Michael Muthukrishna
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michael.muthukrishna.com
Michael Muthukrishna
@michael.muthukrishna.com
1.1K followers 520 following 19 posts
Prof. #LSE. Author: A Theory of Everyone. Researching & spreading the word on how humans evolved & what that means for us today. www.atheoryofeveryone.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
jayvanbavel.bsky.social
If you want to do a PHD in social psychology at New York University, I strongly urge you to apply to Michael Muthukrishna!

He does fantastic research at the interface of culture, economic decision making, & cooperation and is looking to build a brand new lab.
michael.muthukrishna.com Michael Muthukrishna @michael.muthukrishna.com · 4d
I’m recruiting PhD students at NYU (start Sept 2026).
Focus: cultural evolution, innovation & cooperation, AI & society, progress studies & development.

Deadline to apply is Dec 1- very soon.

I’ll share more about the move & new work soon.

Please share with students & retweet!
November 19, 2025 at 10:48 PM
michael.muthukrishna.com
I’m recruiting PhD students at NYU (start Sept 2026).
Focus: cultural evolution, innovation & cooperation, AI & society, progress studies & development.

Deadline to apply is Dec 1- very soon.

I’ll share more about the move & new work soon.

Please share with students & retweet!
November 19, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
mitpress.bsky.social
"A timely, fundamentally humane book that points the way to a more honest, forgiving, and principled society." — @michael.muthukrishna.com

"The Hypocrisy Trap" by @mhallsworth.bsky.social is available now: bit.ly/3KPISNK #BehavioralScience 📚💙
Hands holding a copy of "The Hypocrisy Trap: How Changing What We Criticize Can Improve Our Lives" by Michael Hallsworth. The cover features a repeating pattern of a finger pointing in blue and white.
October 27, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
patrickesavage.bsky.social
Policy applications, by @schimmelpfennig.bsky.social @michael.muthukrishna.com Charles Efferson and others
Chapter: academic.oup.com/edited-volum...
Paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Female genital cutting is not a social coordination norm
New data from Sudan question an influential approach to reducing female genital cutting
www.science.org
October 29, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
cailinmeister.bsky.social
Congrats to all involved in the production of the massive Oxford Handbook of cultural evolution. You can read our paper The Cultural Evolution Of Science here: cailinoconnor.com/wp-content/u...
October 14, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
patrickesavage.bsky.social
This thicc 71-chapter book (academic.oup.com/edited-volum...) arrived just in time to use as the textbook for my new "Cultural Evolution" class I've just started teaching!
Featuring this chapter from @cailinmeister.bsky.social @psmaldino.bsky.social & Jingyi Wu as well as much more including...
Syllabus for my new "Cultural Evolution" class: Topic Reading 1 (Textbook) Reading 2 (primary source) Course overview (none) (none) How to read + history Foreword: A brief history of the study of cultural evolution Editor’s Preface How and why to read (and write and publish) academic research Arts 39) Cultural evolution and music Sequence alignment of folk song melodies reveals cross-cultural regularities of musical evolution Communication 55) Language phylogenies: Modeling the evolution of language Language trees with sampled ancestors support a hybrid model for the origin of Indo-European languages Animal culture 22) What constitutes non-human culture and how is it studied? Cultures in chimpanzees Technology 36) Digital culture Large language models show human-like content biases in transmission chain experiments Religion 44) The cultural evolution of religion and cooperation Testing the Big Gods hypothesis with global historical data: A review and ‘retake’ Sociality 49) Cultural evolution and the economic wealth of nations Dual Evolutionary Foundations of Political Ideology Predict Divergent Responses to COVID-19 Coevolution 60) Cultural evolution and diet Dairying, diseases and the evolution of lactase persistence in Europe Applications (policy) 69) Cultural evolution and public policy Female genital cutting is not a social coordination norm Applications (science) 71) Cultural evolution of science The natural selection of bad science Final discussion 1) Perspectives on cultural evolution from pioneers in the field Genes, culture, and scientific racism The thicc 71-chapter Oxford Handbook of Cultural Evolution
October 29, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
brvnathan.bsky.social
What is innovation and why is it one of the laws of life?
@michael.muthukrishna.com
explains in my latest podcast episode. Thanks to
@templetonrelig.bsky.social
for sponsoring this season on the beauty and burdens of innovation. www.beautyatwork.net/p/the-laws-o...
The Laws of Life
S4E1: Dr. Michael Muthukrishna
www.beautyatwork.net
October 20, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
erleellis.bsky.social
Redefine how the world measures progress!
🌍🧑‍🌾🌽🌎🌴🐬🌏🚵‍♀️🍄🌐👍

Join the Global Expert Consultation to develop
The Nature Relationship Index (NRI) @undp.org

<15 mins to make a difference
anu.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
> Deadline: Oct 15, 2025
> Background: rdcu.be/etpiQ
September 30, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
behscientist.bsky.social
In this weekend’s read from the archive, Evan Nesterak and @michael.muthukrishna.com plumb a sweeping “theory of everyone,” a possible key to advancing social and behavioral science.
Moving Behavioral Science from Alchemy to Chemistry: A Conversation with Michael Muthukrishna (Part 1) - By Evan Nesterak - Behavioral Scientist
Michael Muthukrishna wants to integrate the science of human beings, from genes to culture to our environments, into ‘a theory of everyone.’ Doing so, he says, is key to advancing social and…
behavioralscientist.org
August 30, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
naturerecovery.bsky.social
Human aspirations for better lives can be mobilized to ensure that the natural world thrives along with people. Says Pedro Conceição @undp.org Read his op-ed in the Financial Times, which builds on the paper published in Nature in June ⬇️Proud to be working alongside the @undp.org & others on this
Don’t ask what nature can do for you . . .
Measuring and ranking countries’ efforts to protect animal and plant life will incentivise us to achieve a better future
www.ft.com
August 20, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
lsepbs.bsky.social
👩‍💻 AI has the power to revolutionise education, but tech alone is not enough

@michael.muthukrishna.com and several brilliant PBS students explore how AI can transform learning - but only if embedded in human-centred, culturally adaptive systems.

#OpenAccess #Research #AI #Education #Teaching
AI Can Revolutionise Education but Technology Is Not Enough: Human Development Meets Cultural Evolution
Artificial Intelligence could dramatically boost educational outcomes and close gaps – but only if policymakers take a human-centred, systems-level approach to AI integration. Cultural evolution, t...
www.tandfonline.com
July 4, 2025 at 1:59 PM
michael.muthukrishna.com
Any recommendations for a good evolution oriented intro psych textbook? Gray & Bjorkland's Psychology isn’t being renewed.
July 1, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
lsepbs.bsky.social
🌎 An aspirational new approach to planetary futures

This new paper, co-authored by @michael.muthukrishna.com
& published in 'Nature', proposes an innovative new framework - the Nature Relationship Index (NRI) - for addressing planetary environmental challenges.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
An aspirational approach to planetary futures - Nature
The Nature Relationship Index&nbsp;offers a new way to measure and engage human aspirations to shape a better future for people and all life on Earth.
www.nature.com
June 27, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
naturerecovery.bsky.social
📢 Just out in @nature.com: Oxford Uni, UNDP‬ & others propose a 'Nature Relationship Index', a bold new metric to track how well people & nature thrive together. A hopeful framework to reimagine progress beyond GDP.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09080-1 #NatureRecovery @ox.ac.uk @undp.org
June 26, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
louisejoneslse.bsky.social
Today's LSE Festival highlight is our closing event:
Can we be optimistic about the future?
@rogerhighfield.bsky.social, Suhair Khan, @isabel-losada.bsky.social & @michael.muthukrishna.com share some of the ideas, innovations & discoveries to give us hope 💡
FREE tickets (in person/online) 👇
Positive futures
6.30pm Sat 21 Jun | Roger Highfield, Suhair Khan, Isabel Losada, Michael Muthukrishna | Free event at LSE Festival: Visions for the Future | Ticket required
www.lse.ac.uk
May 23, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
lsepbs.bsky.social
LSE Festival is taking place 16-21 June, with global leaders, experts & innovators exploring the near & distant future & what a better world could look like.

@michael.muthukrishna.com will join a discussion on 'Positive futures' on 21 June: www.lse.ac.uk/Events/LSE-F...

Full schedule & tickets 👇
Ticket information
Information about booking your free tickets for the LSE Festival 2025: Visions for the future
www.lse.ac.uk
May 20, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
louisejoneslse.bsky.social
It's May! Which means #LSEFestival is coming up next month. Browse the programme & save the date for events you don't want to miss.

What are the possible worlds to come? 🌎
How will AI, tech & innovation shape society? 💻
How will we confront global challenges? 🌊
Will our political reality change? 🗳️
LSE Festival: Visions for the Future
LSE Festival: Visions for the Future. Join us for a series of free events in London taking place from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 June 2025.
www.lse.ac.uk
May 1, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
iyadrahwan.bsky.social
New paper

Mutual benefits of social learning and algorithmic mediation for cumulative culture

In this pure modeling paper, we attempt to explore how recommendation algorithms might alter the dynamics of social learning and cumulative cultural evolution.

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Mutual benefits of social learning and algorithmic mediation for cumulative culture | Journal of The Royal Society Interface
The remarkable ecological success of humans is often attributed to our ability to develop complex cultural artefacts that enable us to cope with environmental challenges. The evolution of complex culture (cumulative cultural evolution) is usually ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
April 9, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
dr-appie.bsky.social
The @financialtimes.com on our recent @naturehumbehav.bsky.social study on SES and genetics 🧬🌃

ft.pressreader.com/v99c/2025040... (by @anjahuja.bsky.social)

(thread on the study itself is quoted below)
April 2, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
dr-appie.bsky.social
"I wanted to have that be clear — that he’s not on my team and I’m not on his" - me on Emil Kirkegaard in this great piece from @undark.org: undark.org/2025/03/26/u...
In Genetics, a Tense Coexistence of Mainstream and Fringe Views
In an era of open data, genome-wide association studies have become entangled with efforts to prove Black inferiority.
undark.org
March 28, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
dr-appie.bsky.social
In every civilization, people end up sorted into levels of socio-economic status (SES). We explore the history, present, and future of scientific research on the complicated relationship between SES and DNA in @naturehumbehav.bsky.social💰🧬🎓

Link: rdcu.be/efacK

Thread below 👇🏽
March 26, 2025 at 11:16 AM
michael.muthukrishna.com
Delighted to be part of this paper on the relationship between social economic status and genetics.

Led by @dr-appie.bsky.social and co-authored with @hilarycmartin.bsky.social
@martinkolk.bsky.social
@adamrutherford.bsky.social
@fctropf.bsky.social
@melindacmills.bsky.social
dr-appie.bsky.social Abdel Abdellaoui @dr-appie.bsky.social · Mar 26
In every civilization, people end up sorted into levels of socio-economic status (SES). We explore the history, present, and future of scientific research on the complicated relationship between SES and DNA in @naturehumbehav.bsky.social💰🧬🎓

Link: rdcu.be/efacK

Thread below 👇🏽
March 26, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
lsepbs.bsky.social
📣 We are delighted to share that @michael.muthukrishna.com has been promoted to Professor of Economic Psychology! 👏

Congratulations Michael! We are exceptionally proud to have you in our department! 💥

#Professor #EconomicPsychology #PartofLSE #LSEPBS #Promotion
Professor Michael Muthukrishna
March 11, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna
twaring.bsky.social
Fully-funded PhD position on the cultural evolution of environmental management!

Link evolution, ecology and behavioral science in the ACE Lab timwaring.info Details: forms.gle/gZWK9BpwYfoG...
@culturalevolsoc.bsky.social @alexmesoudi.com @hyperadapthyrax.bsky.social @michael.muthukrishna.com
ACE Lab: Applied Cultural Evolution Laboratory
culture, evolution, cooperation, and sustainability
timwaring.info
March 10, 2025 at 1:01 PM