Human Nature Lab

Breadboard is a software platform for developing and conducting human interaction experiments on networks. Research in the Human Nature Lab lies at the intersection of the natural, social, and computational sciences. We do both basic and applied research, in a wide range of settings from online experiments to public health field trials in the devel... oping world. Our methodology ranges from complex statistical analyses to the introduction of artificial intelligence agents into social systems to the development of novel software tools. Our work also explores the biology, genetics, and evolutionary origins of human social interactions. We are fascinated by the emergent properties of social systems. Research in the Human Nature Lab lies at the intersection of the natural, social, and computational sciences. We develop and apply novel insights about the aspects of human nature that relate to our interactions with others. Our concern is not so much with how humans think or behave while alone, but rather with how they think and feel about, and behave towards, others. We are interested in the emergent properties of social systems, and their social and evolutionary origins. We bring together scholars from throughout Yale in many fields, including sociology, economics, anthropology, evolutionary biology, computer science, statistics, applied math, physics, medicine, engineering, and global health. The Human Nature Lab provides a fertile environment for our researchers to engage in discovery-based science about the natural and social worlds. Students are central to the Human Nature Lab. Graduate and undergraduate students, and post-doctoral fellows, find diverse opportunities in many areas, from data science to genetic analyses, from observational to experimental studies, from software development to global health field placements, and much more.Read More