Wei Lun

I have always been curious about human behaviour, especially the social-cognitive processes that underlie consumers’ decision-making. Doing a PhD allows me to embark on a life-long career to fulfill that curiosity.

I applied to do a PhD in 2020, when there were worldwide disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With 2 considerations in mind, (1) having rigorous academic training and (2) being close to home, pursuing my PhD at NUS was the best option.

The graduate school education is wholly different from my undergraduate experience. As undergraduates, learning is relatively more passive whereby professors impart content knowledge to students in lectures or seminars. Graduate students, on the other hand, are expected to be more proactive in learning. Apart from content knowledge, it is also crucial for graduate students to develop critical thinking and practical research skills.

We see a growing minimalism movement whereby there is a large segment of consumers who adhere to the mantra of “less is more”. Apart from the desire to unclutter their surroundings, I think that there is a deeper psychological need that the minimalism movement serves. Also known as the need for simplicity, I believe that this psychological need explains and motivates many consumer behaviours, including the preference for minimalist products and the desire to lead a structured lifestyle.

The biggest challenge I have faced in graduate school is time management. As graduate students, we are given a lot of flexibility in our work, and how productive we are depends on how well we manage our time. It requires great self-discipline and motivation to constantly push ourselves to put in the hard work for each research project until its conclusion.