Research @ Schulich

Research @ Schulich Podcast Season 2, Episode 2 : “You Had Me at ‘You’’ Grant Packard On The Science of Small Words

“I”. “We”. “You”.  First and second-person pronouns are some ofthe smallest building blocks of language – they’re also among the mostimportant and impactful. When we speak, when we write, when we sing,when we sign, we’re not just conveying information. We’re managing impressions,expressing ourselves, and, most importantly, shaping how people interpret whatwe say. Think about it - Why does saying “I can help?”feel more genuine than “We can help”? Why do songs with “you” lyrics resonatemore deeply with listeners? Grant Packard [https://schulich.yorku.ca/faculty/grant-packard/](Associate Professor of Marketing) has some answers. Grant studies how smalllanguage features like verb tense, a word’s concreteness, and personal pronounscan shape social perception and persuasion. In this wide-ranging conversation with hostCameron Graham, Grant discusses how his research shows that even subtle choicesin small words can impact how we’re perceived, how we connect with others, andeven predict behaviour. The words we choose – especially the “smallestones”– carry more weight than we might think.

Research @ Schulich Podcast Episode 9: Adam Diamant On “Turning Words To Math”

Season 2 of the Research @ Schulich podcastopens with a question that’s probably never been asked before: “How is atraffic jam like a MRI”? Both are complex systems moving peoplethrough bottlenecks—where small breakdowns can cause major delays. Inhealthcare, those delays can mean the difference between reassurance and urgenttreatment. In our season premiere, host Cameron Grahamspeaks to AdamDiamant [https://schulich.yorku.ca/faculty/adam-diamant/] (Associate Professor of Operations Management and InformationSystems; York Research Chair in Managing AI-Driven Technologies in Health Care),about how he “turns language into math”, by using AI, mathematical programming,and data modeling to optimize medical imaging and treatment scheduling. Tune in to discover how smarter systems cansave time—and even lives.

Why Adam Smith Owned an Annuity …. and Perhaps You Should Too - - Moshe A. Milevsky On The Surprising Origins Of Modern Pensions

When you think of "Scotland", what comes to mind? Maybe you think of the rugged Highlands of the north. Maybe you think of golf courses next to serene lochs (including one with a very famous monster). Maybe you think of kilt-clad heroes like William Wallace, walking next to those serene lochs or rugged Highlands while the sound of bagpipes plays faintly in the distance. But what about pensions? It may not be the first thing you think of – But maybe it should be… In the latest episode of the Research @ Schulich Podcast, we sit down with Schulich Professor Moshe A. Milevsky [AM1] (Professor of Finance and CIT Chair in Financial Services) to discuss his new book The Religious Roots of Longevity Risk Sharing: The Genesis of Annuity Funds in the Scottish Enlightenment and the Path to Modern Pension Management, which explores the Scottish (and religious) roots of modern pension planning. Professor Milevsky argues that a diverse group of 18th century Scottish clergymen, scientists, and intellectuals (affiliated with the Presbyterian Church of Scotland) pioneered the use of several innovative methods when setting up an annuity and widow’s pension, and that this “annuity scheme” laid the foundation for today’s longevity insurance and retirement systems. This wide-ranging (and entertaining) discussion covers topics as diverse as: Whether you're interested in finance, history, or retirement planning, this episode is a fascinating listen. Check it out here: LINKS[AM2]    Moshe’s book The Religious Roots of Longevity Risk Sharing: The Genesis of Annuity Funds in the Scottish Enlightenment, and the Path to Modern Pension Management can be purchased here. [EMBED LINK: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-62403-2 [https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-62403-2][AM3] ] Works Cited in This Episode Milevsky, M. A. (2024). The religious roots of longevity risk sharing: The genesis of annuity funds in the Scottish Enlightenment and the path to modern pension management (1st ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-62403-2 [https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-62403-2][AM4]  Milevsky, M. A. (2023). Adam Smith’sreversionary annuity: money’s worth, default options and auto-enrollment. Financial History Review, 30(2), 162–197. doi:10.1017/S0968565023000070 Milevsky, M. A., & Velazquez, M.(2024). Pensions and protestants: or why everything in retirement can’t be optimized. Annals of Actuarial Science, 1–20.doi:10.1017/S1748499524000290 Milevsky, M. A. (2017). Day theKing Defaulted. Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-59987-8#bibliographic-information [https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-59987-8#bibliographic-information] Tags #Research #Pensions #FinancePodcast  #RetirementPlanning #Annuities #Schulich#EconomicHistory #PodcastRecommendations #SchulichResearch  [AM1]Link to Moshe’s Schulich bio https://schulich.yorku.ca/faculty/moshe-arye-milevsky/ [https://schulich.yorku.ca/faculty/moshe-arye-milevsky/]

It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it” - Eileen Fischer on Emotional Work In Alternative Markets

A teacher assures a student that their low mark on a test isn’t the end of their academic career. A flight attendant makes small talk with passengers on a delayed flight. A security guard calmly escorts a trespasser from a building. A server puts on a smile and offers free entrees to a table of angry diners who have “been waiting for hours” for service. You’ve probably seen situations like this in real life – and  you may have even personally experienced several of these situations yourself. You may not know it, but these are all examples of “emotion work” – the process by which employees manage their own emotions to sustain and change a business or a market. But emotion work (or, as it’s more commonlyknown “emotional labour”), is a complex issue that goes beyond the service economy and transactions in shops and stores. Emotional labour also includes the work put in by volunteers, community organizers and “committed consumers" – individuals who voluntarily invest significant time and effort to uphold the principles and operations of alternative marketplaces, such as farmers markets. And while this may sound like a niche form of emotional labour, the work put in by volunteers to simply ensure that a community market stays active and running – and sticks to its principals – often matches the level of emotional labour used by staff at for-profit businesses.

Ela Veresiu on How Consumers Moralize Self-Care

When you hear the words “self-care” what comes to mind? A quiet walk along a lake? A luxurious bubble bath? A strict diet and workout regime? A day’s worth of retail therapy? Self-care – which refers to actions we undertake to sustain and improve our lives, health and well-being- is a concept with a variety of meanings and interpretations. But self-care isn’t just some random set of activities that you do when you’re trying to recover from a bad day or are working to better your health -rather, it’s a collection of moral considerations that shape your actions and, ultimately, drive your activities as a consumer to carry out a set of specific self-care “scripts”. On the newest episode of the Research @ Schulich podcast, Schulich Associate Professor of Marketing, Ela Veresiu [https://schulich.yorku.ca/faculty/ela-veresiu/] talks about how consumers are shaped by a variety of factors - from moral considerations to health influencers -  when making decisions about what types of “self-care” we individually see as valid, and what types we see as invalid and how this sense of internal moralizing  can influence even everyday purchases.