Portrait of Professor Janina Steinmetz

Professor Janina Steinmetz

Professor in Marketing

Bayes Business School , Faculty of Management

Contact

About

Overview

Janina Steinmetz is a Professor of Marketing at Bayes Business School. Her research investigates consumer motivation and self-control in a social context, as well as interpersonal judgments and heuristics.

Before joining Bayes Business School in 2018, Janina was an Assistant Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Until 2016, Janina was a post-doc at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, USA. Janina received her PhD in social psychology in 2014 from the University of Cologne, Germany. Janina's research has been published in leading journals including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

Janina's work has been featured in many major news outlets and she regularly gives expert interviews to podcasts, radio, and print news on topics around consumer decision-making, consumer wellbeing, and impression management. She also discusses research on consumer motivation in her blog series The Social Consumer on Psychology Today. Janina is a passionate public speaker and works with a speaker agency (https://www.speakers.ch/speaker/janina-steinmetz/). Her expertise on consumer behavior, self-control, and impression management is the basis of her media engagements, public speaking, and consulting work. 

Qualifications

  • PhD, University of Cologne, Germany, September 2009 - August 2014

Employment

  • Professor, Bayes Business School, City University of London, United Kingdom, August 2024 - present
  • Reader, City, University of London, United Kingdom, August 2021 - July 2024
  • Senior Lecturer, City, University of London, United Kingdom, September 2018 - July 2021
  • Assistant Professor, Utrecht University, Netherlands, April 2016 - September 2018
  • Post-doc, University of Chicago Booth School of Business, USA, September 2014 - March 2016

Fellowships

  • HEA Fellow

Memberships of committees

  • Member, European Social Cognition Network Best Paper Award Committee (ESCON)

Expertise

Primary topics

  • Consumer Behaviour

Research students

Nethal Hashim

Role: 2nd Supervisor

Zaichen Li

Role: 2nd Supervisor

Kirla Ferreira

Role: 1st Supervisor

Sinan He

Publications

Chapters (3)

  1. Steinmetz, J. (2025). Social facilitation and social inhibition. Research Handbook on Social Influence (pp. 244-257). Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781035309665.
  2. Hashim, N., Scopelliti, I. and Steinmetz, J. (2024). CHAPTER FOUR A Conceptual Replication of the Effects of Gamification on UK Adults’ Ability to Reach a Saving Goal. What Works, What Doesn’t (and When) (pp. 58-71). University of Toronto Press.
  3. Fishbach, A., Steinmetz, J. and Tu, Y. (2016). Motivation in a Social Context. Advances in Motivation Science (pp. 35-79). Elsevier. ISBN 9780128047408.

Conference papers and proceedings (4)

  1. Ferreira, K., Steinmetz, J. and Scopelliti, I. (2022). Forgoing Consumption of Products that Others Cannot Access. 2022 Association for Consumer Research Conference 20-23 October, Denver, Colarado.
  2. Li, Z., Scopelliti, I. and Steinmetz, J. (2021). A Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Anthropomorphism on Consumer Behavior. Association for Consumer Research.
  3. Hashim, N., Scopelliti, I. and Steinmetz, J. (2021). How Gamification Can Be Used to Help Consumers Reach Their Saving Goals. Association for Consumer Research.
  4. Speckmann, F. and Steinmetz, J. Effects of ego-depletion, social distance and culture on temporal discounting. .

Internet publication

  1. Hashim, N., Scopelliti, I. and Steinmetz, J.(2021).Gamification Can Help Consumers Reach Their Saving Goals. Think Forward Initiative.

Journal articles (25)

  1. Steinmetz, J. and Pronin, E. (2026). The objectivity illusion and perceptions of online reviews. Marketing Letters, 37(1). doi:10.1007/s11002-025-09805-2

    [publisher’s website]

  2. Calderon, S., Mac Giolla, E., Ask, K., Adler, S.J., Agerström, J., Akpınar, B.... Luke, T.J. (2026). Effects of Psychological Distance on Mental Abstraction: A Registered Report of Four Tests of Construal-Level Theory. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 9(2). doi:10.1177/25152459251401177

    [publisher’s website]

  3. Paley, A., Scopelliti, I. and Steinmetz, J. (2025). Wait or Eat? self-other differences in a commonly held food norm. Appetite, 212, pp. 108021-108021. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2025.108021

    [publisher’s website]

  4. Steinmetz, J. (2024). Too little money or time? Using justifications to maintain a positive image after self‐control failure. European Journal of Social Psychology, 54(1), pp. 332-340. doi:10.1002/ejsp.3010

    [publisher’s website]

  5. Huber, C., Dreber, A., Huber, J., Johannesson, M., Kirchler, M., Weitzel, U.... Holzmeister, F. (2023). Competition and moral behavior: A meta-analysis of forty-five crowd-sourced experimental designs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(23). doi:10.1073/pnas.2215572120

    [publisher’s website]

  6. Touré‐Tillery, M., Steinmetz, J. and DiCosola, B. (2022). Feeling judged? How the presence of outgroup members promotes healthier food choices. Psychology & Marketing, 39(8), pp. 1504-1510. doi:10.1002/mar.21667

    [publisher’s website]

  7. Posten, A. and Steinmetz, J. (2022). Who's a yea‐sayer? Habitual trust and affirmative response behaviour. European Journal of Social Psychology, 52(3), pp. 584-596. doi:10.1002/ejsp.2839

    [publisher’s website]

  8. Steinmetz, J. and Posten, A.-.C. (2020). Akquieszenz in Umfragen: eine wenig beachtete Fehlerquelle. Wirtschaftspsychologie aktuell, 1, pp. 16-20

    [publisher’s website]

  9. Steinmetz, J., Touré-Tillery, M. and Fishbach, A. (2020). The first-member heuristic: Group members labeled “first” influence judgment and treatment of groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 118(4), pp. 706-719. doi:10.1037/pspi0000201

    [publisher’s website]

  10. Steinmetz, J. and Fishbach, A. (2020). We work harder when we know someone's watching. Harvard Business Review

    [publisher’s website]

  11. Toure-Tillery, M., Steinmetz, J. and DiCosola, B. (2020). Feeling Judged? The Presence of Outgroup Members Promotes Virtuous Choices. Advances in Consumer Research, 48, pp. 1124-1128

    [publisher’s website]

  12. Steinmetz, J. and Posten, A.-.C. (2020). Guidelines on Acquiescence in Marketing Research. Advances in Consumer Research, 48, pp. 712-714

    [publisher’s website]

  13. Hansen, J. and Steinmetz, J. (2019). Motivated level of construal: How temperature affects the construal level of state-relevant stimuli. Motivation and Emotion, 43(3), pp. 434-446. doi:10.1007/s11031-018-09750-w

    [publisher’s website]

  14. Posten, A.-.C. and Steinmetz, J. (2018). Temperatur und Zustimmung - ein bisher unbekannter Zusammenhang: Einblicke für Praxis und Forschung. Praxis der Rechtspsychologie., 28(2), pp. 137-152

    [publisher’s website]

  15. Steinmetz, J. (2018). Impression (Mis) Management When Communicating Success. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 40(5), pp. 320-328. doi:10.1080/01973533.2018.1500289

    [publisher’s website]

  16. Steinmetz, J. and Posten, A.-.C. (2018). White lies and black lies: What they have in common and how they differ. InMind Magazine, 37

    [publisher’s website]

  17. Steinmetz, J., Tausen, B.M. and Risen, J.L. (2018). Mental Simulation of Visceral States Affects Preferences and Behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44(3), pp. 406-417. doi:10.1177/0146167217741315

    [publisher’s website]

  18. Steinmetz, J. and Mussweiler, T. (2017). Only one small sin: How self‐construal affects self‐control. British Journal of Social Psychology, 56(4), pp. 675-688. doi:10.1111/bjso.12208

    [publisher’s website]

  19. Steinmetz, J. and Pfattheicher, S. (2017). Beyond Social Facilitation: A Review of the Far-Reaching Effects of Social Attention. Social Cognition, 35(5), pp. 585-599. doi:10.1521/soco.2017.35.5.585

    [publisher’s website]

  20. Steinmetz, J., Sezer, O. and Sedikides, C. (2017). Impression mismanagement: People as inept self‐presenters. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 11(6). doi:10.1111/spc3.12321

    [publisher’s website]

  21. Steinmetz, J. and Posten, A.-.C. (2017). Physical temperature affects response behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 70, pp. 294-300. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2016.12.001

    [publisher’s website]

  22. Steinmetz, J., Toure-Tillery, M. and Fishbach, A. (2017). Not All Bad Apples Spoil the Bunch: Order Effects on the Evaluation of Groups. Advances in Consumer Research, 45, pp. 248-252

    [publisher’s website]

  23. Steinmetz, J., Xu, Q., Fishbach, A. and Zhang, Y. (2016). Being observed magnifies action. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111(6), pp. 852-865. doi:10.1037/pspi0000065

    [publisher’s website]

  24. Steinmetz, J., Bosak, J., Sczesny, S. and Eagly, A.H. (2014). Social role effects on gender stereotyping in Germany and Japan. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 17(1), pp. 52-60. doi:10.1111/ajsp.12044

    [publisher’s website]

  25. Steinmetz, J. and Mussweiler, T. (2011). Breaking the ice: How physical warmth shapes social comparison consequences. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(5), pp. 1025-1028. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2011.03.022

    [publisher’s website]

Professional activities

Editorial activity (19)

  1. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Editorial Board Member, February 2021 - present.
  2. European Journal of Social Psychology, Editorial Board Member, January 2021 - present.
  3. Frontiers in Psychology: Personality and Social Psychology, Editorial Board Member, May 2018 - January 2021.
  4. Perspectives on Psychological Science, Reviewer.
  5. Psychological Science, Reviewer.
  6. Journal of Consumer Research, Reviewer.
  7. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Reviewer.
  8. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Reviewer.
  9. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Reviewer.
  10. Journal of Environmental Psychology, Reviewer.
  11. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Reviewer.
  12. PloSOne, Reviewer.
  13. Psychology & Health, Reviewer.
  14. Social Psychology, Reviewer.
  15. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, Reviewer.
  16. Current Opinion in Behavioural Sciences, Reviewer.
  17. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, Reviewer.
  18. International Journal of Consumer Studies, Reviewer.
  19. International Journal of Market Research, Reviewer.

Events/conferences (2)

  1. European Association for Consumer Research (EACR) Conference. (Conference) (2023).
    Description: Program Committee Member
  2. The MBA Tour. (Workshop) Online (2022). Panel Member

Media appearances (7)

  1. Australian Times. https://www.australiantimes.co.uk/news/rapid-delivery-grocery-apps-have-flourished-during-the-pandemic-but-will-they-permanently-change-how-we-shop/
  2. Deutschlandradio Nova. https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/beitrag/weihnachten-warum-schenken-uns-stresst
  3. SWR1. Radio interview on gift-giving
  4. Quarks.de. https://www.instagram.com/p/DDi9tY1qkYK/?img_index=1
  5. https://usawire.com/white-lies-are-just-what-you-need/.
  6. WDR Cosmo. Radio interview about food trends
  7. The Telegraph. Politeness is also a dish best served a little on the cold side

Online articles (4)

  1. How to Get Away With Giving Up on Your New Year’s Resolution. (2024). Character & Context
  2. Healthy food can help you make a positive impression. (2022). Psychology Today
  3. Gamification: Spielend Sparen. (2022). BankInformation
  4. EXPLORING THE INTERSECTION OF PSYCHOLOGY AND BUSINESS WITH JANINA STEINMETZ. (2022). Oxford Women in Business Insight Magazine

Radio programmes (3)

  1. Warum manche Menschen spenden und andere nicht. Deutschlandfunk Nova (2023). https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/beitrag/gutes-tun-warum-manche-menschen-spenden-und-andere-nicht
  2. Dunning-Kruger-Effekt: Sport-Experte sein wollen bei Null Ahnung. Deutschlandfunk Nova (2022).
  3. Wie wir unseren Zielen näher kommen. Deutschlandfunk Nova (2020). https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/beitrag/janina-steinmetz-wie-wir-ziele-verfolgen

Other

  1. External PhD examiner , University of Reading (June 2022).