (e.g., in online shopping and the consumption of social media), people are more likely to follow what others prefer, rather than what others have (Study 6).
Tu, Yanping and Dilip Soman (2014), "The Categorization of Time and Its Impact on Task Initiation," Journal of Consumer Research, 41(3), 810-22.
It could be argued that success in life is a function of a consumer's ability to get things done. The key step in getting things done is to get started. This research explores the effect of the categorization of time on task initiation. Specifically, we theorize that consumers use a variety of cues to categorize future points in time (events) into either events that are like the present event or those that are unlike the present event. When the deadline of a task is categorized in a like-the-present category, it triggers the default implemental mind-set and hence results in a greater likelihood of task initiation. A series of field and lab studies among farmers in India and undergraduate and MBA students in North America provided support to this theorizing. Our findings have implication for goal-striving strategy and choice architecture.
Selected media coverage: The New York Times, The Economist, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Scientific American, Pacific Standard, Psychology Today, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, The Economic Times, Life Hacker, Science Daily
Slides (SSM data blitz; this research in four slides)
*Hsee, Christopher K., *Yanping Tu, Zoe Y. Lu, and Bowen Ruan (2014), "Approach Aversion: Negative Hedonic Reactions Toward Approaching Stimuli," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(5), 699-712.
We live in a dynamic world, surrounded by moving stimuli—moving people, moving objects, and moving events. The current research proposes and finds an approach aversion effect—individuals feel less positively (or more negatively) about a stimulus if they perceive it to be approaching rather than receding or static. The effect appears general, occurring whether the stimulus is initially negative or nonnegative and whether it moves in space (toward or away from “here”), in time (toward or away from “now”), or in probability (toward or away from “sure”). This research complements extensive existing research on perceived static distance of stimuli (near vs. far) by exploring perceived dynamic movement of stimuli (approaching vs. receding), showing that the effect of movement is distinct from the effect of distance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Tu, Yanping and Dilip Soman (2022), “The Role of Timeframes in the Retrieval and Temporal Location Judgments of Past Events,” Marketing Letters, 33, 19-25.
Si & Dai (2022) provide evidence for the proposition that a longer memory-search frame (time window from which past events are recalled) leads consumers to retrieve experiences that are objectively more distant in the past but perceived to be closer. We relate these findings to prior literature and point out to methodological differences that might create ambiguities in interpreting the results. Despite these ambiguities, we believe that the research raises several important questions that future research can address to help form a better picture of how people judge the temporal location of past events and how they recall past experiences more generally.
Tu, Yanping and Christopher K. Hsee (2018), "Hedonomics: On Subtle Yet Significant Determinants of Happiness," In E. Diener, S. Oishi, & L. Tay (Eds.), Handbook of well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers. DOI:nobascholar.com.
One way to pursue happiness is to improve the objective levels of external outcomes such as wealth; that is an economic approach. Another way to pursue happiness is to improve the arrangement of and choices among external outcomes without substantively altering their objective levels; that is a hedonomic approach. This chapter reviews research adopting the latter approach. Specifically, we present a list of subtle yet significant determinants of happiness from four perspectives: (1) pattern of consumption, (2) procedure of consumption, (3) (mis)match between the choice phase and the consumption phase, and (4) type of consumption. Although far from comprehensive, these factors offer implications for “choice architects”—government, companies, and individual consumers—on improving happiness.
Finkelstein, Stacey, Ayelet Fishbach, and Yanping Tu (2017), "When Friends Exchange Negative Feedback," Motivation and Emotion, 41(1), 69-83.
In four studies, we document an increase in the amount of negative feedback friends and colleagues exchange as their relationship deepens. We find that both actual and perceived relationship depth increase the amount of negative feedback people seek from and provide to each other, as well as their tendency to invest in a focal (relationship or performance) goal in response to negative feedback. The amount of positive feedback on goal pursuit, by contrast, remains stable as the relationship deepens. We attribute the increase in negative feedback to the different meaning of such feedback for people in deep versus shallow relationships: only in the context of deep relationships does negative feedback signal insufficient resource investment in the focal goal, and hence close friends and colleagues seek, provide, and respond to negative feedback.
Fishbach, Ayelet and Yanping Tu (2016), "Pursuing Goals with Others," Social and Personality Psychology Compass.
This article explores motivation in a social context: how people pursue goals with others, with information on others, and for the self and others. As people incorporate close others into their extended selves (Aron et al., 1991), they begin to treat others' actions and outcomes as partially their own. This tendency, in turn, has implications for coordinating goal pursuits with others and for the preference for actions that maximize the total benefits for the self and others. To demonstrate these principles—coordination and joint‐benefits maximization—we first explore coordination in pursuing goals with others (i.e., working in teams), showing that people respond to others' actions and lack of action similarly to how they respond to their own actions and lack of action. We next explore coordination in pursuing goals with information on others, showing that people conform to others' preferences and attitudes yet choose actions that complement others' actions. Finally, we review research on pursuing goals for the self and others, showing that people wish to maximize the total benefits for the group.
Fishbach, Ayelet, Janina Steinmetz, and Yanping Tu (2016), "Motivation in a Social Context: Coordinating Personal and Shared Goal Pursuits with Others," In A. Elliot (Ed.). Advances in Motivation Science Volume Three.
This article reviews research on motivation in a social context. We first explore pursuit of personal goals and how information on others, as well as the presence of others, influences motivation. We next explore pursuit of group goals, including pursuit of goals alone for the self and others, and pursuit of shared goals together with others. Across these various domains, we identify coordination as the underlying principle for pursuing goals in a social context. We show that individuals' tendency to coordinate their actions with others leads to a variety of phenomena, including conformity, divergence, shared reality, jointly maximizing choice, and highlighting versus balancing group actions. We further show that coordination increases with interpersonal closeness but is not limited to close friends.
Zhang, Ying and Yanping Tu (2011), "The Impact of Associative Strength on Performance in Goal Pursuit," Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(6), 1088-95.
The present research explored the hypothesis that strengthened attainment means–goal association leads to enhanced performance in goal pursuit. We hypothesize that because of the instrumental nature of means–goal association, strengthened associative strength leads to greater instrumentality expectancy of the means, which elicits greater motivation in the pursuit and hence better actual performance. We demonstrated in four studies that when the means is believed to facilitate goal attainment, a strong (vs. weak) means–goal association leads to greater performance in goal pursuit. Conversely, when the means is perceived to undermine goal attainment, a strong (vs. weak) association results in worse performance in goal pursuit.
