Recent Highlights

Popular Press Writing

• “The Failure Gap: Why We Think Failures Are Rare When They Are Everywhere” Character & Context, December 2025
• “Focus On Right Now, Not The Distant Future, To Stay Motivated And On Track To Your Long-Term Health Goals,” The Conversation, January 2024
• “To Resist Temptation, Think Short Term,” The Washington Post, January 2024
• “When Someone Asks Your Opinion, Give It,” Harvard Business Review, December 2022
• “Flexible Work Can Dampen Motivation,” Harvard Business Review, April 2022
• “The Psychology of Your Scrolling Addiction,” Harvard Business Review, January 2022
• “What Happens When Companies Pay Customers to Write Reviews?” Harvard Business Review, June 2021
• “Why We’re So Bad at Counting the Calories We Eat, Drink or Burn,” The Conversation, December 2020
• “Is Limiting What You Eat Making You Lonely?” Character & Context, October 2020
• “Don’t Work on Vacation. Seriously,” Harvard Business Review, July 2020
• “Does Sharing Plates Increase Cooperation?” Character & Context, July 2019
• “This Is the Food You Should Eat During Your Next Negotiation,” Thrive Global, December 2018
• “To Land a Great Job, Talk About Why You Love Your Work,” Harvard Business Review, October 2018
• “Avoiding Information to Protect an Intuitive Preference,” Character & Context, May 2018
• “What Separates Goals We Achieve from Goals We Don’t,” Harvard Business Review, April 2017

Select Media Coverage

• “3 Science-Backed Tips for Making New Year’s Resolutions More Fun,” Washington Post, January 2026
• “To Accomplish Your Goals, Find a Way to Enjoy the Process,” Chicago Booth Review, December 2025
• “The Secret to Keeping Your Resolutions? Enjoy Them,” LSE, November 2025
• “How Does Your Motivation Affect the Achievement of Goals?,” Psychology Today, September 2025
• “Fun-Fueled Follow-Through,” The Last Show, August 2025
• “The Secret to Resolutions? Enjoy the Pursuit, Not the Outcome,” Cornell Chronicle, July 2025
• “A New Study Says People Who Make Decisions Like This Wind Up Happier in the End,” Inc., March 2025
• “Going Against One’s Better Judgment Amplifies Self-Blame,” Cornell Chronicle, February 2025
• “The Power of Intrinsic Motivation: Turning New Year’s Resolutions into Results,” Yale Center for Consumer Insights, January 2025
• “How to Find a New Year’s Resolution You’ll Stick With,” The Washington Post, December 2024
• “Why We Shouldn’t Romanticize Failure,” Kellogg Insight, September 2024
• “Benefits of Failure Are Overrated,” American Psychological Association, June 2024 
• “Win-Wins Between Consumers and Marketers,” MSI Connections, May 2024
• “Highlighting Short-Term Costs Reduces Unhealthy Behavior” Academic Minute, March 2024
• “Promoting Thank-You Gifts Can Boost Charitable Donations,” Cornell Chronicle, March 2024
• “Seeking Discomfort for Personal Growth,” The International Risk Podcast, March 2024
• “From Friends to Co-Authors,” JMR’s How I Wrote This, January 2024
• “How to Get Flexible Working Right,” The Economist, March 2023
• “Using Science to Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolution,” Bloomberg, January 2023
• “When Stress and Discomfort are Good at Work,” Fast Company, January 2023
• “People Can Learn to Appreciate the Discomfort of Learning,” Psychology Today, December 2022
• “Working Flexible Hours Can Make You Feel Less Motivated,” Quartz, November 2022
• “Should Kids Eat What You Serve or Only What They Want? Neither,” The Washington Post, September 2022
• “Ex-JPMorgan CEO Says Highly Successful People Get Outside Their Comfort Zones,” CNBC, August 2022
• “Why You Should Think Twice About Wanting to Work on Weekends,” The Wall Street Journal, May 2022
• “Want to Be Successful? Don’t Chase Success, Chase Discomfort,” Inc., April 2022
• “Employees Want Flexible Work–But It Can Diminish Their Motivation,” Inc., April 2022
• “Leaving Your Comfort Zone Inspires Motivation, Growth,” Cornell Chronicle, March 2022
• “Working, Studying in ‘Off’ Hours Can Harm Motivation,” Cornell Chronicle, March 2022
• “A New Study Explains What It Takes to Stop Wasting So Much Time Online,” Inc., February 2022
• “How to Use All Your Vacation — And Really Unplug,” HBR IdeaCast, December 2021
• “Cornell Research Emphasizes Tips Towards Staying Motivated in Pursuit of Your New Year Resolutions,”Cornell Chronicle, December 2021
• “Pictures, Videos Can Send Viewers Down a ‘Rabbit Hole’” Cornell Chronicle, November 2021
• “5 Steps to Finally Making Changes in Your Life,” Fast Company, July 2021
• “Incentivized Product Reviews: Positive to a Fault?” Cornell Chronicle, May 2021
• “The 3 Science-Backed Strategies That Can Help You Achieve Your Post-Pandemic Goals,” TIME, May 2021
• “Why You Should Express Intrinsic Motives in a Job Interview,” HigherEdJobs, April 2021
• “Should you Make your Preferences Clear? Study Suggests Yes,” Cornell Chronicle, March 2021
• “Why People Are Good at Avoiding Unpleasant Information,” Chicago Booth Review, March 2021
• “Goal Pursuit, Information Avoidance, and Social Connection Around Food,” Present Value Podcast, September 2020
• “Undisciplined: Dishing It Out,” Utah Public Radio, May 2020
• “Perspectives on COVID-19,” Present Value Podcast, April 2020
• “Food Restrictions May Stoke Loneliness,” Chicago Booth Review, January 2020
• “For Restricted Eaters, a Place at the Table but not the Meal,” Cornell Chronicle, December 2019
• “You Should Start Practicing New Year’s Resolutions Now,” The New York Times, December 2019
• “Eight Ways to Curb Your Procrastination,” BBC, August 2019
• “Sharing a Plate of Food Leads to More Successful Negotiations,” The Economist, March 2019
• “New Research Finds that this Family Habit Can Help You Negotiate More Effectively,” CNBC, January 2019
• “Want to Bond with a Stranger? Try Eating from the Same Plate,” Quartz, December 2018
• “It’s Bonus Time in the Office!” ABC Radio, July 2018
• “It’s About Time: Immediate Rewards Boost Motivation,” Cornell Chronicle, June 2018
• “Academic Minute: Information Avoidance,” Academic Minute, May 2018
• “Already Failed at Your New Year’s Resolution? 5 Ways to Restart It,” TIME, February 2018
• “The Psychology Behind Why We’re So Bad at Keeping New Year’s Resolutions,” Business Insider, January 2018
• “How Humans Use ‘Strategic Ignorance’ When Facts Get In The Way,” NPR, December 2017
• “Five Secrets for Steadier Workouts,” The Wall Street Journal, May 2017
• “Why Eating The Same Food Increases People’s Trust And Cooperation,” NPR, February 2017
• “In Choosing a Job, Focus on the Fun,” The New York Times, January 2017
• “Want to Build Trust? Order the Same Food,” The Wall Street Journal, July 2016
• “This Is The Most Important Thing To Remember When Choosing A Job,” The Huffington Post, December 2015