Before I started my sabbatical (which has ended), I made a list of the things that I hoped to accomplish. Did I succeed or fail?
1. Finish working the Humor Code, which is due to publisher on December 31, 2012.
Success. The book available for pre-order on Amazon and elsewhere. Look for it on April 1, 2014.
2. Attend “ideas” conferences, notably the 10 Conference and SXSW Interactive
Success. I also gave talks SXSW V2V (Change through Comedy) and to the geniuses (literally) at the Global Gathering of the Triple Nine Society.
3. Travel to Rotterdam to visit Erasmus University (Fall 2012). Travel to Australia to visit the University of Melbourne (Spring 2013)
Success. Both were great trips. Here are some posts of some of the people that I met.
Stefano Putoni: Does the color pink hurt anti-cancer campaigns?
Nicole Mead: Does handling money make you a bad person?
Nailya Ordabayeva: Which one is bigger?
Bram Van den Bergh: Are people who buy green products selfish?
Simon Laham: Which is the most sinful country?
4. Put on a few pounds. Seriously.
Success. I put on four or five pounds – and I enjoyed doing it.
5. Get several research papers under review.
Semi-success. I moved my research along and managed submit or resubmit the following papers:
-Bauman, C. McGraw, A.P., Bartels, D., & Warren, C. Revisiting external validity: Concerns about trolley problems and other sacrificial dilemmas in moral psychology
-Larsen, J.T. & McGraw, A.P., The case for mixed emotions.
-McGraw, A.P., Kan, C., & Warren, C., Humorous complaining.
-McGraw, A.P., Williams, L.T., & Warren, C. Psychological distance modulates humorous responses to tragedy
-Warren, C. & McGraw, A.P., When humor backfires: Revisiting the relationship between humorous marketing and brand attitude
6. Read an enormous stack of journals that are piled in my office.
Fail. It’s bigger now
7. Start thinking about what my post-Humor Code life might look like. What is the ‘next big thing’?
In process. Check back later for a detailed report.