Museum of Science and Industry

More on Our Guest

Resources and links related to the people we interview.

Nicholas Epley, Ph.D.

Nicholas Epley is a Professor of Behavioral Science in the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. His research investigates the basic mechanisms that guide intuitive human judgment and decision-making. Most of this research investigates people's ability to read others' minds, from knowing how one is being judged by others to predicting others' attitudes, beliefs, and underlying motivations, and the implications of systematic mistakes in mind reading for everyday social interactions. "Most people are intuitive psychologists in their daily lives - wondering why people think or behave as they do. I just happened to find a profession that enables me to answer these questions for a living," explains Epley.

Dr. Epley received his Ph.D. in social psychology from Cornell University in 2001, worked as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 2001-2005, and has been on the faculty at the University of Chicago since 2005. He worked with the Museum of Science and Industry on features of our newest permanent exhibit, YOU! The Experience.

Additional Resources

Nicholas Epley's page at the University of Chicago
Includes links to his articles and publications.

"Stumbling Blocks on the Path of Righteousness"
May 4, 2009 New York Times article on social psychologists "studying what they call the holier-than-thou effect," citing the "Daffodil Days" study mentioned by Dr. Epley.

Features of YOU! The Experience mentioned in this podcast:

Back to Podcasts

Podcast main page