Art-ificial Intelligence

AI tools have advanced into the creative domain. It's now possible to generate works of art using little more than an algorithm. But do viewers consider machine-generated works to be truly "art"? We put it to the test in a head-to-head experiment, attributing a creative work to either a human or an AI.

Beer: (Not) Drinking with Colleagues

Grabbing a drink with coworkers is a common way to let off steam. But those who forgo alcohol may wonder if it dulls their image. In this experiment, we tested whether opting for a non-alcoholic drink affects how fun and likable you seem. 

Coffee: Black vs. Milk

Most U.S. adults drink coffee. So much, in fact, that the science of coffee is percolating. But what about the psychology? In this experiment, we tested whether drinking coffee black or with milk affects how warm and competent we seem to our colleagues.

Green Texts: Android vs. iPhone

Pop culture suggests that "green texts" from non-Apple smartphones draw the ire of iPhone users. But do they really? We ran a randomized experiment with 133 iPhone users and 261 Android OS users to test whether those green texts actually hurt the sender's image.

Laptop Case vs. Backpack

Traditionally, messenger bags have been the go-to carrying case for laptops. But more recently, professionals are also turning to backpacks, despite their historical use by students. In this experiment, we asked how professional each seems to co-workers.

Mac vs. PC Sophistication

Apple has spent decades building its brand through sleek, innovative product designs for which customers pay top-dollar. Psychology says such branding can affect how we think about ourselves. Can it also affect how others perceive us? We put it to the test with a head-to-head Mac vs. PC experiment measuring perceptions of users' sophistication.

Meetings: Office vs. Café

Meetings, much like work itself, are practically inevitable. But perhaps switching up the venue can improve team morale. We ran a survey experiment with 805 people testing which types of people look forward to meeting at a café vs. the office.

Smoking - Does It Look Cool?

One reason people take up smoking is because they think it looks cool. But new research suggests that it actually has the opposite effect. In this randomized experiment, we find that smoking actually reduces how cool you look, even to fellow smokers.

TikTok vs. Twitter - User Likability

TikTok and Twitter, two popular yet very different platforms, are both loved and loathed. We wondered if such perceptions spill over to their users. Does using either draw the ire of others? A 400-person study tested how using TikTok vs. Twitter affects one's image.

Video Duration

Social media is increasingly taking the form of videos. But as entertaining as this format can be, it's also more time-consuming than simply viewing a photo or line of text. We investigated whether videos of differing lengths spark interest or annoyance.

Wine Sophistication

Wine is often thought to be a drink of the refined. Indeed, the nuance to assessing its quality, oft the domain of only the most sophisticated palettes, lends credence to the term "wine snob." But does drinking wine actually make you look more cultured?

Zoom vs. Metaverse Meetings

Virtual meetings have skyrocketed in recent years, with Zoom and other video conferencing platforms now the standard. But if virtual reality becomes a feasible venue for such meetings, which would people prefer? We put it to the (preliminary) test.