New research from Dan Sheehan has been accepted by the Journal of Consumer Research.

In this paper, titled "Saving Your Self: How Identity Relevance Influences Product Usage,” Sheehan documents an "identity conservation effect," in that consumers are less likely to use products related to their identity (such as notepads or candy that display a University of Kentucky logo) compared to nonidentity products because the tradeoff between how it feels to own and use such a product.