The reception of my self-experimentation

Seth Roberts

Journal of Business Research, 2012, vol. 65, issue 7, 1060-1066

Abstract: Self-experimentation makes some experiments much easier. They might be impossible without it. It can generate plausible new ideas by (a) producing surprising results, which suggest new ideas; and (b) allowing implausible ideas to be cheaply tested. For example, one of my self-experiments showed that seeing faces in the morning raised my mood the next day. Another found that standing more than 8h while awake made me sleep better. A long article about my self-experimentation (Roberts, 2004) got a chilly reception within my department (psychology). It got a much better reception elsewhere. Blog posts about it led to a popular book (Roberts, 2006) based on one of the results. My self-experimentation combined insider knowledge, outsider freedom, and the motivation of someone who personally benefits from the research — a potent combination.

Keywords: Self-measurement; Introspection; Self-tracking; Sleep; Mood; Innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:65:y:2012:i:7:p:1060-1066

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.02.014

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