Vladas Griskevicius joined the faculty of the Carlson School's marketing department as an assistant professor in 2008 after earning his PhD in social psychology at Arizona State University.  Griskevicius' prolific research has made him an expert in the area of evolutionary consumer behavior, which utilizes theoretical principles from evolutionary biology to study consumers' often unconscious preferences, decision processes, and behavioral strategies.  His work on conspicuous product displays and donations as a mating strategy has been recognized by the Society for Consumer Psychology and reported in The Economist.  Additionally, his research on the influence of emotions on desire for uniqueness and conformity was lauded by the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, the New York Times has covered his study of conforming to social norms, and his work has been published in top-tier marketing and psychology journals. Griskevicius recently received a major National Science Foundation grant for his research, "Fundamental Motives and Decision-Making."

• Evolutionary psychology and consumer behavior
• Evolution, motivation, and emotion
• Green marketing: pro-environmental behavior and conspicuous consumption
• Social influence: social norms and reciprocity
• Persuasion: advertising, sex, and status

Full List of Publications 
 

Selected Recent Publications:

• "Going Green to Be Seen: Status, Reputation, and Conspicuous Conservation," Vladas Griskevicius, J. M. Tybur, and B. Van den Bergh, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (forthcoming).
   
• "Renovating the Pyramid of Needs: Contemporary Extensions Built Upon Ancient Foundations," D.T. Kenrick, V. Griskevicius, S.L. Neuberg, and M. Schaller, Perspectives in Psychological Science (forthcoming).
   
• "Mircrobes, Mating, and Morality: Individual Differences in Three Functional Domains of Disgust," J.M. Tybur, D. Lieberman, and V. Griskevicius, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (July 2009).
   
• "Fear and Loving in Las Vegas: Evolution, Emotion, and Persuasion," V. Griskevicius, N.J. Goldstein, C.R. Mortenson, J. M Sundie, R.B. Cialdini, and D. T. Kenrick, Journal of Marketing Research (June 2009).
   
• "Aggress to Impress: Hostility as an Evolved Context-Dependent Strategy," Vladas Griskevicius, Joshua M. Tybur, Steven W. Gangestad, Elaine F. Perea, Jenessa R. Shapiro, and Douglas T. Kenrick, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (May 2009).
   
• "A Room with a Viewpoint: Using Social Norms to Motivate Environmental Conservation in Hotels," N.J. Goldstein, R.B. Cialdini, and V. Griskevicius, Journal of Consumer Research (October 2008).
   
• "Applying (and Resisting) Peer Influence," V. Griskevicius, R.B. Cialdini, and N.J. Goldstein, Sloan Management Review (Winter 2008).
   
• "Blatant Benevolence and Conspicuous Consumption: When Romantic Motives Elicit Strategic Costly Signals," V. Griskevicius, J.M. Tybur, J.M. Sundie, R.B. Cialdini, G.F. Miller, and D. T. Kenrick, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2007).
   
• "Peacocks, Picasso, and Parental Investment: The Effects of Romantic Motives on Creativity," V. Griskevicius, R.B. Cialdini, and D.T. Kenrick, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2006).
   
• "Going Along Versus Going Alone: When Fundamental Motives Facilitate Strategic (non)Conformity," V. Griskevicius, N.J. Goldstein, C.R. Mortensen, R.B. Cialdini, and D.T. Kenrick, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2006).

Vladas Griskevicius CV

Selected Media

• August 10, 2009. “Even Sex Tough to Sell in This Recession,” Chicago Tribune.
   
• June 10, 2009. “For the Love of the Muse,” Psychology Today Blog Beautiful Minds.

• June 3, 2009. "Competitive Altruism: Being Green in Public," TIME Magazine.
   
• May 20, 2009. "Look at this Article. It's One of Our Most Popular," The Wall Street Journal.
  
  
• April 12, 2009. “The Lasting Shock of a Financial Crisis: Surprising Insights from the Social Sciences,” Boston Globe.
   
• April 20, 2009. “Fear, Romance Affect Decision Making,” United Press International. This story was also picked up by Market Watch, Times of the Internet, Red Orbit, and Official Wire.
  
  
• March 30, 2009. “Inside Track: Study Ties TV Viewer Emotions to Ad Content,” Star Tribune.

Recent Presentations

• Presented "Going Green to Be Seen: Status, Reputation, and Conspicuous Conservation" at the Association for Psychological Science meeting in San Francisco, CA, and at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society in Fullerton, CA, May 2009.
   
• Presented "The Many Shades of Rose-Colored Glasses: An Evolutionary Approach to Positive Emotions" and "I'll Scratch Your Back if You Scratch My Brother's" at the Society for Consumer Psychology meeting in San Diego, CA, February 2009.
   
• Presented "Aggress to Impress: Status Cues and Hostility" and "Social Norms and Environmental Conservation" at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology meeting in Tampa, FL, February 2009.
   
• October 2008 presented "Conspicuous Conservation: Promoting Green Consumption through Status Competition" and "Limitations of Global Norms on Global Conservation: Using Provincial Norms to Motivate Pro-Environmental Behavior" at the Association for Consumer Research meeting in San Francisco, CA.
   
• June 2008 presented "Microbes, Mating, and Morality: Individual Differences in Three Functional Domains of Disgust" at the meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society in Kyoto, Japan.  This paper was the winner of the Best New Investigator award.

Selected Honors

• Named "Outstanding Professor" by Alpha Kappa Psi, 2009.
   
• April 2009 received a grant from the National Science Foundation titled "Fundamental Motives and Decision-Making." This research examines how evolved human motives, such as protecting oneself from danger and attracting a mate, influence modern-day behaviors such as risky investing decisions and delay of gratification. Griskevicius is a Principal Investigator on this four-year multi-university grant with a total award of $600,000.
   
• April 2009 Business Week Faculty of the Year finalist and nominee for the Carlson Faculty of the Year award.
   
• Received Grant-in-Aid of Research, Artistry, and Scholarship from the University of Minnesota, November 2008.
   
• Named to the consulting board of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes), 2008.
   
• Received Best New Investigator Paper Award, Human Behavior and Evolution Society Conference, Kyoto, Japan, 2008.
   
• Best Competitive Paper Award from the Society for Consumer Psychology, 2007.
   
• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2004-2007.

Vladas Griskevicius, Assistant Professor of Marketing

Carlson School of Management

University of Minnesota

321 Nineteenth Avenue South, Suite 3-150

Minneapolis, MN  55455-0438  USA

(612) 626-3793, fax (612) 624-8804

vladasg@umn.edu

Instructional Profile