Publications

^ indicates corresponding author
In most cases, authorship is in order of seniority.

Published online ahead of print

Stress and sociocultural learning: Individuals with more stress-reactive physiologies are quicker to learn diverse sociocultural norms from experiential feedback
Madan, S., Savani, K.^, Phua, D., Hong, Y.-Y., & Morris, M. W. (2025). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Self-enhancement in Latin America: Is it linked to interdependence?
Salvador, C.E., Idovro-Carlier, S., Ishii, K., Torres Castillo, C., Nanakdewa, K., Canale, F., San Martin, A., Savani, K., & Kitayama, S. (2025). Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

The things I do for you… and for myself: Dyadic and dynamic effects of social support in dual-earner couples
Pluut, H., Ilies, R., Curşeu, P. L., & Savani, K. (2025). Journal of Business and Psychology.

When do employees help abused coworkers? It depends on their own experience with abusive supervision
Feng, Z., & Savani, K.^ (2023). European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 

2024

Choosing not to get anchored: A choice mindset reduces the anchoring bias
Savani, K. & Wadhwa, M. (2024). Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 112, 104575.
• Related Linkedin post

Collectivism impairs team performance when relational goals conflict with group goals
Qin, X., Yam, K.-C., …, & Savani, K.^ (2024). Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Cultural variations in memory disruption: The part-list cuing impairment in Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States
Pepe, N., Tan, L. S., Huang, T.-R., Savani, K.^, & Rajaram, S.^ (2024). Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 55(5), 447-465.

Emotionally expressive interdependence in Latin America: Triangulating through a comparison of three cultural zones
Salvador, C. E., Idrovo Carlier, S., Ishii, K., Torres Castillo, C., Nanakdewa, K., San Martin, A., Savani, K., & Kitayama, S. (2024). Emotion, 24(3), 820-835.

Formal versus informal supervisor socio-emotional support behaviors and employee trust: The role of cultural power distance
Cho, J., Wasti, A., Savani, K., Tan, H. H., & Morris, M. W. (2024). Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 24, 203-218.

2023

Reducing gender bias in perceptions of leadership capability and leader selection: Role of managers’ implicit theories about the universality of leadership potential
Liu, Z., Rattan, A., & Savani, K.^ (2023). Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(12), 1924–1951.
• Related Linkedin post
• Forbes article

The mutual constitution of person and culture: The bidirectional relationship between individuals’ perceived control and cultural tightness-looseness
Ma, A., Savani, K.^, Liu, F., Tai, K., & Kay, A. (2023). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 124(5), 901-916.

Cultural antecedents of virus transmission: More individualistic people were less likely to follow stay-at-home orders during the Covid-19 pandemic
Feng, Z., Zou, K., & Savani, K.^ (2023). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 124(3), 461-482.

Support for increasing low wage workers’ compensation: The role of fixed-growth mindsets about intelligence
Madan, S., Ma, A., Pandey, N., Rattan, A., & Savani, K.^ (2023). Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 152(4), 935-955.
• Harvard Business Review article

Privacy please: Power distance beliefs and responses to privacy breaches across countries
Madan, S., Savani, K., & Katsikeas, C. (2023). Journal of International Business Studies, 54(4), 731-754.

Mitigating the influence of analysts’ aggressive stock price targets: The role of joint versus separate evaluation
Chee, V., Savani, K., & Tan, S. K. (2023). Contemporary Accounting Research, 40(1), 526-543.

Spheres of immanent justice: Sacred violations particularly evoke expectations of cosmic punishment, irrespective of societal punishment
Goyal, N., Savani, K., & Morris, M. W. (2023). Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 106, 104458.

Going with the crowd in volatile times: Exposure to environmental variability increases people’s preference for popular options
Tan, L., Basu, S., & Savani, K.^ (2023). Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 36(4), Article e2343.

A novel bias in managers’ allocation of bonuses to teams: Emphasis on team size instead of team contribution
Bai, Y., Feng, Z., Pinto, J., & Savani, K.^ (2023). Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 36(4), Article e2336.

Applicants’ fairness perceptions of algorithm-driven hiring procedures
Lavanchy, M., Reichert, P., Narayanan, J., & Savani, K. (2023). Journal of Business Ethics, 188, 125-150.

Implicit morality theories: Employees’ beliefs about the malleability of moral character influence their workplace behaviors
Feng, Z., Keng-Highberger, F., Li, H., & Savani, K. (2023). Journal of Business Ethics, 184, 193-216.

Relative insensitivity to sample sizes: People are similarly confident in the results from 30 versus 3000 observations
Zhan, S., & Savani, K.^ (2023). Decision, 10(1), 61-80.

Functional analogies increase trust in blackbox AI systems among lay consumers: The case of GeNose C-19
Degefe, E., Prabowo, Y. D., Savani, K., & Sheetal, A. (2023). IEEE Computer, 56(5), 74-83.

Machine learning in management
Degefe, E., Savani, K., & Sheetal, A. (2023, December 13). In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Business and Management.

To make better choices, look at all your options together
Basu, S. & Savani, K. (2023). Harvard Business Review (Fall 2023 Special Issue), 70-72.

2022

Varieties of interdependence and the emergence of the Modern West: Toward the globalizing of psychology
Kitayama, S., Salvador, C. E., Nanakdewa, N., Rossmaier, A., San Martin, A., & Savani, K. (2022). American Psychologist, 77(9), 991–1006.
• Winner of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s 2023 Wegner Theoretical Innovation Prize

The salience of choice reduces social responsibility: Evidence from lab experiments and compliance with Covid-19 stay-at-home orders
Wang, Y., & Savani, K.^ (2022). PNAS Nexus, 1(4), pgac200.

How you look is who you are: The appearance reveals character lay theory increases support for facial profiling
Madan, S., Savani, K.^, & Johar, G. (2022). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 123(6), 1223-1242.
• Covered in the SPSP blog

Experiential learning of cultural norms: The role of implicit and explicit aptitudes
Savani, K.^, Morris, M. W., Fincher, K., Lu, J., & Kaufman, S. B. (2022). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 123(2), 272-291.
• Covered in Psychology Today

The breadth of normative standards: Antecedents and consequences for individuals and organizations
Madan, S., Basu, S., Ng, S. & Savani, K.^ (2022). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 172, 104181.

Should a passion be pursued as a career? Cultural differences in the emphasis on passion in career decisions
O’Keefe, P., Horberg, L., Chen, P., & Savani, K. (2022). Journal of Organizational Behavior, 43, 1475-1495.

Power increases perceptions of others’ choices, leading people to blame others more
Yin, Y., Savani, K., & Smith, P. (2022). Social Psychological and Personality Science, 13(1), 170-177.

Can culturally relevant frames increase individuals’ motivation to contribute to carbon emissions offsets? A test in two nations
Lau, E.-H., Rattan, A., Romero-Canyas, R., & Savani, K.^ (2022). Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 53(10), 1211-1234.
• Related Linkedin post
• Covered in Forbes

The role of social projection in consumers’ commonness fallacy
Basu, S., Zhu, J., & Savani, K. (2022). Psychology and Marketing, 39, 1698–1705.

A deep learning model identifies emphasis on hard work as an important predictor of income inequality
Sheetal, A., Chaudhury, S. H., & Savani, K.^ (2022). Scientific Reports, 12, 9845.

The cancellation heuristic in intertemporal choice shifts people’s time preferences
Sengupta, A., & Savani, K.^ (2022). Scientific Reports, 12, 4267.

2021

The salience of choice fuels independence: Implications for self-perception, cognition, and behavior
Nanakdewa, K. A., Madan, S., Savani, K.^, & Markus, H. R. (2021). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(30), e2021727118.
• Related Linkedin post
• Harvard Business Review article

A machine learning model of cultural change: Role of prosociality, political attitudes, and Protestant work ethic
Sheetal, A. & Savani, K.^ (2021). American Psychologist, 76(6), 997–1012.

Intention to get COVID-19 vaccines: Exploring the role of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, belief in COVID-19 misinformation, and vaccine confidence in Northern India
Husain, F., Shahnawaz, M. G., Khan, N. H., Parveen, H., & Savani, K. (2021). Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 17(11), 3941-3953.

2020

Using machine learning to generate novel hypotheses: Increasing optimism about Covid-19 makes people less willing to justify unethical behaviors
Sheetal, A., Feng, Z., & Savani, K.^ (2020). Psychological Science.
• Related Linkedin post
• Covered in The New York Times

Open science, communal culture, and women’s participation in the movement to improve science
Murphy, M. C., Mejia, A., …, Savani, K., …, Pestilli, F. (2020). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Covid-19 created a gender gap in perceived work productivity and job satisfaction: Implications for dual-career parents working from home
Feng, Z. & Savani, K.^ (2020). Gender in Management: An International Review.

Let’s choose one of each: Using the partition dependence bias to increase diversity in hiring decisions
Feng, Z., Liu, Y., Wang, Z, & Savani, K.^ (2020). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 158, 11-26.
• Related Linkedin post
• Harvard Business Review article

Does everyone have the potential to achieve their ideal body weight? Lay theories about body weight and support for price discrimination policies
Li, S., Kokkoris, M., & Savani, K.^ (2020). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 157, 129-142.

From variability to vulnerability: People exposed to greater variability judge wrongdoers more harshly
Ding, Y., & Savani, K.^ (2020). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

The paradoxical consequences of choice: Often good for the individual, perhaps less so for society
Madan, S., Nanakdewa, K., Savani, K.,^ & Markus, H. R. (2020). Current Directions in Psychological Science, 29, 80-85.

2019

Metacognition fosters cultural learning: Evidence from individual differences and situational prompts
Morris, M. W., Savani, K., & Fincher, K. (2019). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116, 46-68.

Support for resettling refugees: Role of fixed-growth mindsets
Madan, S., Basu, S., Rattan, A., & Savani, K.^ (2019). Psychological Science, 30, 238-249.

Doing good, feeling good? The roles of helping motivation and citizenship pressure
Jia, K. L., Savani, K., & Ilies, R. (2019). Journal of Applied Psychology, 104, 1020-1035.
• Related Linkedin post

Take it or leave it: A choice mindset leads to greater persistence and better outcomes in negotiations
Ma, A., Yang, Y., & Savani, K.^ (2019). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 153, 1-12.
• Related Linkedin post
• Harvard Business Review article

Choosing among options presented sequentially versus simultaneously
Basu, S., & Savani, K. (2019). Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28, 97-101.

Making the leader identity salient can be demotivating
Savani, K., & Zou, X. (2019). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 25, 245-255.
• Related Linkedin post
• Harvard Business Review article

Descriptive norms for me, injunctive norms for you: Using norms to explain the risk gap
Zou, X., & Savani, K. (2019). Judgment and Decision Making, 14, 644-648.

Can we benefit from believing in fate? The belief in negotiating with fate when faced with constraints
Au, E. W., & Savani, K.^ (2019). Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2354.

Learning new cultures: Processes, premises, and policies
Morris, M. W., Fincher, K., & Savani, K. (2019). In D. Cohen & S. Kitayama (Eds.), Handbook of Cultural Psychology (2nd edition, pp. 478-501). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

2018

Does deciding among morally relevant options feel like making a choice? How morality constrains people’s sense of choice
Kouchaki, M., Smith, I., & Savani, K. (2018). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115, 788-804.

When can culturally diverse teams can be more creative? The role of leaders’ benevolent paternalism
Lu, L., Li, F., Leung, K., Savani, K., & Morris, M. W. (2018). Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39, 402-415.

People in more diverse neighborhoods are more prosocial
Nai, J., Narayanan, J., Hernandez, I., Tan, J., & Savani, K.^ (2018). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 114, 497-515.
• Related Linkedin post

Meta-lay theories of scientific potential drive women and minorities’ sense of belonging in science
Rattan, A., Savani, K., Kommaraju, M., Morrison, M., Boggs, C., & Ambady, N. (2018). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115, 54-75.

Are the motivational effects of autonomy-supportive conditions universal? Contrasting results among Indians and Americans
Tripathi, R., & Cervone, D., Savani, K. (2018). Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44, 1287-1301.

2017

Choosing one at a time? Simultaneously presented options help people make more optimal decisions than sequentially presented options
Basu, S., & Savani, K.^ (2017). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 139, 76-91.
• Video illustrating research finding
• Related Linkedin post
• Harvard Business Review article

Reverse ego-depletion: Acts of self-control can improve subsequent performance in Indian cultural contexts
Savani, K., & Job, V. (2017). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113, 589-607.
• Related Linkedin post
• World Mental Health Day post

Is education a fundamental right or a scarce resource? Beliefs about intellectual potential shape people’s positions on education
Savani, K., Rattan, A., & Dweck, C. S. (2017). Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43, 1284-1295.

Choice as an engine of analytic thought
Savani, K., Stephens, N. M., & Markus, H. R. (2017). Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 146, 1234-1246.

Do you always choose what you like? Subtle social cues increase preference-choice consistency among Japanese but not among Americans
Uchida, Y., Savani, K., Hidefumi, H., & Kaino, K. (2017). Frontiers in Psychology, 8.

2016

No match for money: Even in intimate relationships and collectivistic cultures, reminders of money weaken sociomoral responses
Savani, K., Mead, N. L., Stillman, T., & Vohs, K. D. (2016). Self and Identity, 15, 342-355.

2015

Indian employees’ attitudes toward poaching
Kumar, S., Savani, K., Sanghai, A., Pochkhanawalla, S., Dhar, S., Ramaswami, A., & Markus, H. R. (2015). Business Perspectives and Research, 3, 81-94.

Leveraging mindsets to promote academic achievement: Policy recommendations
Rattan, A., Savani, K., Chugh, D., & Dweck, C. S. (2015). Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10, 721-726.

Culture and judgment and decision making
Savani, K., Cho, J., Baik, S., & Morris, M. W. (2015). In M. In G. Wu & G. Keren (Eds.), Blackwell Handbook of Judgment and Decision Making (pp. 456-477). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

Perceiving outcomes as determined by external forces: The role of event construal in attenuating the outcome bias
Savani, K. & King D. (2015). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 130, 136-146.
• BBC article

When norms loom larger than the self: Susceptibility of preference-choice consistency to normative influence across cultures
Savani, K., Wadhwa, M., Uchida, Y., Ding, Y., & Naidu, N. V. R. (2015). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 129, 70-79.

2014

When in Rome: Processes of intercultural learning and implications for training
Morris, M. W., Savani, K., Mor, S., & Cho, J. (2014). Research in Organizational Behavior, 34, 189-215.

Intercultural competence, assessment, and learning: Implications for organizational and public policies
Morris, M. W., Savani, K., Roberts, R. D. (2014). Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1, 63-71.

2013

Guilty and helpful: An emotion-based reparatory model of voluntary work behavior
Ilies, R., Peng, C., Savani, K., & Dimotakis, N. (2013). Journal of Applied Psychology, 98, 1051-1059.

Feeling close and doing well: The prevalence and motivational effects of interpersonally engaging emotions in Mexican and European American cultural contexts
Savani, K., Alvarez, A., Mesquita, B., & Markus, H. R. (2013). International Journal of Psychology, 48, 682-694.

2012

Negotiable fate: Social ecological foundation and psychological functions
Au, E. W. M., Chiu, C. Y., Chaturvedi, A., Mallorie, L., Vishwanathan, M., Xue, Z., & Savani, K. (2012). Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 43, 931-942.

Power to the peers: Authority of source effects for a voice-based agricultural information service in rural India
Patel, N., Savani, K., Dave, P., Shah, K., Klemmer, S., & Parikh, T. (2013). Information and Communication Technologies and Development, 9, 81-93.

Can everyone become intelligent? Cultural differences and societal consequences of the belief in a universal potential for intelligence
Rattan, A., Savani, K., Naidu, N. V. R., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 787-803.

Evidence for cultural expertise in dynamic visual attention: European Americans outperform Asians in multiple object tracking
Savani, K. & Markus, H. R. (2012). Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 40, 766-769.

Deference in Indians’ decision making: Introjected goals or injunctive norms
Savani, K., Morris, M. W., Naidu, N. V. R. (2012). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 685-699.

A choice mindset increases the acceptance and maintenance of wealth inequality
Savani, K., & Rattan, A. (2012). Psychological Science, 23, 796-804.

2011

Maintaining faith in agency under immutable constraints: Cognitive consequences of believing in negotiable fate
Au, E. W. M., Chiu, C. Y., Chaturvedi, A., Mallorie, L., Vishwanathan, M., Xue, Z., & Savani, K. (2011). International Journal of Psychology, 46, 463-474.

New designs for research in delay discounting
Doyle, J. R., Chen, C. H., & Savani, K. (2011). Judgment and Decision Making, 6, 759-770.

Beliefs in emotional residue: The idea that emotions leave a trace in the physical environment
Savani, K., Kumar, S., Naidu, N. V. R., & Dweck, C. S. (2011). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 684-701.

Cultural conditioning: Understanding interpersonal accommodation in India and the U.S. in terms of the modal characteristics of interpersonal influence situations
Savani, K., Morris, M. W., Naidu, N. V. R., Kumar. S., & Berlia, N. (2011). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100, 84-102.

The unanticipated interpersonal and societal consequences of choice: Victim-blaming and reduced support for the public good
Savani, K., Stephens, N. M., & Markus, H. R. (2011). Psychological Science, 22, 795-802.

2010 & previous

What counts as a choice? U.S. Americans are more likely than Indians to construe actions as choices
Savani, K., Markus, H. R., Naidu, N. V. R., Kumar, S., & Berlia, V. (2010). Psychological Science, 21, 391-398.

Let your preference be your guide? Preferences and choices are more tightly linked for North Americans than for Indians
Savani, K., Markus, H. R., & Conner, A. L. (2008). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95, 861-876.