Nicholas A. Christakis

What role do social networks – and the precise nature and structure of social interactions – play in the production of public goods and in human welfare? What about social contagion? A thread on #HNL experiments with many thousands of participants from 2010 to the present. 1/

In this new FLOS clip, I discuss the “don’t swim with sharks” strategy: the case for avoiding crowded fields where others have a head start. Usually it’s wise.

But this instinct can cost you a revolution. The real lesson is about being open: when a popular idea comes your way, ask what it points to.

youtube.com/watch?v=Jaep3x…

Beginning in 2012, our lab #HNL has published papers in @Nature on human social interactions: their structure and function; their deep origins; their role in the flow of microbes; how AI affects them.

A thread on the sociology, economics, and biology of social networks.

“Our most fundamental obligation as scientists is to see the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.” I spoke to The Confluence, an international student journal, about the feeling of discovery and why scientists must share their discoveries: the-confluence.org/articles/shive…

Bill Nordhaus was an extraordinary man. A terrific scientist. A fabulous professor. And a friend of mine. We taught a class together five years ago on global catastrophes and it was such a pleasure. I’m very saddened by this loss. news.yale.edu/2026/10/31/wil…