Nicholas Epley conducts research on the experimental study of social cognition, perspective taking, and intuitive human judgment. "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.
His research has appeared in more than two dozen journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science, and the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. His research also has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Wired, and National Public Radio, among many others, and has been funded by the National Science Foundation.
Epley received a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy in 1996 from Saint Olaf College. In 2001, he graduated from Cornell University with a PhD in psychology, where he earned a Graduate Teaching Award from the Department of Psychology as well as a Cornell University Teaching Fellowship. Epley became an instructor at Harvard University, where he was voted one of Harvard's "Favorite Professors" three years in a row. He joined the Chicago Booth faculty in 2004 and hopes his students gain an appreciation for the power of scientific methodologies to provide accurate knowledge about the determinants of human thought and behavior.
Outside of Chicago Booth, Epley's interests include hiking, fishing, and woodworking.
Selected Publications
Epley, N., Waytz, A., Akalis, S., & Cacioppo, J.T. (2008).
Creating social connection through inferential reproduction: Loneliness and perceived agency in gadgets, gods, and greyhounds. Psychological Science, 19, 114-120.
Epley, N., Waytz, A., & Cacioppo, J.T. (2008).
On seeing human: A three-factor theory of anthropomorphism. Psychological Review, 114, 864-886.
Epley, N., Caruso, E.M., & Bazerman, M.H. (2006).
When perspective taking increases taking: Reactive Egoism in social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 872-889.
Epley, N., & Gilovich, T. (2006).
The anchoring and adjustment heuristic: Why the adjustments are insufficient. Psychological Science, 17, 311-318.
Epley, N., Keysar, B., Van Boven, L., & Gilovich, T. (2004).
Perspective taking as egocentric anchoring and adjustment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
