Lecturer, Human Evolutionary Biology Department
FQEB Prize Fellow, Psychology Department
Research Scientist, Program for Evolutionary Dynamics

Harvard University

1 Brattle Sq Suite 6, Room 637
Cambridge MA, 02138
[map] [walking directions]

Email: drand@fas.harvard.edu

Google Scholar Profile

Research

My research agenda aims to build a unified scientific understanding of human cooperation. I ask (i) what prosocial and antisocial decisions people will make in particular situations and social environments; (ii) the cognitive mechanisms that determine how these decisions are actually made; and (iii) the ultimate explanations for why our decision-making processes have come to function as they do. My approach is deeply interdisciplinary, combining empirical observations from behavioral experiments with predictions generated by evolutionary game theoretic math models and computer simulations of social learning.

I have written about the limitations of costly punishment for promoting cooperation [A], the importance of leniency and forgiveness in interactions where errors are possible [B], the role of intuition versus reflection in social behavior and beliefs [C], why evolution might sometimes lead to anti-social punishment where non-cooperators pay to punish cooperators [D], and the role in-group bias plays in human cooperation [E].

Other interests of mine include the possibilities the internet offers for incentive-compatible behavioral research [F], applying infectious disease models to social contagion [G], exploring the role specific genes play in high-level cognitive behaviors [H], modeling systemic risk in banking (and other ecosystems) [I] and understanding the knowledge dynamics of scientific discovery and publishing [J].

Publications by Topic

Experiments on social behaviors and beliefs


1. Fudenberg D*, Rand DG*, Dreber A. (In press) Slow to Anger and Fast to Forgive: Cooperation in an Uncertain World. American Economic Review. (PDF - Working paper on SSRN)
   
   
2. Almenberg J, Dreber A, Apicella CL, Rand DG (2011) Third Party Reward and Punishment: Group Size, Efficiency and Public Goods, in “Psychology of Punishment”, Nova Science Publishers. Eds. NM Palmetti et al. ISBN: 978-1-61324-115-8. (PDF)
   
   
3. Rand DG*, Arbesman S*, Christakis NA. (2011) Dynamic networks promote cooperation in experiments with humans. PNAS, 108 19193-19198. (PDF)
   
   

   Press: Harvard Gazette, The Economist, BBC World Service [Audio], Smithsonian Magazine, Harvard Crimson, Gizmodo, Sydney Morning Herald, PsychCentral, The Globe and Mail, Wirtschaftswoche [German] Reddit, Headline News Medical News Today, Times of India

   
   
   
4. Shenhav A*, Rand DG*, Greene JD. (2011) Divine intuition: cognitive style influences belief in God. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. DOI:10.1037/a0025391 (PDF)
   
   Press: Harvard Crimson, Harvard Gazette, Yahoo News, Discover Magazine, Rolling Stone, National Affairs, Marginal Revolution, United Press International, The Examiner, PsychCentral, Live Science, News Leaks, Times of India, io9, Zee News India
   
   
5. Blake PR, Rand DG (2010) Currency value moderates equity preference among young children. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31 210-218. (PDF) (Data file)
   
   Press: New England Cable News NECN [video], Psychology Today, Jefferson IN News & Tribune
   
   
6. Rand DG*, Dreber A*, Ellingsen T, Fudenberg D, Nowak MA (2009) Positive interactions promote public cooperation. Science 325, 1272-1275. (PDF)
   
   

   Press: Cover of Science, Science podcast interview [audio], Scientific American, New Scientist, Harvard Gazette, Voice of America [video], Not Exactly Rocket Science, MSN, Science and Religion Today, Science and Religion Today Answers Column, Psych Central, Forbes, Discover Magazine, US News & World Reports, Grits For Breakfast Law Blog, Neuroethics at the Core, Nature Networks, Dagens Nyheter (Sweden), OneIndia , Science Centric, Science Daily, Thaindian News, Ethiopian Review, Irish Sun

   
   
   
7. Rand DG*, Pfeiffer T*, Dreber A, Sheketoff RW, Wernerfelt NC, Benkler Y (2009) Dynamic remodeling of in-group bias during the 2008 presidential election. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 6187-6191. (PDF) (Data file)
   
   

   Press: Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, USAToday, Press Release from Berkman Center for Internet and Society, Business Week

   
   
8. Dreber A*, Rand DG*, Fudenberg D, Nowak MA (2008) Winners don't punish. Nature 452, 348-351. (PDF)
   
   

   Press: Daily Telegraph, NPR's All Things Considered [audio], New York Times, Boston Globe / AP, Bloomberg, Harvard Gazette, Huffington Post, Not Exactly Rocket Science, NY Times Freakonomics, Reuters, Science and Religion Today, Science Centric, Science Daily, The Hindu, Time / AP, Thaindian News, DNA, Writing in Faith, Decision Quality

   
   
   



Evolutionary game theory / complex systems models


9. Rand DG, Nowak MA (2012) Evolutionary dynamics in finite populations can explain the full range of cooperative behaviors observed in the centipede game. J Theor Biol. 300 212-221. (PDF)
   
   
10. Ruelas RE, Rand DG, Rand RH (2011) Nonlinear Parametric Excitation of an Evolutionary Dynamical System. J Mechanical Eng Science. DOI: 10.1177/0954406211432066. (PDF)
    
    
11. Beale N*, Rand DG*, Battey H, Croxson K, May RM, Nowak MA. (2011) Individual versus systemic risk and the Regulator's Dilemma. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 31 12647-12652. (PDF)
    
    

    Press: Harvard Gazette, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times Magazine, Financial Times, Fund Strategy, Which Light, Business Times, PhysOrg, eScience News

    
    
    
12. Isakov A, Rand DG. (2011) The Evolution of Coercive Institutional Punishment. Dynamic Games and Applications. DOI:10.1007/s13235-011-0020-9. (PDF)
    
    
13. Rand DG, Nowak MA. (2011) The evolution of antisocial punishment in optional public goods games. Nature Communications. 2 434. (PDF)
    
    
    
    
14. Rand RH, Yahzbin M, Rand DG (2011) Evolutionary Dynamics of a System with Periodic Coefficients. Commun Nonlinear Sci Numer Simulat, 16 3887–3895. (PDF)
    
    

15. Hill AL*, Rand DG*, Nowak MA, Christakis NC (2010) Emotions as infectious diseases in a large social network: the SISa model. Proc Roy Soc B, 277 3827-3835. (PDF)
    
    Press: Wired, Los Angeles Times, Earth & Sky [audio], Syndey Morning Herald, Moment of Science, Central Florida Future, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Seattle Times, Pat's Papers, Wisdom Quarterly, InventorSpot, meyouhealth, Case Manager's Verse, HealthCare International, American Health Line

16. Hill AL, Rand DG, Nowak MA, Christakis NC (2010) Infectious disease modeling of social contagion in networks. PLoS Comp Biol, 6, e1000968. (PDF)
    
    Press: Reuters, USA Today, WFCR Public Radio [Audio], FOX News [Video], New England Cable News NECN [video], Channel 7 New Boston [Video], NPR's "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" quiz show [audio], CNN, MSNBC, Los Angeles Times, Boston.com, Harvard Gazette, PLoS Blog, Red Orbit, The Money Times, Doctors Lounge, Epoch Times, AOL Health, Dr. Cutler, dbtechno.com, Newsi.se, Science a gogo, Smart Planet, UPI, Softpedia, Indyposted, The Breaking Story, Scope, AccessRx, Tree Hugger, Top News, Zeiza, FitSugar, The Examiner, All 24/7 News, Thaindian News, Suite 101, Investors Daily, MyHealthNewsDaily, health.com
    
    

17. Rand DG, Armao J, Nakamaru M, Ohtsuki H (2010) Anti-social punishment can prevent the co-evolution of punishment and cooperation. J Theor Biol 265 624-632. (PDF)
    

18. Rand DG, Ohtsuki H, Nowak MA (2009) Direct reciprocity and costly punishment: Generous tit-for-tat prevails. J Theor Biol 256, 45-57. (PDF)
    
    
19. Rand DG, Zhou Q, Buzzard G, Fox JJ (2008) Computationally efficient strategy for modeling the effect of ion current modifiers. IEEE T Bio-Med Eng, 55 3-13. (PDF)
    
    



Crowdsourcing behavioral experiments using online labor markets


20. Amir O, Rand DG, Gal Y. (In press) Economic Games on the Internet: The Effect of $1 Stakes. PLoS ONE (PDF - Working paper on SSRN)
    
    
21. Horton JJ, Rand DG, Zeckhauser RJ. (2011) The Online Laboratory: Conducting Experiments in a Real Labor Market. Experimental Economics. 14 399-425. (PDF)
    
    Press: NPR's Morning Edition Marketplace [audio], The Atlantic, Berkman Luncheon Series [video], National Affairs, Crowdflower, Marginal Revolution, Experimental Turk, My Heart's in Accra, Joho blog, Veracities blog
    
    
22. Rand DG (2011) The promise of Mechanical Turk: How online labor markets can help theorists run behavioral experiments. J Theor Biol. DOI:10.1016/j.jtbi.2011.03.004 (PDF)
    
    Press: Scientific American
    
    



Science of science


23. Pfeiffer T, Rand DG, Dreber A (2009) Decision-making in research tasks with sequential testing. PLoS ONE 4, e4607. (PDF)
    
    
24. Rand DG, Pfeiffer T (2009) Systematic differences in impact across publication tracks at PNAS. PLoS ONE 4, e8092. (PDF)
    
    Press: The Scientist, Worth a Thousand Words, The Scholarly Kitchen, Digital & Scholarly, European Association of Science Editors
    
    



Behavioral genetics


25. Dreber A, Rand DG, Wernerfelt NC, Garcia JR, Lum JK, Zeckhauser RJ. (2011) Dopamine and Risk Choices in Different Domains: Findings Among Serious Tournament Bridge Players. J Risk Uncertain 43, 19-38. (PDF) (Bridge quiz and answers)
    
    



Commentaries and popular press articles


26. Haque OS, Shenhav A, Rand DG. (In press) Differences in cognitive style, emotional processing and ideology as crucial variables in understanding meaning making, Religion, Brain & Behavior.
    
    
27. Dreber A, Rand DG. (2012) Retaliation and anti-social punishment are overlooked in many theoretical models as well as behavioral experiments, Behavioral and Brain Sciences 35, 24. (PDF)
    
    
28. Rand DG, Dreber A, Ellingsen T, Fudenberg D, Nowak MA (2009) Weighing Reward and Punishment — Response. Science 326, 1632-1633. (PDF)
    
    
29. Rand DG, Nowak MA (2009) How reputation could save the Earth. New Scientist, 2734 28-29. (PDF)
    
    



Working papers


30. Dreber A, Fudenberg DF, Rand DG. (2011) Who cooperates in repeated games? Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1752366 (PDF)
    
    
31. Dreber A, Ellingsen T, Johannesson M, Rand DG. (2011) Do People Care About Social Context? Framing Effects in Dictator Games. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1927343 (PDF)
    
    
32. Dreber A, Rand DG, Wernerfelt N, Garcia JR, Lum JK, Zeckhauser RJ. (2011). The Dopamine Receptor D4 Gene (DRD4) and Self-Reported Risk Taking in the Economic Domain. HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP11-042. (PDF)
    
    

Interviews / Talks

Music