Michael Muthukrishna

@michael.muthukrishna.com

1.1K followers 520 following 17 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

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Michael Muthukrishna is a professor of economic psychology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), in England. He is an affiliate of the Developmental Economics Group at the LSE's STICERD, technical director of UBC's Database of Religious History, and CIFAR's Azrieli Global Scholar in the Boundaries, Membership and Belonging programme. His main area of interest is the application of research in cultural evolution to public policy. .. more

Psychology 37%

Sociology 21%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

Pat Savage @patrickesavage.bsky.social · 13d

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

Reposted by Paul E. Smaldino, Cailin O’Connor, Michael Muthukrishna

Pat Savage @patrickesavage.bsky.social · 13d

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

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 14d

"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.

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

Brandon Vaidyanathan @brvnathan.bsky.social · 21d

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

Substack

The Laws of Life

S4E1: Dr. Michael Muthukrishna Innovation is a term we’ve come to celebrate it as an unqualified good. Not too long ago the word was a pejorative—indicating something frivolous or newfangled, an aberration—but today we treat it as synonymous with progress, creativity, and human genius. It has become a criterion of worth. It suggests that something that’s innovative is also beautiful.

Reposts 0 22d

Reposted by Steven French, Paul E. Smaldino, Michael Muthukrishna

Cailin O’Connor @cailinmeister.bsky.social · 27d

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...

Reposted by Yadvinder Malhi, Garry Peterson, Timon McPhearson , and 2 more Yadvinder Malhi, Garry Peterson, Timon McPhearson, Stephen D. Murphy, Michael Muthukrishna

Erle Ellis @erleellis.bsky.social · Sep 30

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

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

Behavioral Scientist @behscientist.bsky.social · Aug 30

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

Reposted by Yadvinder Malhi, Erle C. Ellis, Michael Muthukrishna

Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery @naturerecovery.bsky.social · Aug 20

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

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

LSE Department of Psychological & Behavioural Science @lsepbs.bsky.social · Jul 4

👩‍💻 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

Michael Muthukrishna @michael.muthukrishna.com · Jul 1

Any recommendations for a good evolution oriented intro psych textbook? Gray & Bjorkland's Psychology isn’t being renewed.

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

LSE Department of Psychological & Behavioural Science @lsepbs.bsky.social · Jun 27

🌎 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 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

Reposted by Yadvinder Malhi, Laura Pereira, Michael Muthukrishna

Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery @naturerecovery.bsky.social · Jun 26

📢 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

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

Louise Jones @louisejoneslse.bsky.social · May 23

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

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

LSE Department of Psychological & Behavioural Science @lsepbs.bsky.social · May 20

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

Michael Muthukrishna @michael.muthukrishna.com · May 8

I’ve found my people.

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

Louise Jones @louisejoneslse.bsky.social · May 1

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

Michael Muthukrishna @michael.muthukrishna.com · Apr 24

Fixed in the paperback!

Reposted by Alex Mesoudi, Michael Muthukrishna

Iyad Rahwan | إياد رهوان @iyadrahwan.bsky.social · Apr 9

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

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

Abdel Abdellaoui @dr-appie.bsky.social · Apr 2

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)

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

Abdel Abdellaoui @dr-appie.bsky.social · Mar 28

"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

Michael Muthukrishna @michael.muthukrishna.com · Mar 26

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

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 👇🏽

Reposted by Anna Vignoles, Melinda Mills, Martin Kolk , and 1 more Anna Vignoles, Melinda Mills, Martin Kolk, Michael Muthukrishna

Abdel Abdellaoui @dr-appie.bsky.social · Mar 26

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

LSE Department of Psychological & Behavioural Science @lsepbs.bsky.social · Mar 11

📣 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

Reposted by Nathan Nunn, Alex Mesoudi, Michael Muthukrishna

Tim Waring @twaring.bsky.social · Mar 10

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

Michael Muthukrishna @michael.muthukrishna.com · Mar 7

Looking forward to continuing the discussion! 4/4

Michael Muthukrishna @michael.muthukrishna.com · Mar 7

With this government’s support and the UK’s strengths on AI talent, research, and commercial activity, we can lead the world in our children using AI for learning rather than plagiarism or in ways that harm their social and cognitive, and intellectual development.3/

Michael Muthukrishna @michael.muthukrishna.com · Mar 7

The UK ranks among the Top 5 globally in AI talent, research, and commercial AI activity. But we lag behind on infrastructure, development, and government strategy.2/

Michael Muthukrishna @michael.muthukrishna.com · Mar 7

At least 9 out of 10 children are already using AI with little to no guidance or support. It’s great to see this government recognize the need to support teachers, parents, and students in using these new technologies safely, ethically, and effectively to enhance learning and address inequalities.1/

Stephen Morgan MP @stephenmorganmp.bsky.social · Mar 6

This Government is ensuring AI is good enough and safe enough for education.

I was pleased to host a roundtable with school leaders and academics in partnership with AI in Education.

I’m committed to ensuring AI supports the delivery of our opportunity mission.

Reposted by Michael Muthukrishna

Stephen Morgan MP @stephenmorganmp.bsky.social · Mar 6

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