The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty

Maurice finds almost anything around him interesting, and he approaches new projects with a big smile and great curiosity. For years now he has told me that he is a good squash player, and though I want to personally check how good he really is, I am also a bit worried that I will find out that he is much better than me. Maurice is also always a good source of wisdom on work, family, and life. Maurice is currently a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.

Max Bazerman

Max is insightful about pretty much any topic that comes up in research, politics, and personal life. And he always has something unexpected and interesting to say. After finding out that many of his students solve their own dilemmas and make decisions by asking themselves, “What would Max do?,” I tried this approach a few times myself and can attest to its usefulness. Max is currently a professor at Harvard University.

Michael Norton

Mike is an interesting mix of brilliance, self-deprecation, and a sarcastic sense of humor. He has a unique perspective on life, and he finds almost any topic interesting. Mike is a great person to bounce ideas off of, and his feedback is always a mix of wacky, unexpected, insightful, and constructive. I often think about research projects as journeys, and with Mike I get to go on adventures that would be impossible with anyone else. Mike is currently a professor at Harvard University.

Nicole Mead

I first met Nicole when she was a graduate student at Florida State University. It was late, after a lecture I gave, and we ended up drinking a bit too much. I remember that I was very impressed with the ideas we were exchanging, but at some point I asked Nicole whether she thought that they were really good ideas or if it was the alcohol. Nicole assured me that it was not the alcohol, and I think she was mostly correct. Nicole has had many good ideas then and since, and she is currently a professor at Católica-Lisbon in Portugal.

Nina Mazar

Nina first came to MIT for a few days to get feedback on her research and ended up staying for five years. During this time we had oodles of fun working together and I came to rely on her greatly. Nina is impervious to obstacles, and her willingness to take on large challenges led us to carry out some particularly difficult experiments in rural India. For many years I hoped that she would never decide to leave, but, alas, the time came. She is currently a professor at the University of Toronto. In an alternate reality, Nina is a high-fashion designer in Milan.

On Amir

On joined MIT as a PhD student a year after I joined as a new professor and became “my” first student. In that capacity, he had a tremendous role in shaping what I expect from students and how I see the professor-student relationship. In addition to being exceptionally smart, On has an amazing set of skills, and what he does not know he is able to learn within a day or two. It is always exciting to work and spend time with him. On is currently a professor at the University of California, San Diego.

Racheli Barkan

Racheli (Rachel) and I became friends many years ago when we were both graduate students. Over the years we talked about starting various research projects together, but we really only got started when she came to spend a year at Duke. As it turned out, coffee is an important ingredient for translating ideas into action, and we had lots of fun during her visit and made a lot of progress on a wide range of projects. Racheli is incredibly knowledgeable, smart, and insightful, and I only wish we had more time together. Racheli is currently a professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel.

Roy Baumeister

Roy is a unique mixture of philosopher, musician, poet, and keen observer of human life. His interests span everything, and his perspective often looks puzzling to me at first, but then I realize the wisdom in it and end up thinking about his views for a long while—often adopting them. Roy is an ideal person to travel and explore with. He is currently a professor at Florida State University.

Scott McKenzie

Scott was an enthusiastic Duke undergraduate when he joined the Center for Advanced Hindsight. He was highly social and had a natural knack for getting people to do what he wanted them to do, including participating in our studies. When it was time for him to pick a topic for an independent research project, he picked cheating in golf, and through the process I learned a lot about that noble game. Scott is currently putting in the consulting world.

Shahar Ayal