James Fowler is an Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at the University of California, San Diego. His current interests include social networks, behavioral economics, evolutionary game theory, political participation, the evolution of cooperation, and genopolitics (the study of the genetic basis of political behavior).
In addition to his scientific research, James is currently working on a book for a general audience about social networks in everyday life (Connected! -- with Nicholas Christakis) that will be published by Little Brown (and more than a dozen other publishers worldwide), probably in early 2010.
James was recently named one of the Nifty Fifty "most inspiring" scientists by the San Diego Science Festival.
Abstract Social networks exhibit strikingly systematic patterns across a wide range of human cont... more Abstract Social networks exhibit strikingly systematic patterns across a wide range of human contexts. Although genetic variation accounts for a significant portion of the variation in many complex social behaviors, the heritability of egocentric social network attributes is unknown. Here, we show that 3 of these attributes (in-degree, transitivity, and centrality) are heritable. We then develop a “mirror network” method to test extant network models and show that none account for observed genetic variation in human social networks.
We live life in the network. When we wake up in the morning, we check our e-mail, make a quick ph... more We live life in the network. When we wake up in the morning, we check our e-mail, make a quick phone call, walk outside (our movements captured by a high definition video camera), get on the bus (swiping our RFID mass transit cards) or drive (using a transponder to zip through the tolls). We arrive at the airport, making sure to purchase a sandwich with a credit card before boarding the plane, and check our BlackBerries shortly before takeoff.
Abstract: We measure polarization in the United States Congress using the network science concept... more Abstract: We measure polarization in the United States Congress using the network science concept of modularity. Modularity provides a conceptually-clear measure of polarization that reveals both the number of relevant groups and the strength of inter-group divisions without making restrictive assumptions about the structure of the party system or the shape of legislator utilities.
Abstract: How can we model influence between individuals in a social system, even when the networ... more Abstract: How can we model influence between individuals in a social system, even when the network of interactions is unknown? In this article, we review the literature on the" influence model," which utilizes independent time series to estimate how much the state of one actor affects the state of another actor in the system.
Here, we review the research we have conducted on social contagion. We describe the methods we ha... more Here, we review the research we have conducted on social contagion. We describe the methods we have employed (and the assumptions they have entailed) to examine several datasets with complementary strengths and weaknesses, including the Framingham Heart Study, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, and other observational and experimental datasets that we and others have collected.
Abstract Epidemiological investigations and interventions are increasingly focusing on social net... more Abstract Epidemiological investigations and interventions are increasingly focusing on social networks. Two aspects of social networks are relevant in this regard: the structure of networks and the function of networks. A better understanding of the processes that determine how networks form and how they operate with respect to the spread of behavior holds promise for improving public health. Visualizing social networks is a key to both research and interventions.
Abstract Some social connections are stronger than others. People have not only friends, but also... more Abstract Some social connections are stronger than others. People have not only friends, but also best friends. Social scientists have long recognized this characteristic of social connections and researchers frequently use the term tie strength to refer to this concept. We used online interaction data (specifically, Facebook interactions) to successfully identify real-world strong ties. Ground truth was established by asking users themselves to name their closest friends in real life.
Abstract A burgeoning literature focuses on the relationship between individual differences in pe... more Abstract A burgeoning literature focuses on the relationship between individual differences in personality traits and political behaviors (Gerber, Huber, Doherty, Dowling & Ha 2010, Mondak, Hibbing, Canache, Seligson & Anderson 2010, Gerber, Huber, Raso & Ha 2008, Gerber, Huber, Doherty & Dowling 2009, Mondak & Halperin 2008, Denny & Doyle 2008).
Abstract Investigations of American politics have increasingly turned to analyses of political ne... more Abstract Investigations of American politics have increasingly turned to analyses of political networks to understand public opinion, voting behavior, the diffusion of policy ideas, bill sponsorship in the legislature, interest group coalitions and influence, party factions, institutional development, and other empirical phenomena. While the association between political networks and political behavior is well established, clear causal inferences are often difficult to make.
Confidence is an essential ingredient of success in a wide range of domains ranging from job perf... more Confidence is an essential ingredient of success in a wide range of domains ranging from job performance and mental health to sports, business and combat 1, 2, 3, 4.
Abstract 1. The discrepancy between an individual's loneliness and the number of connections in a... more Abstract 1. The discrepancy between an individual's loneliness and the number of connections in a social network is well documented, yet little is known about the placement of loneliness within, or the spread of loneliness through, social networks. The authors use network linkage data from the population-based Framingham Heart Study to trace the topography of loneliness in people's social networks and the path through which loneliness spreads through these networks.
Acyclic digraphs arise in many natural and artificial processes. Among the broader set, dynamic c... more Acyclic digraphs arise in many natural and artificial processes. Among the broader set, dynamic citation networks represent an important type of acyclic digraph. For example, the study of such networks includes the spread of ideas through academic citations, the spread of innovation through patent citations, and the development of precedent in common law systems.
Background A broad range of stimuli to human happiness has been explored, but past studies have n... more Background A broad range of stimuli to human happiness has been explored, but past studies have not addressed a possibly key stimulus to human happiness: the happiness of others. Objectives To evaluate whether happiness can spread from person to person and whether niches of happiness form within social networks. Design
Abstract: Intermediate-scale (or'meso-scale') structures in networks have received considerable a... more Abstract: Intermediate-scale (or'meso-scale') structures in networks have received considerable attention, as the algorithmic detection of such structures makes it possible to discover network features that are not apparent either at the local scale of nodes and edges or at the global scale of summary statistics. Numerous types of meso-scale structures can occur in networks, but investigations of meso-scale network features have focused predominantly on the identification and study of community structure.
Biologists have devoted much attention to assortative mating or homogamy, the tendency for sexual... more Biologists have devoted much attention to assortative mating or homogamy, the tendency for sexual species to mate with similar others. In contrast, there has been little theoretical work on the broader phenomenon of homophily, the tendency for individuals to interact with similar others. Yet this behaviour is also widely observed in nature. Here, we model how natural selection can give rise to homophily when individuals engage in social interaction in a population with multiple observable phenotypes.
Abstract Recent research demonstrates that variation in a wide range of political attitudes, beli... more Abstract Recent research demonstrates that variation in a wide range of political attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors can be explained in part by genetic variation. However, these studies have not yet identified the mechanisms that generate such a relationship. Some scholars have speculated that personality traits mediate the relationship between genes and political behavior, but so far there have been no empirical tests of this conjecture.
Nicholas and his wife, Erika, like to joke that they had an arranged marriage, South Asia–style. ... more Nicholas and his wife, Erika, like to joke that they had an arranged marriage, South Asia–style. Although they lived within four blocks of each other for two years and were both students at Harvard, their paths never crossed. Erika had to go all the way to Bangladesh so that Nicholas could find her. In the summer of 1987 he went to Washington, DC, where he had grown up and gone to high school, to care for his ailing mother. He was a medical student, single and, he foolishly thought, not ready for a serious relationship.
Abstract In the past 50 years, biologists have learned a tremendous amount about human brain func... more Abstract In the past 50 years, biologists have learned a tremendous amount about human brain function and its genetic basis. At the same time, political scientists have been intensively studying the effect of the social and institutional environment on mass political attitudes and behaviors. However, these separate fields of inquiry are subject to inherent limitations that may only be resolved through collaboration across disciplines.
Abstract: Researchers often face the problem of needing to protect the privacy of subjects while ... more Abstract: Researchers often face the problem of needing to protect the privacy of subjects while also needing to integrate data that contains personal information from diverse data sources in order to conduct their research. The advent of computational social science and the enormous amount of data about people that is being collected makes protecting the privacy of research subjects evermore important.
In the study of democracy, an enduring question is whether citizens pay attention to what lawmake... more In the study of democracy, an enduring question is whether citizens pay attention to what lawmakers do. Legislators frequently propose new laws, but observational studies cannot elucidate the effect such proposals have on citizen reactions to specific lawmakers, since any effects on electoral outcomes are confounded by unobserved individual differences in legislative and political skill.
Abstract Social networks exhibit strikingly systematic patterns across a wide range of human cont... more Abstract Social networks exhibit strikingly systematic patterns across a wide range of human contexts. Although genetic variation accounts for a significant portion of the variation in many complex social behaviors, the heritability of egocentric social network attributes is unknown. Here, we show that 3 of these attributes (in-degree, transitivity, and centrality) are heritable. We then develop a “mirror network” method to test extant network models and show that none account for observed genetic variation in human social networks.
We live life in the network. When we wake up in the morning, we check our e-mail, make a quick ph... more We live life in the network. When we wake up in the morning, we check our e-mail, make a quick phone call, walk outside (our movements captured by a high definition video camera), get on the bus (swiping our RFID mass transit cards) or drive (using a transponder to zip through the tolls). We arrive at the airport, making sure to purchase a sandwich with a credit card before boarding the plane, and check our BlackBerries shortly before takeoff.
Abstract: We measure polarization in the United States Congress using the network science concept... more Abstract: We measure polarization in the United States Congress using the network science concept of modularity. Modularity provides a conceptually-clear measure of polarization that reveals both the number of relevant groups and the strength of inter-group divisions without making restrictive assumptions about the structure of the party system or the shape of legislator utilities.
Abstract: How can we model influence between individuals in a social system, even when the networ... more Abstract: How can we model influence between individuals in a social system, even when the network of interactions is unknown? In this article, we review the literature on the" influence model," which utilizes independent time series to estimate how much the state of one actor affects the state of another actor in the system.
Here, we review the research we have conducted on social contagion. We describe the methods we ha... more Here, we review the research we have conducted on social contagion. We describe the methods we have employed (and the assumptions they have entailed) to examine several datasets with complementary strengths and weaknesses, including the Framingham Heart Study, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, and other observational and experimental datasets that we and others have collected.
Abstract Epidemiological investigations and interventions are increasingly focusing on social net... more Abstract Epidemiological investigations and interventions are increasingly focusing on social networks. Two aspects of social networks are relevant in this regard: the structure of networks and the function of networks. A better understanding of the processes that determine how networks form and how they operate with respect to the spread of behavior holds promise for improving public health. Visualizing social networks is a key to both research and interventions.
Abstract Some social connections are stronger than others. People have not only friends, but also... more Abstract Some social connections are stronger than others. People have not only friends, but also best friends. Social scientists have long recognized this characteristic of social connections and researchers frequently use the term tie strength to refer to this concept. We used online interaction data (specifically, Facebook interactions) to successfully identify real-world strong ties. Ground truth was established by asking users themselves to name their closest friends in real life.
Abstract A burgeoning literature focuses on the relationship between individual differences in pe... more Abstract A burgeoning literature focuses on the relationship between individual differences in personality traits and political behaviors (Gerber, Huber, Doherty, Dowling & Ha 2010, Mondak, Hibbing, Canache, Seligson & Anderson 2010, Gerber, Huber, Raso & Ha 2008, Gerber, Huber, Doherty & Dowling 2009, Mondak & Halperin 2008, Denny & Doyle 2008).
Abstract Investigations of American politics have increasingly turned to analyses of political ne... more Abstract Investigations of American politics have increasingly turned to analyses of political networks to understand public opinion, voting behavior, the diffusion of policy ideas, bill sponsorship in the legislature, interest group coalitions and influence, party factions, institutional development, and other empirical phenomena. While the association between political networks and political behavior is well established, clear causal inferences are often difficult to make.
Confidence is an essential ingredient of success in a wide range of domains ranging from job perf... more Confidence is an essential ingredient of success in a wide range of domains ranging from job performance and mental health to sports, business and combat 1, 2, 3, 4.
Abstract 1. The discrepancy between an individual's loneliness and the number of connections in a... more Abstract 1. The discrepancy between an individual's loneliness and the number of connections in a social network is well documented, yet little is known about the placement of loneliness within, or the spread of loneliness through, social networks. The authors use network linkage data from the population-based Framingham Heart Study to trace the topography of loneliness in people's social networks and the path through which loneliness spreads through these networks.
Acyclic digraphs arise in many natural and artificial processes. Among the broader set, dynamic c... more Acyclic digraphs arise in many natural and artificial processes. Among the broader set, dynamic citation networks represent an important type of acyclic digraph. For example, the study of such networks includes the spread of ideas through academic citations, the spread of innovation through patent citations, and the development of precedent in common law systems.
Background A broad range of stimuli to human happiness has been explored, but past studies have n... more Background A broad range of stimuli to human happiness has been explored, but past studies have not addressed a possibly key stimulus to human happiness: the happiness of others. Objectives To evaluate whether happiness can spread from person to person and whether niches of happiness form within social networks. Design
Abstract: Intermediate-scale (or'meso-scale') structures in networks have received considerable a... more Abstract: Intermediate-scale (or'meso-scale') structures in networks have received considerable attention, as the algorithmic detection of such structures makes it possible to discover network features that are not apparent either at the local scale of nodes and edges or at the global scale of summary statistics. Numerous types of meso-scale structures can occur in networks, but investigations of meso-scale network features have focused predominantly on the identification and study of community structure.
Biologists have devoted much attention to assortative mating or homogamy, the tendency for sexual... more Biologists have devoted much attention to assortative mating or homogamy, the tendency for sexual species to mate with similar others. In contrast, there has been little theoretical work on the broader phenomenon of homophily, the tendency for individuals to interact with similar others. Yet this behaviour is also widely observed in nature. Here, we model how natural selection can give rise to homophily when individuals engage in social interaction in a population with multiple observable phenotypes.
Abstract Recent research demonstrates that variation in a wide range of political attitudes, beli... more Abstract Recent research demonstrates that variation in a wide range of political attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors can be explained in part by genetic variation. However, these studies have not yet identified the mechanisms that generate such a relationship. Some scholars have speculated that personality traits mediate the relationship between genes and political behavior, but so far there have been no empirical tests of this conjecture.
Nicholas and his wife, Erika, like to joke that they had an arranged marriage, South Asia–style. ... more Nicholas and his wife, Erika, like to joke that they had an arranged marriage, South Asia–style. Although they lived within four blocks of each other for two years and were both students at Harvard, their paths never crossed. Erika had to go all the way to Bangladesh so that Nicholas could find her. In the summer of 1987 he went to Washington, DC, where he had grown up and gone to high school, to care for his ailing mother. He was a medical student, single and, he foolishly thought, not ready for a serious relationship.
Abstract In the past 50 years, biologists have learned a tremendous amount about human brain func... more Abstract In the past 50 years, biologists have learned a tremendous amount about human brain function and its genetic basis. At the same time, political scientists have been intensively studying the effect of the social and institutional environment on mass political attitudes and behaviors. However, these separate fields of inquiry are subject to inherent limitations that may only be resolved through collaboration across disciplines.
Abstract: Researchers often face the problem of needing to protect the privacy of subjects while ... more Abstract: Researchers often face the problem of needing to protect the privacy of subjects while also needing to integrate data that contains personal information from diverse data sources in order to conduct their research. The advent of computational social science and the enormous amount of data about people that is being collected makes protecting the privacy of research subjects evermore important.
In the study of democracy, an enduring question is whether citizens pay attention to what lawmake... more In the study of democracy, an enduring question is whether citizens pay attention to what lawmakers do. Legislators frequently propose new laws, but observational studies cannot elucidate the effect such proposals have on citizen reactions to specific lawmakers, since any effects on electoral outcomes are confounded by unobserved individual differences in legislative and political skill.
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Papers by James H. Fowler