An Experimental Study of the Impact of Geomancy (Feng Shui) on Economic Behavior

• Project/Area Number: 25K16609
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07010:Economic theory-related
• Research Institution: Ritsumeikan University
• Principal Investigator: Wang Tong 立命館大学, 国際関係学部, 助教 (30822267)
• Project Period (FY): 2025-04-01 – 2028-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2025)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000); Fiscal Year 2027: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
• Keywords: Fengshui / experiment / auction / investment

Outline of Research at the Start

This research aims at studying the effect of the Chinese geomancy, Feng Shui - 風水(ふうすい) in Kanji - on people’s bidding behaviors in auctions, and the welfare consequences. To achieve this goal, we conduct a series of behavior
experiments and neuroscience experiments in several world class laboratories both in China and Japan. We recruit participants and randomize them into laboratories with good and bad Feng Shui, where the same auctions will take place. During the experiment, we will record the bidding behaviors and outcomes of the auctions and compare the differences.