Jason Riis
Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Jason Riis is a specialist in consumer health, a growing field at the intersection of consumer marketing and healthcare. In both industries, the central issue is behavior change. On the consumer marketing side, Professor Riis is examining the ways that food retailers and manufacturers can grow their businesses while making it easier for consumers to eat better. On the healthcare side, he is examining ways that healthcare payers and providers can better engage employees and patients in healthy behaviors.
Jason Riis is a specialist in consumer health, a growing field at the intersection of consumer marketing and healthcare. In both industries, the central issue is behavior change. On the consumer marketing side, Professor Riis is examining the ways that food retailers and manufacturers can grow their businesses while making it easier for consumers to eat better. On the healthcare side, he is examining ways that healthcare payers and providers can better engage employees and patients in healthy behaviors.
In his research, Professor Riis conducts field experiments, surveys, and lab studies using the methods and theories of psychology and behavioral economics. His research has appeared in top academic journals including Journal of Consumer Research, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, and Health Affairs. He has written HBS cases on food retailers H-E-B and Red Lobster and on health innovators PatientsLikeMe.
At HBS, he has taught the MBA Marketing course for 5 years and, has most recently, taught the new Global Immersion Field course. He has also taught in the Agribusiness and Managing Healthcare Delivery Executive Education programs.
Prior to joining HBS, Professor Riis was on the faculty at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He has also been a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University’s Center for Health and Wellbeing. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Michigan.
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Editorial
| Annals of Internal Medicine
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Getting the Most Out of Financial Incentives for Weight Loss
Jason Riis
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Article
| Journal of Food Studies
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Behavioral Economics and the Psychology of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
Joe Price and Jason Riis
Behavioral economics is an emerging paradigm that challenges the assumptions and predictions of classical economics. This new paradigm emphasizes that consumers do not always make optimal use of available information nor do they always make choices and tradeoffs in a manner that optimizes their well-being. After describing some basic concepts in behavioral economics, this paper reviews the growing literature that applies these concepts to the consumption of fruits and vegetables. A toolkit to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables is developed based on an analysis of previous research. Three general kinds of tools are described: tools for 1) displays and settings, 2) incentives and prices, and 3) planning and habits.
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Article
| American Journal of Preventive Medicine
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Food Choices of Minority and Low-Income Employees: A Cafeteria Intervention
Douglas E. Levy, Jason Riis, Lillian M. Sonnenberg, Susan J. Barraclough and Anne N. Thorndike
Background: Effective strategies are needed to address obesity, particularly among minority and low-income individuals. Purpose: To test whether a two-phase point-of-purchase intervention improved food choices across racial, socioeconomic (job type) groups. Design: A 9-month longitudinal study from 2009 to 2010 assessing person-level changes in purchases of healthy and unhealthy foods following sequentially introduced interventions. Data were analyzed in 2011. Setting/Participants: Participants included 4,642 employees of a large hospital in Boston, MA, who were regular cafeteria patrons. Interventions: The first intervention was a traffic-light style color-coded labeling system encouraging patrons to purchase healthy items (labeled green) and avoid unhealthy items (labeled red). The second intervention manipulated "choice architecture" by physically rearranging certain cafeteria items, making green-labeled items more accessible and red-labeled items less accessible. Main Outcome Measures: Proportion of green- (or red-) labeled items purchased by an employee. Subanalyses tracked beverage purchases, including calories and price per beverage. Results: Employees self-identified as white (73%); black (10%); Latino (7%); and Asian (10%). Compared to white employees, Latino and black employees purchased a higher percentage of red items at baseline (18%, 28%, and 33%, respectively, p<0.001) and a lower percentage of green (48%, 38%, and 33%, p<0.001). Labeling decreased all employees' red-item purchases (-11.2%, 95% CI= -13.6%, -8.9%) and increased green purchases (6.6%, 95% CI=5.2%, 7.9%). Red beverage purchases decreased most (-23.8%, 95% CI= -28.1%, -19.6%). The choice architecture intervention further decreased red purchases after the labeling. Intervention effects were similar across all race/ethnicity and job types (p>0.05 for interaction between race or job type and intervention). Mean calories per beverage decreased similarly over the study period for all racial groups and job types, with no increase in per-beverage spending. Conclusions: Despite baseline differences in healthy food purchases, a simple color-coded labeling and choice architecture intervention improved food and beverage choices among employees from all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Keywords: Working Conditions;
Safety;
Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms;
Competitive Advantage;
Cost;
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Article
| American Journal of Public Health
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A 2-phase Labeling and Choice Architecture Intervention to Improve Healthy Food and Beverage Choices
Anne Thorndike, Lilian Sonnenberg, Jason Riis, Susan Barraclough and Douglas E. Levy
Objectives: We assessed whether a 2-phase labeling and choice architecture intervention increased sales of healthy food and beverages in a large hospital cafeteria. Methods: Phase 1 was a 3-month color-coded labeling intervention (red="unhealthy" yellow="less healthy" green="healthy"). Phase 2 added a 3-month choice architecture intervention which increased visibility and convenience of some green items. We compared relative changes in 3-month sales from baseline to Phase 1 and from Phase 1 to Phase 2. Results: At baseline (N=977,793 items, including 199,513 beverages), 24.9% of sales were red and 42.2% green. Sales of red items decreased in both phases (p<0.001), and green items increased in Phase 1 (p<0.001). Largest changes occurred among beverages. Red beverages decreased 16.5% during Phase 1 (p<0.001) and further decreased 11.4% in Phase 2 (p<0.001). Green beverages increased 9.6% in Phase 1 (p<0.001) and further increased 4.0% in Phase 2 (p<0.001). Bottled water increased 25.8% during Phase 2 (p<0.001) but did not increase at two on-site comparison cafeterias (p<0.001). Conclusions: A color-coded labeling intervention improved sales of healthy items and was enhanced by a choice architecture intervention.
Keywords: Health;
Sales;
Change;
Food and Beverage Industry;
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Article
| Health Affairs
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Inviting Consumers to Downsize Fast-Food Portions Significantly Reduces Calorie Consumption
Janet Schwartz, Jason Riis, Brian Elbel and Dan Ariely
Policies that mandate calorie labeling in fast-food and chain restaurants have had little or no observable impact on calorie consumption to date. In three field experiments, we tested an alternative approach: activating consumers' self-control by having servers ask customers if they wanted to downsize portions of three starchy side dishes at a Chinese fast-food restaurant. We consistently found that 14-33% of customers accepted the downsizing offer, and they did so whether or not they were given a nominal twenty-five-cent discount. Overall, those who accepted smaller portions did not compensate by ordering more calories in their entrées, and the total calories served to them were, on average, reduced by more than 200. We also found that accepting the downsizing offer did not change the amount of uneaten food left at the end of the meal, so the calorie savings during purchasing translated into calorie savings during consumption. Labeling the calorie content of food during one of the experiments had no measurable impact on ordering behavior. If anything, the downsizing offer was less effective in changing customers' ordering patterns with the calorie labeling present. These findings highlight the potential importance of portion control interventions that specifically activate consumers' self-control.
Keywords: Food;
Labels;
Consumer Behavior;
Interpersonal Communication;
Motivation and Incentives;
Health Industry;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Citation: Schwartz, Janet, Jason Riis, Brian Elbel, and Dan Ariely. "Inviting Consumers to Downsize Fast-Food Portions Significantly Reduces Calorie Consumption." Health Affairs 31 (February 2012): 2399–2407.
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Article
| Obesity and Weight Management
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Leveraging Consumer Psychology to Make It Easier to Eat Less
Jason Riis
Keywords: Food;
Citation: Riis, Jason. "Leveraging Consumer Psychology to Make It Easier to Eat Less." Obesity and Weight Management (June 2010): 123–125.
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Article
| Health Psychology
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Are They Really That Happy? Exploring Scale Recalibration in Estimates of Well-being
H. Lacey, A. Fagerlin, G. Loewenstein, D. Smith, J. Riis and P. Ubel
Keywords: Happiness;
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Article
| Journal of Consumer Research
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Preferences for Enhancement Pharmaceuticals: The Reluctance to Enhance Fundamental Traits
J. Riis, J. Simmons and G. Goodwin
Keywords: Health;
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Article
| Journal of Neuroscience
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Functional Imaging of Decision Conflict
J. B. Pochon, Jason Riis, A. Sanfey, L. Nystrom and J. D. Cohen
Decision conflict occurs when people feel uncertain as to which option to choose from a set of similarly attractive (or unattractive) options, with many studies demonstrating that this conflict can lead to suboptimal decision making. In this article, we investigate the neurobiological underpinnings of decision conflict, in particular, the involvement of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Previous studies have implicated the ACC in conflict monitoring during perceptual tasks, but there is considerable controversy as to whether the ACC actually indexes conflict related to choice, or merely conflict related to selection of competing motor responses. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we dissociate the decision and response phases of a decision task, and show that the ACC does indeed index conflict at the decision stage. Furthermore, we show that it does so for a complex decision task, one that requires the integration of beliefs and preferences and not just perceptual judgments.
Keywords: Decisions;
Judgments;
Risk and Uncertainty;
Science;
Conflict and Resolution;
Perception;
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Article
| Judgment and Decision Making
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An Alternative Approach for Eliciting Willingness-to-Pay: A Randomized Internet Trial
Laura J. Damschroder, Peter A. Ubel, Jason Riis and Dylan M. Smith
Keywords: Online Technology;
Change;
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Article
| Judgment and Decision Making
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It Must Be Awful for Them: Healthy People Overlook Disease Variability in Quality of Life Judgments
H. Lacey, A. Fagerlin, G. Lowenstein, D. Smith, Jason Riis and P. Ubel
Keywords: Health;
Quality;
Judgments;
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Article
| Journal of Experimental Psychology: General
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Ignorance of Hedonic Adaptation to Hemodialysis: A Study Using Ecological Momentary Assessment
Jason Riis, George Loewenstein, Jonathan Baron, Christopher Jepson, Angela Fagerlin and Peter A. Ubel
Keywords: Health;
Information;
Health Care and Treatment;
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Journal Article
| Social Cognition
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Approaching and Avoiding Linda: Motor Signals Influence the Conjunction Effect
Jason Riis and N. Schwarz
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Article
| Medical Decision Making
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Effect of Assessment Method on the Discrepancy between Judgments of Health Disorders People Have and Do Not Have: A Web Study
Jonathan Baron, David A. Asch, Angela Fagerlin, Christopher Jepson, George Loewenstein, Jason Riis, Margaret G. Stineman and Peter A. Ubel
Keywords: Judgments;
Health Disorders;
Web;
Information;
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Chapter
| Leveraging Consumer Psychology for Effective Health Communications: The Obesity Challenge
| 2010
Simplified Nutrition Guidelines to Fight Obesity
Jason Riis and Rebecca Ratner
Keywords: Nutrition;
Health Disorders;
Welfare or Wellbeing;
Citation: Riis, Jason, and Rebecca Ratner. "Simplified Nutrition Guidelines to Fight Obesity." In Leveraging Consumer Psychology for Effective Health Communications: The Obesity Challenge. Edited by Rajeev Batra, Punam Anand Keller, and Victor J. Strecher. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2010.
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Dictionary Entry
| Oxford Companion to Emotion and the Affective Sciences
| 2009
Preferences
S. McClure and Jason Riis
Keywords: Prejudice and Bias;
Citation: McClure, S., and Jason Riis. "Preferences." In Oxford Companion to Emotion and the Affective Sciences, edited by D. Sander, and K. R. Scherer. Oxford University Press, 2009.
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Chapter
| The Science of Well-Being
| 2005
Living and Thinking about It: Two Perspectives on Life
Daniel Kahneman and Jason Riis
Keywords: Cognition and Thinking;
Welfare or Wellbeing;
Citation: Kahneman, Daniel, and Jason Riis. "Living and Thinking about It: Two Perspectives on Life." In The Science of Well-Being, edited by N. Baylis, Felicia A. Huppert, and B. Keverne, 285–301. Oxford University Press, 2005.
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2013
(Revised from original 2012 version)
H-E-B: Creating a Movement to Reduce Obesity in Texas
Jose B. Alvarez, Jason Riis and Walter J. Salmon
In January 2012, H-E-B Grocery Co., a private retail chain with stores located in Texas and Mexico, was introducing its Healthy at H-E-B program to its customers. The program, which started with the company's employees a few years earlier, was an effort to educate and inform customers on how to lead a healthier lifestyle. What CEO Craig Boyan had in mind was creating a state-wide healthy living movement in Texas, where obesity was high relative to other states in the U.S. But how far to go with its employees and customers was a question that President and COO Craig Boyan and his team struggled with. On one hand Boyan believed that H-E-B, long recognized for its community involvement, had a role to play in Texans' health and well-being. On the other hand, he recognized that H-E-B was first and foremost a retailer that had to compete against the likes of Walmart. He needed to make sure that H-E-B was serving its customers what they wanted while also trying to influence their buying behavior toward healthier foods. Some would say that H-E-B had no role in changing the lifestyle and food choices of its employees or customers. But Boyan and his team thought differently.
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Profit;
Leading Change;
Customer Focus and Relationships;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Retail Industry;
Texas;
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2012
(Revised from original 2009 version)
Emotiv Systems Inc.: It's the Thoughts that Count
Elie Ofek, Jason Riis and Paul Hamilton
Emotiv is getting ready to launch its innovative brain-computer interfacing (BCI) technology. The company has developed a special headset, called EPOC, and highly sophisticated software that can translate a person's emotions, cognitive thoughts, and facial expressions into digital outcomes. Emotiv wants the technology to be adopted by mainstream consumers and is leaning towards the video game market as its primary initial target. However, it needs to decide whether to continue efforts to convince one of the big three console makers (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii) to enable the EPOC on their platform or to settle for the PC gaming market. Alternatively, the company could have chosen a number of different markets to focus on (such as medical, military, market research). A host of additional marketing decisions need to be made (pricing, channels, bundling a demo game). The case allows students to grapple with the issues of selecting a target application for the launch of an innovation, determining the importance of having a big name partner for the launch by an unknown start-up, considering the wisdom of taking a B2C rather than B2B approach with a novel technology, and using analogous products to forecast demand and sales for a new technology.
Keywords: Technology Adoption;
Sales;
Technological Innovation;
Demand and Consumers;
Marketing Strategy;
Partners and Partnerships;
Entrepreneurship;
Forecasting and Prediction;
Product Launch;
Business Startups;
Technology Industry;
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Teaching Note
| HBS Case Collection
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2011
Red Lobster (TN)
Jason Riis
Teaching Note for 511-052.
Keywords: Markets;
Research;
Opportunities;
Customer Satisfaction;
Sales;
Segmentation;
Food;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Citation: Riis, Jason. " Red Lobster (TN)." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 511-139, June 2011.
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Teaching Note
| HBS Case Collection
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2011
PatientsLikeMe: An Online Community of Patients (TN)
Sunil Gupta and Jason Riis
Teaching Note for 511093.
Keywords: Online Technology;
Social and Collaborative Networks;
Health Disorders;
Growth and Development;
Product Launch;
Web Services Industry;
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2012
(Revised from original 2011 version)
PatientsLikeMe: An Online Community of Patients
Sunil Gupta and Jason Riis
PatientsLikeMe (PLM) is an online community where patients share their personal experiences with a disease, find other patients like them, and learn from each other. The company was founded by Jamie and Ben Heywood when their 29-year-old brother was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. In less than five years, PLM has grown to 15 patient communities where over 80,000 patients discuss 19 diseases. In December 2010, PLM is discussing its planned launch of a General Platform that would expand the number of diseases covered from 19 to over 3,500. Is it the right move, and what does PLM need to do to make it a success?
Keywords: Business Startups;
Health Disorders;
Knowledge Sharing;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Product Launch;
Market Platforms;
Social and Collaborative Networks;
Health Industry;
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2011
(Revised from original 2010 version)
Red Lobster
David E. Bell and Jason Riis
Red Lobster, a 40-year-old chain of seafood restaurants, has just completed some market research revealing an opportunity to shift its target customer segment. The chain is in the final stages of a 10-year plan of rejuvenation under CEO Kim Lopdrup. When he took over as CEO in 2004 the chain was closing restaurants and suffering declining same-store sales and declining customer satisfaction. But in 2010, even in a recession, the fortunes of the chain are improving. A recently commissioned market research study has revealed, unexpectedly, that 25% of Red Lobster's customers are "experientials," people coming for a "good evening out" rather than Red Lobster's traditional core customer who came because of a craving for seafood. Should this news cause Lopdrup to do anything differently?
Keywords: Advertising;
Customer Satisfaction;
Marketing Strategy;
Consumer Behavior;
Research;
Segmentation;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Citation: Bell, David E., and Jason Riis. " Red Lobster." Harvard Business School Case 511-052, February 2011. (Revised from original September 2010 version.)
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Exercise
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2010
(Revised from original 2008 version)
Exercise on Estimation
Jason Riis and John T. Gourville
This exercise is meant to assess students' level of confidence around everyday business and general knowledge questions, for the purpose of identifying where they are overconfident and underconfident.
Keywords: Decision Making;
Forecasting and Prediction;
Personal Characteristics;
Citation: Riis, Jason, and John T. Gourville. " Exercise on Estimation." Harvard Business School Exercise 509-022, September 2010. (Revised from original September 2008 version.)
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