Why do minds resist change?
What determines whether encountering opposing evidence sparks genuine curiosity and cognitive updating, or triggers defensive retrenchment and reactance?
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Mapping the Mechanics of Mind, Culture, and Connection.
An interdisciplinary look at mind, culture, and social systems. I investigate why we polarize, how we bond, and where empirical social science can illuminate our shared human path forward.
Understanding who we are so we can build a better world together.
Guiding questions
The questions that organise my work
I work at three scales — mind, network, institution — and hold one anchor that returns each of them to practice. These are open questions, not findings.
01 · Micro
The Micro Level: Friction, Belief, and the Architecture of Mind
Drawing on cognitive dissonance, psychological reactance, and moral psychology (Haidt, Festinger, Brehm).
How do internal tensions shape identity?
In what ways do individuals use moral frameworks and shared narratives to resolve the discomfort of living in contradictory informational environments?
02 · Meso
The Meso Level: Network Transmission, Culture, and Social Cohesion
Drawing on complex contagion, cultural tightness/looseness, and ritual bonding (Centola, Gelfand, Whitehouse).
How does individual friction scale into collective polarization?
What network structures and communication patterns turn private cognitive biases into rigid, affective group divides?
Where are the tipping points for cohesion?
What conditions, social norms, or shared rituals allow diverse communities to build durable trust and coordinate across ideological boundaries?
03 · Macro
The Macro Level: Information Ecology, Institutional Resilience, and the Future
Drawing on structural-demographic dynamics, inclusive institutions, and technological change (Turchin, Acemoglu, Tufekci, Harari, Diamandis).
Can democratic institutions adapt to accelerating informational complexity?
How do modern digital platforms alter the speed and pressure of social feedback loops, and how can institutions remain stable under that strain?
What fosters renewal over fragmentation?
As technological and social disruptions intensify, what mechanisms allow societies to steer structural stress toward institutional adaptation rather than breakdown?
04 · The integrative anchor
The Integrative Anchor: Agency and Flourishing
How do we build a wiser public square?
How can the tools of empirical behavioral science and computational modeling be translated into practical frameworks that expand human curiosity, empathy, and collective problem-solving?
On the horizon
Explore writing Research and writing
Coming soon
A place for work as it develops.
I’m preparing the first research and writing for this site. I’ll share new work here, along with its methods, context, and open questions.
Start with the questions
The research interests are here already. The papers and essays will follow.
Read about my work