Vanessa Bohns

Mindful choice or locked in? Study probes feelings about written consent | Cornell Chronicle People who sign consent forms feel more trapped, not more empowered, than those who give consent verbally, according to new research by Vanessa Bohns, the Braunstein Family Professor in the ILR School...

There is this idea that if we make consent more formal by writing up a consent form, people will be able to make a more mindful choice. What we actually find is that people feel more locked into a choice, even if the form explicitly says they can change their minds:
news.cornell.edu/stories/2026...

Abstract is here:

Please take a break from your regularly scheduled doomscrolling to read our new paper about how written consent forms can backfire as a means of protecting vulnerable individuals by activating a more formal "contract schema". We were initially surprised too! www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10....

Narrative-based performance reviews deemed fairest by employees | Cornell Chronicle Shifting from numerical to narrative-based performance reviews can significantly impact employees’ perceptions of fairness and their likelihood of improving performance based on the feedback, accordin...

Shifting from numerical to narrative-based performance reviews can significantly impact employees’ perceptions of fairness and their likelihood of improving performance based on the feedback, according to research led by Emily Zitek, associate professor of organizational behavior at #CornellILR.

The Menu: S’mores scene

I was truly inspired by the insights and connections made by the students I spoke with yesterday as the @cornelluniversity.bsky.social Dyson Dean’s Distinguished Lecturer. These students are ready to lead and lead responsibly. Thanks to @sarahwolfolds.bsky.social & everyone at Dyson for the honor!

Well look at that. Maybe I was too optimistic, more like every month? www.wsj.com/business/nes...

McDonald’s fired its CEO for sleeping with an employee – research shows why even consensual office romances can be a problem Bosses tend to be oblivious to the power dynamics at play in such romantic entanglements.

Funny (not funny?) how of all the articles I’ve written, this one is the most perennially relevant. I could repost it every few months just with [insert CEO name here].

“Why even consensual office romances can be a problem…”

theconversation.com/mcdonalds-fi...

Some good news that the NSF indirect cost reduction is “invalid, arbitrary and capricious, and contrary to law.”

cases.justia.com/federal/dist...

Welcome to the 5-Day Creativity Challenge Today, a fun way to feel less stuck.

Super cool interactive article in the NYT to boost your creativity featuring my colleague, Brian Lucas! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Deep Dive: Grand Romantic Gestures Love Factually · Episode

I got to be the ultimate fangirl by appearing on one of my favorite podcasts with one of my favorite authors! I joined Dan Pink on the Love Factually podcast to do a deep dive on grand romantic gestures that are creepy (Lloyd Dobler) vs romantic (Heath Ledger).

The Ivy League School That Just Toppled a Lacrosse Powerhouse Cornell’s Big Red finished a dream season by beating Maryland to win its first national title since 1977.

It us! www.wsj.com/sports/corne...

Opinion | Why Are People Weird About Women Dining Alone?

Is pitying people eating alone really still a thing? Eating at a restaurant or bar by myself with a book is my *favorite*. It makes me feel like I’m on vacation! www.nytimes.com/2025/05/26/o...

people need to internalize, very quickly, that federal research grants are a hypercompetitive contracting process not charity, and that what Uncle Sam gets in return for that money is American dominance in the future

Strong Museum of Play faces $500K shortfall from funding cuts ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Strong National Museum of Play said two federal grants were terminated by Executive Orders “associated with shifting federal spending priorities.” In a news…

Another beloved children’s museum facing federal cuts 😢

www.rochesterfirst.com/rochester/st...

It’s because they let you submit your reference letters after you pass the first round.

You too? Ithaca also doesn’t have it. With my terrible teeth, I make my kiddos pop their fluoride pills for sure!

Congrats!!

How to say no Worklife with Adam Grant · Episode

Want to hear an alternative ending of "The Giving Tree"? Or maybe you want to hear me tell @adamgrant.bsky.social how mean he is to his face? If so, you should really tune in to this truly fantastic episode of Adam's Work Life Podcast, "How to Say No"!

open.spotify.com/episode/4sDT...

Today is her birthday 🎵
They’re smoking cigar-ars. 🎵

Now in French, if you please.

For the last 3 yrs, I was the director for the Science of Science program at the NSF. We funded projects on science communication - science communication to the public, communication of public priorities to scientists, citizens engagement & participation in science. 🧵

This book should be airdropped all over the country.

This administration could push the whole country off a cliff and as they were falling my MAGA family would be yelling “I’m sure they have a plan!”

Luckily, we (my collaborators, really) were close to wrapping up this research, but I still think it's important to share because this stuff is really happening and it's frankly terrifying.

To be fair, the email is much longer. But it’s all so surreal and awful.

In my inbox today: “Cornell has received a cancellation (termination) notice for your NSF-funded project award... We understand that this change is due to shifting priorities of the federal agency and is not reflective of your performance on this award or the merit of the project…”

A screengrab from Twitter. HeatherLhaney @heather_l... asks: “Why do you think we have so many more kids with Autism” David Dennis Jr. @DavidDTSS quotetweets this reply: “Probably for the same reason there are so many more planets in outer space now than there were before the telescope was invented”

Staple this to RFK Jr’s forehead.

Federal cuts hit Ithaca Science Center for roughly $500,000 The Ithaca Science Center announced on Tuesday, April 15th that roughly $500,000 in already federally approved grants has been clawed back.

Our small local science center had $500k of federal funding revoked. Just constant awfulness from this administration. www.weny.com/story/526987...

I hate that the WSJ is playing the game that this is somehow actually about “stopping antisemitism”.