Compromise Almost Guaranteed When a Woman is Involved in Decision-Making Pairs

When it comes to decision-making, more heads aren’t always better — particularly when those heads belong to men. A new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that men making decisions together are far less likely to compromise than women or mixed-gender pairs. The findings have broad implications for marketers, managers, and even everyday consumers.

The study, titled “Men and the Middle: Gender Differences in Dyadic Compromise Effects,” was led by Hristina Nikolova, Coughlin Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor of Marketing at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, and Cait Lamberton, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business.

Men with Men: A Bias Toward Extremes

“When men are in the presence of other men, they feel the need to prove their masculinity,” says Nikolova. “Both tend to push away from the compromise option because the compromise option is consistent with feminine norms. On the other hand, extremism is a more masculine trait so that’s why both male partners tend to prefer an extreme option when making decisions together.”

This behavior was consistent across five experiments involving over 1,800 participants. Whether…