Choosing more expensive colleges may seem like an unwise financial decision considering a large student debt burden after graduation. However, new research from JCPenney Assistant Professor Yang Yang suggests that avoiding such colleges can lead to bigger financial problems in
Yang Yang Articles: page 1
Urgency Bias Is Wrecking Your Ability To Lead
“Research conducted by Meng Zhu, Yang Yang, and Christopher K. Hsee found there is an inherent flaw in the human condition; we choose urgent and unimportant tasks over those tasks that are deemed more important, that require more time and
Why We Procrastinate When We Have Long Deadlines
“‘Can you get that to me by the end of the day?’ isn’t a request many employees like to hear. But for many people, having shorter deadlines instead of longer ones — “Do you think you can do that by
Why Your Brain Tricks You Into Doing Less Important Tasks
“Here’s a list of things I did before starting this newsletter: I filled out the documents to renew my passport; clipped my cat’s nails; bought some household items; responded to a few Instagram DMs; and ate a snack because I
How to Focus on What’s Important, Not Just What’s Urgent
“Do you get to the end of the day and feel that you’ve met your most pressing deadlines but haven’t accomplished anything that’s fundamentally important? You’re hardly alone. In a series of studies recently published in the Journal of Consumer Research, people typically chose
How misperceptions of deadlines, urgency influence time management and performance
“You’re faced with a set of tasks. Some aren’t essential but need to be completed quickly—like redeeming a coupon that expires in two hours. Others have greater importance but do not have an imminent deadline—like scheduling a regular medical checkup.
How to be happy without earning more
“The hedonic treadmill fires up because people misunderstand what will actually make them happy, research suggests. People gain more happiness when they satisfy their inherent rather than learned preferences—needs rather than wants,” writes the Chicago Booth Review. Read more about
How deadlines thwart our ability to do important work (and what we can do about it)
“Suppose you have two tasks before you. One isn’t that important but needs to be done quickly. The other is important but isn’t urgent. Often, people will choose against their self-interest to do the urgent but less important task, a
Sentimental Value
Imagine two scenarios—a bicycle you purchased for yourself and a bicycle you received from a loved one. Under which of these two scenarios would the bicycle be more meaningful to you? Warrington marketing professor Yang Yang, along with Carnegie Mellon
What Economists Fail to See in the Act of Gift-Giving
“New research suggests why holiday gifts—unlike purchases for oneself—have a value far higher than some economists previously thought,” writes The Wall Street Journal. See what this research from Assistant Professor of Marketing Yang Yang suggests that economists fail to see