Research Overview

My research investigates the psychology of consumers, in particular their motivations and information processing. In my primary line of work, I test some fundamental assumptions that people hold about motivation and well-being. For example, is it actually true (1) that interacting with new products only serves hedonic enjoyment and not meaningful growth; or (2) that consumers prioritize functional needs over psychological needs in consumer preference? My research has consistently demonstrated that the answers to these questions are not as obvious as they might seem, providing nuance and complexity to our understanding of core marketing concepts. To address these questions, I first identify phenomena among customers in the real world. This is followed by carefully designed experiments to test theoretical predictions involving processes and boundary conditions. Ultimately, my work provides clear implications for marketing practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and consumers. Broadly speaking, my objective is to create research that informs evidence-based management across strategy, branding, innovation, and consumer well-being (Pfeffer and Sutton 2006).