Jacqueline R. Rifkin
Studying the beliefs consumers hold — about themselves, others, and the world — and how these beliefs shape behavior.
Assistant Professor of Marketing,
Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
PhD in Marketing, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University, 2020.
BA in Psychology, University of Pennsylvania.
Currently visiting the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management
Jacqueline Rifkin studies consumer behavior and consumer psychology, with a focus on the beliefs that consumers hold — about themselves, others, and the world — and how these beliefs influence, and are influenced by, consumer behaviors. Her work has appeared in Nature, the Journal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing, the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Psychological Science, and has been featured by Hidden Brain, The Boston Globe, and The Wall Street Journal.
Rifkin graduated from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University with a PhD in Marketing in 2020, and holds a BA in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in both the marketing and market-research industries.
Selected publications
Click any entry to expand its recognition, media coverage, and policy impact. An asterisk (*) denotes equal contribution.
Brucks, M. S.*, Rifkin, J. R.*, & Johnson, J. S. (2025). Video Call Glitches Trigger Uncanniness and Harm Consequential Life Outcomes. Nature.
Media ↗SciShow · Der Spiegel · Hidden Brain Newsletter · Cornell Chronicle · Columbia Business School · Morning Edition (NPR) · All Things Considered (NPR) · India Times · Gizmodo · Mashable · Sciences et Avenir · La Vanguardia · Tagesschau · El País · India Today · The Register · LinkedIn News
PolicyFWD.us
Rifkin, J. R., Chan, C., & Kahn, B. E. (2025). Anxiety about the social consequences of missed group experiences intensifies FOMO (the Fear of Missing Out). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 128(2), 300–313.
Media ↗Frontline · Earth.com · University of Toronto News · SPSP News · Hidden Brain Newsletter · PsyPost · Science Unscripted (Deutsche Welle) · Radio New Zealand · Friends After College (podcast) · The Wall Street Journal · Hidden Brain (NPR) · Duke Magazine · Body and Soul (Swedish National Radio) · Cornell Chronicle
Rifkin, J. R., Chan, C., & Kahn, B. E. (2023). When Keeping Up Feels Like Missing Out: Social Media-Induced FOMO Increases Consumers' Engagement Intentions. Marketing Science Institute Working Paper Series, Report No. 23-142.
NoteMSI Working Paper.
Rifkin, J. R., Du, K. M., & Cutright, K. M. (2023). The Preference for Spontaneity in Entertainment. Journal of Consumer Research, 50(3), 597–616.
Media ↗Canvas8 · Fortune · Cornell Johnson BusinessFeed
Rifkin, J. R., Gullo Wight, K., & Cutright, K. M. (2023). No Bandwidth to Self-Gift: How Feeling Constrained Discourages Self-Gifting. Journal of Consumer Research, 50(2), 343–362.
Media ↗Cornellians Newsletter · Stacker · Think (NPR KERA Dallas) · Cornell Chronicle · Discover Magazine · Hidden Brain Newsletter · News at IU · Healthline · WBBM Newsradio · local broadcasts in major U.S. cities
Ponce de Leon, R.*, Rifkin, J. R.*, & Larrick, R. (2022). "They're Everywhere!": Symbolically Threatening Groups Seem More Pervasive than Non-Threatening Groups. Psychological Science, 33(6), 957–970.
Media ↗Academic Minute (WAMC Radio) · Fuqua Insights · Association for Psychological Science · Psychology Today
Rifkin, J. R., & Berger, J. (2021). How Nonconsumption Can Turn Ordinary Items into Perceived Treasures. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 6(3), 350–361.
Media ↗Apartment Therapy · Radio New Zealand · Mental Health TV Network · Hidden Brain Podcast (NPR) · Penn Today · Academic Minute (WAMC) · Knowledge@Wharton · Canvas8 · The Well-Being Lounge (NLiveRadio) · Top of Mind with Julie Rose (BYU Radio) · Curiosity Daily (Discovery) · Let's Go There (Channel Q) · Show Me Today · UMKC Today
Rifkin, J. R.*, Du, K. M.*, & Berger, J. (2021). Penny for Your Preferences: Leveraging Self-Expression to Encourage Small Prosocial Gifts. Journal of Marketing, 85(3), 204–219.
Media ↗Ripple Effect (Knowledge@Wharton) · Harvard Business Review · Wharton Magazine · Curious Campus (WUWM) · Wheeler Institute · Knowledge@Wharton · Der Spiegel · UMKC Today · UMKC Chancellor's Friday Five · UWM 2021 Research Magazine
Rifkin, J. R., & Etkin, J. (2019). Variety in Self-Expression Undermines Self-Continuity. Journal of Consumer Research, 46(4), 725–749.
Media ↗Consumer Talk Radio (KGO San Francisco)
In the media
Coverage grouped by study. Each outlet links to its piece; a handful of print, broadcast, and international mentions that aren't online are noted below their group.
Video Call Glitches Trigger Uncanniness and Harm Consequential Life Outcomes
Nature, 2025Also covered by SciShow · Mashable · Der Spiegel · India Times · India Today · Sciences et Avenir (France) · La Vanguardia (Spain) · El País (Spain) · Tagesschau (Germany) · LinkedIn News.
Watch SciShow explains the research on video-call glitches and how we judge each other.
Anxiety About the Social Consequences of Missed Group Experiences Intensifies FOMO
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2025Also covered by The Wall Street Journal · Hidden Brain (NPR podcast) · Frontline · Science Unscripted (Deutsche Welle) · Radio New Zealand · Friends After College · Duke Magazine · Body and Soul (Swedish National Radio).
The Preference for Spontaneity in Entertainment
Journal of Consumer Research, 2023Also covered by Cornell Johnson BusinessFeed.
No Bandwidth to Self-Gift: How Feeling Constrained Discourages Self-Gifting
Journal of Consumer Research, 2023Also covered by Discover Magazine · Think (NPR KERA Dallas) · Hidden Brain Newsletter · WBBM Newsradio · Cornellians Newsletter.
"They're Everywhere!": Symbolically Threatening Groups Seem More Pervasive than Non-Threatening Groups
Psychological Science, 2022Also covered by Fuqua Insights. Featured in Cornell's Research with Impact series (2022).
How Nonconsumption Can Turn Ordinary Items into Perceived Treasures
Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2021Also covered by Hidden Brain (NPR podcast) · Radio New Zealand · Curiosity Daily (Discovery) · Top of Mind with Julie Rose (BYU Radio) · Let's Go There (Channel Q) · Well-Being Lounge (NLiveRadio) · Show Me Today · Mental Health TV Network · UMKC Today.
Penny for Your Preferences: Leveraging Self-Expression to Encourage Small Prosocial Gifts
Journal of Marketing, 2021Also covered by Harvard Business Review · Knowledge@Wharton (feature) · Der Spiegel · UMKC Today · UMKC Chancellor's Friday Five · UWM 2021 Research Magazine.
Variety in Self-Expression Undermines Self-Continuity
Journal of Consumer Research, 2019Covered by Consumer Talk Radio (KGO San Francisco) — a 2019 broadcast segment, not archived online.
Curriculum Vitæ
The full CV, updated July 2026. Open in a new tab or download below.