Professor Sundie's research interests include the influence of biologically-based motivations on economic decision-making, social influence, consumer affect, and the effects of materialism on interpersonal relationships. Her most recent research has focused on emotions such as envy and schadenfreude in the context of status consumption, and mating-related motivations for conspicuous consumption. Her research has appeared in such journals as the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Consumer Psychology, and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, as well as in various edited books.

Professor Sundie currently teaches undergraduate consumer behavior.

Motivations for status consumption and economic decision-making from an evolutionary biological perspective

Social influence

Consumer affect

Effects of materialism on interpersonal relationships



"Peacocks, Porsches, and Thorstein Veblen: Conspicuous Consumption as a Sexual Signaling System," with Douglas T. Kenrick, Vladas Griskevicius, Joshua M. Tybur, Kathleen D. Vohs and Daniel J. Beal, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 100, No. 4, 2011, pp. 664-680.

"Deep Rationality: The Evolutionary Economics of Decision Making," with Douglas T. Kenrick, Vladas Griskevicius, Norman P. Li, Yexin Li and Steven L. Neuberg, Social Cognition, Vol. 27, 2009, pp. 764-785.

"Schadenfreude as a Consumption-Related Emotion: Feeling Happiness about the Downfall of Another's Product," with James Ward, Daniel J. Beal, Wynne W. Chin and Stephanie Oneto, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Vol. 19, 2009, pp. 356-373.

"Fear and Loving in Las Vegas: Evolution, Emotion, and Persuasion," with Vladas Griskevicius, Noah J. Goldstein, Chad R. Mortensen, Robert B. Cialdini and Douglas T. Kenrick, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 46, No. 3, 2009, pp. 384-395.

"Race as a Moderator of the Relationship between Religiosity and Political Alignment," with Adam B. Cohen, Ariel Malka, Eric D. Hill, Felix Thoemmes and Peter C. Hill, Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 35, No. 3, 2009, pp. 271-282.

"Economic Reality Versus Consumer Perceptions of Monopoly," withBetsy Gelb and Darren Bush, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Vol. 27, No. 2, 2008, pp. 178-181.

"Persuasion Paralysis: When Unrelated Motives Immobilize Influence," with Robert B. Cialdini, Vladas Griskevicius and Douglas T. Kenrick, Social Influence, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2007, pp. 1-17.

"Blatant Benevolence and Conspicuous Consumption: When Romantic Motives Elicit Costly Displays," with Vladas Griskevicius, Joshua M. Tybur, Robert B. Cialdini, Geoffrey F. Miller and Douglas T. Kenrick, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 93, No. 1, 2007, pp. 85-102.

"Can One Ever Be Too Wealthy or Too Chaste? Searching for Nonlinearities in Mate Judgment," with Douglas Kenrick, Lionel D. Nicastle and Gregory O. Stone, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 80, 2001, pp. 462-471.