Miguel Brendl is Full Professor of Marketing. Prior to joining the University of Basel he was Associate Professor of Marketing with tenure at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management with a co-appointment at the psychology department, being preceded by a tenured position as Associate Professor of Marketing at INSEAD. Previously, he taught at the psychology departments of the Universities of Heidelberg and Konstanz. He holds a PhD in psychology from Columbia University and did his undergraduate studies in psychology and business administration at the University of Mannheim.

Miguel Brendl investigates the origins of psychological utility, that is, how people form preferences toward choice options. Behaviors include buying decisions, consumption behavior (e.g., eating, social media activity), investment decisions (e.g., saving for retirement), or brand preferences. He draws on theories of motivation, conditioning, and (social) cognition. The ongoing research focuses on two areas: 1. Understanding the role of motivation (wanting, desire) and anticipatory pleasure in influencing behavior. 2. Reversing negative emotional brand associations. In the past, his research has focused on goals and on uncontrollable influences on preferences, including work on implicit measures.