Research & Projects

Music is an integral part of our lives, and listening to music at work is no exception. Estimates show about a third of people regularly listen to music at work. Additionally, music affects our minds, body, and behaviors; thus, it is not surprising that music is one of the oldest topics in our field (e.g., the oldest music paper I tracked down was a 1915 paper in the Journal of Applied Psychology). 

Why, then, still study music?

There are three reasons why I think music at work should be further studied: first, it is ever more common behavior now due to today's technology. The music research talks about centrally played music in factories or personal stereos,  but now employees can listen to any music any time they want. Second, most existing research relies on weaker studies by today's standards. Now, we can use technology and innovative designs to test old and new ideas. Third, most music research comes from the social or music psychology field, and there are reasons for which why this research cannot be extrapolated to the organizational context. Thus, I am excited to broaden our understanding of music at work, which I believe will yield important implications for organizations.

Current projects

We are currently working on three projects at different stages (one R&R, one recently awarded a grant, and one in earlier stages). Specifically, we are trying to understand answers to the following questions: how music influences (a) the employees' own behavior, (b) their behaviors toward others, and (c) others' perception and reactions toward them?

More information will be placed here later. 

Social hierarchies are similarly an integral part of any group we belong to, such as status and power differences among members due to various reasons. Social hierarchies, their shape, and their internal dynamics can affect whether the employees are prosocial or not in that group. 

What is new here? 

It is not hard to think of instances of someone having a high position, abusing their position, or just staying silent when faced with significant issues at work. Or, we can think of many scenarios hierarchies are created but not equitably (i.e., those who deserve do not have the deserved place). Answering how we can understand and resolve these issues excites me a lot!

Current projects

We are currently working on three projects at different stages (two R&Rs, one earlier stage). More details will be given here later.