Psychopathy is widely recognized as a risk factor for violent behavior, but many psychopathic individuals refrain from antisocial or criminal acts. Understanding what leads these psychopaths to be ‘successful’ has been a mystery. A new study conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University sheds light on the mechanisms underlying the formation of this ‘successful’ phenotype.…

App developers can improve the profitability of free apps by strategically deploying or eliminating their paid version counterparts over an app’s lifetime. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled «Managing the Versioning Decision over an App’s Lifetime» and is authored by Seoungwoo Lee, Jie Zhang, and Michel Wedel. Is it really over…

Mass customization, where customers order clothing made to their own style tastes and measurements, has been proposed as one solution to overproduction. But the logistical challenges of tailoring garments to individual customer requests and lengthy manufacturing lead times have discouraged most firms from adopting mass customization. They might want to reconsider that decision, according to…

Recent research shows that people are more likely to take ‘microbreaks’ at work on days when they’re tired — but that’s not a bad thing. The researchers found microbreaks help tired employees engage with their work better over the course of the day. At issue are microbreaks, which are short, voluntary and impromptu respites in…

A stressful workplace can take its toll on our mental health, and new evidence backs up this belief. A year-long population study reveals that toxic workplaces can increase full-time workers’ risk of depression threefold. And while working long hours is a risk factor for dying from cardiovascular disease or having a stroke, poor management practices…

Academic experts in natural language processing who are interested in deception have compared the language used within written April Fools hoaxes and fake news stories. They have discovered that there are similarities in the written structure of humorous April Fools hoaxes — the spoof articles published by media outlets every April 1 — and malicious…

Setting a price just below a round number ($39.99 instead of $40) may lead consumers into thinking a product is less expensive than it really is — but it can sometimes backfire on sellers, a new study shows. Researchers found that this «just-below» pricing makes consumers less likely to upgrade to a more expensive version…

With the continuing rise of China as a global economic and trading power, there is no barrier to prevent Chinese from becoming a global language like English, according to new research. Dr Gil’s paper challenges arguments that suggest Chinese faces insurmountable hurdles to become a commonly used international language due to the complexity of Chinese…

Feeling psychologically powerful makes leaders feel that their job is more demanding, which can be both beneficial and harmful. Trevor Foulk of the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and Klodiana Lanaj, Martin L. Schaffel Professor at UF, note that while power-induced job demands are key to helping leaders more effectively pursue…

Insurance policy premiums from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) allow policyholders to maintain a lower, grandfathered rate even when the risk escalates. But as coastal flooding increases due to rising sea level and more intense storms, new research suggests this grandfathered policy could lead to big losses for the NFIP. A team of experts…