Dr. Michael Norton

Biography

Michael Norton is the Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he leads the Business Administration Unit on Negotiation, Organizations, and Markets. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Williams College and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Princeton University. Prior to joining HBS, he was a Fellow at the MIT Media Lab and the MIT Sloan School of Management. Professor Norton is recognized for his research on how social norms influence people's attitudes and behaviors, especially regarding political correctness and marketing. He has published influential works, including the forthcoming book, 'The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual,' which explores the power of everyday actions. He also co-authored 'Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending,' highlighting how spending impacts happiness. Norton has been frequently featured in media, given TEDx talks, and selected as one of Wired Magazine's '50 People Who Change the World' in 2012. He maintains an active research agenda in behavioral economics, focusing on how investment—of time, labor, and money—affects human perception of value.

Research Interests