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Evan Polman

Evan Polman

Associate Professor | Marketing
Kuechenmeister-Bascom Professor in Business
4255 Grainger Hall

About Evan

Evan Polman joined the Wisconsin School of Business in 2013. He received a Ph.D. from Cornell University, and carried out post-doctoral work at New York University. His research focuses on self-other differences in decision making, creativity, gift-giving, psychological distance, and moral psychology. Evan has published articles in journals in psychology, marketing, and management. In recognition of his work, Evan has received research and teaching awards from the Wisconsin School of Business. In 2019, Evan received one of ten Distinguished Teaching Awards from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For his research on self-other decision making, Evan was named the winner of the Hillel Einhorn New Investigator Award by the Society for Judgment and Decision Making. His research has been featured in Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Harvard Business Review.

Selected Published Journal Articles

Polman, E. & Maglio, S. (2024). Nudges increase choosing but decrease consuming: Longitudinal studies of the decoy, default, and compromise effects Journal of Consumer Research

Polman, E. & Reich, T. & Maglio, S. (2024). Elasticity of emotions to multiple interpersonal transgressions Emotion

Ruan, B. & Polman, E. & Tanner, R. (2024). The One-Away Effect: The Pursuit of Mere Completion Journal of Consumer Research

Kashdan, T. & Harrison, S. & Polman, E. & Kark, R. (2023). Curiosity in organizations: Addressing adverse reactions, trade-offs, and multi-level dynamics Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Polman, E. & Stough, R. (2023). Homo indifferencus: Effects of unavailable options on preference construction Journal of Behavioral Decision Making

Choe, Y. & Kan, C. & Polman, E. (2023). Divergent Effects of Budgeting for Gifts versus Personal Purchases Journal of Consumer Research

Polman, E. & Maglio, S. (2023). Improving the Generalizability of Behavioral Science by Using Reality Checks: A Tool for Assessing Heterogeneity in Participants’ Consumership of Study Stimuli Perspectives on Psychological Science

Polman, E. & Ruttan, R. & Peck, J. (2022). Using curiosity to incentivize the choice of “should” options Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Polman, E. & Ruttan, R. (2022). Making utilitarian choices but giving deontological advice Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

Van Swol, L. & Polman, E. & Paik, J. & Chang, C. (2022). Effects of gain/loss frames on telling lies of omission and commission Cognition and Emotion

Polman, E. & Maglio, S. (2022). Effects of maximizing on choosing a product and using it over 1 month Personality and Individual Differences

Polman, E. & Ziano, I. & Wu, K. & Van Kerckhove, A. (2022). Consumers believe that products work better for others Journal of Consumer Research

Polman, E. & Lu, Z. (2022). Are people more selfish after giving gifts? Journal of Behavioral Decision Making

Sun, Q. & Polman, E. & Zhang, H. (2021). On prospect theory, making choices for others, and the affective psychology of risk Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Cheng, A. & Meloy, M. & Polman, E. (2021). Picking gifts for picky people Journal of Retailing

Maglio, S. & Wong, O. & Rabaglia, C. & Polman, E. & Reich, T. & Huang, J. & Hershfield, H. & Lane, S. (2020). Perceptions of collaborations: How many cooks seem to spoil the broth? Social Psychological and Personality Science

Polman, E. & Van Swol, L. & Hoban, P. (2020). Harbingers of foul play: A field study of gain/loss frames and regulatory fit in the NFL Judgment and Decision Making

Polman, E. & Wu, K. (2020). Decision making for others involving risk: A review and meta-analysis Journal of Economic Psychology

Liu, Y. & Polman, E. & Liu, Y. & Jiao, J. (2018). Choosing for others and its relation to information search Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Polman, E. & Effron, D. & Thomas, M. (2018). Other people’s money: Money’s perceived purchasing power is smaller for others than for the self Journal of Consumer Research

Polman, E. & Maglio, S. (2017). Mere gifting: Liking a gift more because it is shared Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Huang, N. & Burtch, G. & Hong, Y. & Polman, E. (2016). Effects of multiple psychological distances on construal and consumer evaluation: A field study of online reviews Journal of Consumer Psychology

Maglio, S. & Polman, E. (2016). Revising probability estimates: Why increasing likelihood means increasing impact Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Polman, E. & Vohs, K. (2016). Decision fatigue, choosing for others, and self-construal Social Psychological and Personality Science

Williams, M. & Polman, E. (2015). Is it me or her? How gender composition evokes interpersonally sensitive behavior on collaborative cross-boundary projects Organization Science

Maglio, S. & Polman, E. (2014). Spatial orientation shrinks and expands psychological distance Psychological Science

Polman, E. & Kim, S. (2013). Effects of anger, disgust, and sadness on sharing with others Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Polman, E. & Pollmann, M. & Poehlman, T. (2013). The name-letter-effect in groups: Sharing initials with group members increases the quality of group work PLOS ONE

Polman, E. & Pettit, N. & Wiesenfeld, B. (2013). Effects of wrongdoer status on moral licensing Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Polman, E. (2012). Self-other decision making and loss aversion Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Polman, E. & Russo, J. (2012). Commitment to a developing preference and predecisional distortion of information Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Polman, E. (2012). Effects of self-other decision making on regulatory focus and choice overload Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Polman, E. & Ruttan, R. (2012). Effects of anger, guilt, and envy on moral hypocrisy Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Leung, A. & Kim, S. & Polman, E. & Ong, L. & Qiu, L. & Goncalo, J. & Sanchez-Burks, J. (2012). Embodied metaphors and creative ‘acts’ Psychological Science

Polman, E. & Emich, K. (2011). Decisions for others are more creative than decisions for the self Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Polman, E. (2011). When more pain is preferred to less: The effect of anger in decision making Social Cognition

Goncalo, J. & Polman, E. & Maslach, C. (2010). When confidence comes too soon: Collective efficacy, conflict and group performance over time Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Polman, E. (2010). Information distortion in self-other decision making Journal of Experimental Social Psychology

Polman, E. (2010). Why are maximizers less happy than satisficers? Because they maximize positive and negative outcomes Journal of Behavioral Decision Making

Editorial and Reviewing Activities

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin – Since January 2024
Editorial Board Member

Marketing Letters – Since January 2023
Editorial Board Member

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes – Since January 2021
Associate Editor

Journal of Behavioral Decision Making – Since January 2014
Editorial Board Member

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