About

is the John Templeton Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Faculty Director of the Roman Family Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Research topics

• Social psychology
• Psychology
• Computer Science
• Communication
• Internet privacy
• World Wide Web
• Cognitive psychology
• Linguistics

Selected publications

• Misplaced Divides? Discussing Political Disagreement With Strangers Can Be Unexpectedly Positive

  Psychological Science · 2024-03-28 · 16 citations

  articleSenior author

  1,264 U.S.-based adults) demonstrating that people's interest in discussing important but potentially divisive topics is guided by their expectations about how positively the conversation will unfold, leaving them more interested in having a conversation with someone who agrees versus disagrees with them. People's expectations about their conversations, however, were systematically miscalibrated such that people underestimated how positive these conversations would be-especially in cases of disagreement. Miscalibrated expectations stemmed from underestimating the degree of common ground that would emerge in conversation and from failing to appreciate the power of social forces in conversation that create social connection. Misunderstanding the outcomes of conversation could lead people to avoid discussing disagreements more often, creating a misplaced barrier to learning, social connection, free inquiry, and free expression.

  PublisherDOI

• Defining key concepts for mental state attribution

  Communications Psychology · 2024-04-11 · 78 citations

  articleOpen access

  The terminology used in discussions on mental state attribution is extensive and lacks consistency. In the current paper, experts from various disciplines collaborate to introduce a shared set of concepts and make recommendations regarding future use.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Surprisingly good talk: Misunderstanding others creates a barrier to constructive confrontation.

  Journal of Experimental Psychology General · 2024-01-16 · 9 citations

  articleSenior author

  Open communication is important for maintaining relationships when conflicts inevitably arise. Nevertheless, people may avoid constructive confrontation to the extent that they expect others to respond negatively. In experiments involving recalled (Experiment 1), imagined (Experiment 2), simulated (Experiment 3), and actual confrontations (Experiments 4a and 4b), we find that people's expectations are systematically miscalibrated such that they overestimate how negatively others respond to confrontation. These overly negative expectations stem, at least in part, from biased attention to potentially negative outcomes of a constructive confrontation (Experiment 5), and from failing to recognize the power of relationship-maintenance processes that are activated in direct conversations (Experiment 6). Underestimating how positively relationship partners will respond to an open, direct, and honest conversation about relationship concerns may create a misplaced barrier to confronting issues when they arise in relationships, thereby keeping people from confronting issues that would strengthen their relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Undervaluing the Positive Impact of Kindness Starts Early

  2023-04-04 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Prosociality can create social connections that increase well-being among both givers and recipients, yet concerns about how another person might respond can make people reluctant to act prosocially. Existing research suggests these concerns may be miscalibrated such that people underestimate the positive impact their prosociality will have on recipients. Understanding when miscalibrated expectations emerge in development is critical for understanding when misplaced cognitive barriers might discourage social engagement, and for understanding when interventions to build relationships could begin. Two experiments asking children (aged 8-17, Experiment 1; aged 4-7, Experiment 2) and adults to perform the same random act of kindness for another person document that both groups significantly underestimate how “big” the act of kindness will seem to recipients, and how positive their act will make recipients feel. Participants significantly undervalued the positive impact of prosociality across ages. Miscalibrated psychological barriers to social connection may emerge early in life.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Let it go: How exaggerating the reputational costs of revealing negative information encourages secrecy in relationships.

  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · 2023-11-30 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author

  Keeping negative interpersonal secrets can diminish well-being, yet people nevertheless keep negative information secret from friends, family, and loved ones to protect their own reputations. Twelve experiments suggest these reputational concerns are systematically miscalibrated, creating a misplaced barrier to honesty in relationships. In hypothetical scenarios (Experiments 1, S1, and S2), laboratory experiments (Experiments 2 and 6), and field settings (Experiments 3 and 4), those who imagined revealing, or who actually revealed, negative information they were keeping secret expected to be judged significantly more harshly than recipients expected to judge, or actually judged, them. We theorized that revealers' pessimistic expectations stem not only from the cognitive accessibility of negative information (Experiment S3) but also from a perspective gap such that the negative outcomes of disclosing this information, compared to positive outcomes, are more accessible for prospective revealers than for recipients. Consistent with this mechanism, revealers' expectations were better calibrated when directed to focus on positive thoughts or when they considered revealing positive information (Experiments 5, 6, and S4). Revealers' miscalibrated expectations matter because they can guide decisions about whether to reveal information or conceal it as a secret (Experiment S5). As predicted, calibrating revealers' expectations increased their willingness to reveal negative information to others (Experiment 7), suggesting that miscalibrated fears of others' judgment create a misplaced barrier to honesty in relationships. Overestimating the reputational costs of disclosing negative information might leave people carrying a heavier burden of secrecy than would be optimal for their own well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Undervaluing the positive impact of kindness starts early.

  Journal of Experimental Psychology General · 2023-05-25 · 18 citations

  articleSenior author

  Prosociality can create social connections that increase well-being among both givers and recipients, yet concerns about how another person might respond can make people reluctant to act prosocially. Existing research suggests these concerns may be miscalibrated such that people underestimate the positive impact their prosociality will have on recipients. Understanding when miscalibrated expectations emerge in development is critical for understanding when misplaced cognitive barriers might discourage social engagement and for understanding when interventions to build relationships could begin. Two experiments asking children (aged 8-17, Experiment 1; aged 4-7, Experiment 2) and adults to perform the same random act of kindness for another person document that both groups significantly underestimate how "big" the act of kindness will seem to recipients, and how positive their act will make recipients feel. Participants significantly undervalued the positive impact of prosociality across ages. Miscalibrated psychological barriers to social connection may emerge early in life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Miscalibrated Secrecy

  OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · 2023-10-06

  other1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

• A Prosociality Paradox: How Miscalibrated Social Cognition Creates a Misplaced Barrier to Prosocial Action

  Current Directions in Psychological Science · 2023-02-01 · 9 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Behaving prosocially can increase well-being among both those performing a prosocial act and those receiving it, and yet people may experience some reluctance to engage in direct prosocial actions. We review emerging evidence suggesting that miscalibrated social cognition may create a psychological barrier that keeps people from behaving as prosocially as would be optimal for both their own and others’ well-being. Across a variety of interpersonal behaviors, those performing prosocial actions tend to underestimate how positively their recipients will respond. These miscalibrated expectations stem partly from a divergence in perspectives, such that prosocial actors attend relatively more to the competence of their actions, whereas recipients attend relatively more to the warmth conveyed. Failing to fully appreciate the positive impact of prosociality on others may keep people from behaving more prosocially in their daily lives, to the detriment of both their own and others’ well-being.

  PublisherDOI

• Let It Go: How Exaggerating the Reputational Costs of Revealing Negative Information Encourages Secrecy in Relationships

  2023-09-15 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Keeping negative interpersonal secrets can diminish wellbeing, yet people nevertheless keep negative information secret from friends, family, and loved ones to protect their own reputations. Twelve experiments suggest these reputational concerns are systematically miscalibrated, creating a misplaced barrier to honesty in relationships. In hypothetical scenarios (Experiments 1, S1, & S2), laboratory experiments (Experiments 2 & 6), and field settings (Experiments 3 & 4), those who imagined revealing, or who actually revealed, negative information they were keeping secret expected to be judged significantly more harshly than recipients expected to judge, or actually judged, them. We theorized that revealers’ pessimistic expectations stem not only from the cognitive accessibility of negative information (Experiment S3), but also from a perspective gap such that the negative outcomes of disclosing this information, compared to positive outcomes, are more accessible for prospective revealers than for recipients. Consistent with this mechanism, revealers’ expectations were better calibrated when directed to focus on positive thoughts, or when they considered revealing positive information (Experiments 5, 6, & S4). Revealers’ miscalibrated expectations matter because they can guide decisions about whether to reveal information or conceal it as a secret (Experiment S5). As predicted, calibrating revealers’ expectations increased their willingness to reveal negative information to others (Experiment 7), suggesting that miscalibrated fears of others’ judgment create a misplaced barrier to honesty in relationships. Overestimating the reputational costs of disclosing negative information might leave people carrying a heavier burden of secrecy than would be optimal for their own wellbeing.

  PublisherDOI

• A little good goes an unexpectedly long way: Underestimating the positive impact of kindness on recipients.

  Journal of Experimental Psychology General · 2022-08-18 · 72 citations

  articleSenior author

  Performing random acts of kindness increases happiness in both givers and receivers, but we find that givers systematically undervalue their positive impact on recipients. In both field and laboratory settings (Experiments 1a through 2b), those performing an act of kindness reported how positive they expected recipients would feel and recipients reported how they actually felt. From giving away a cup of hot chocolate in a park to giving away a gift in the lab, those performing a random act of kindness consistently underestimated how positive their recipients would feel, thinking their act was of less value than recipients perceived it to be. Givers' miscalibrated expectations are driven partly by an egocentric bias in evaluations of the act itself (Experiment 3). Whereas recipients' positive reactions are enhanced by the warmth conveyed in a kind act, givers' expectations are relatively insensitive to the warmth conveyed in their action. Underestimating the positive impact of a random act of kindness also leads givers to underestimate the behavioral consequences their prosociality will produce in recipients through indirect reciprocity (Experiment 4). We suggest that givers' miscalibrated expectations matter because they can create a barrier to engaging in prosocial actions more often in everyday life (Experiments 5a and 5b), which may result in people missing out on opportunities to enhance both their own and others' well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Anchoring and Insufficient Adjustment in Everyday Judgment

  NSF · $73k · 2005–2007

Frequent coauthors

• Juliana Schroeder

  University of California, Berkeley

  27 shared

• Thomas Gilovich

  Cornell University

  24 shared

• Adam Waytz

  Northwestern University

  23 shared

• Eugene M. Caruso

  22 shared

• Xuan Zhao

  Stanford University

  16 shared

• Nadav Klein

  15 shared

• Carey K. Morewedge

  14 shared

• Michael Kardas

  Oklahoma State University

  14 shared

Labs

• Roman Family Center for Decision ResearchPI

  Social cognition—how thinking people think about other thinking people—to understand why smart people so routinely misunderstand each other.

Education

• Ph.D., Psychology

  Cornell University

  2001

Awards & honors

• 2008 Theoretical Innovation Award from the Society for Perso…
• 2011 Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contrib…
• 2015 Book Prize for the Promotion of Social and Personality…
• 2018 Career Trajectory Award from the Society for Experiment…