Dr. Hauser is Professor of Psychology, Organismic & Evolutionary Biology, and Biological Anthropology. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Program in Neurosciences. In addition, he is the Codirector of the Mind, Brain and Behavior Program, a Fellow at the Center for Ethics, and the Director of the Cognitive Evolution Lab.
Dr. Hauser’s research is at the interface between evolutionary biology and cognitive neuroscience, and it is aimed at understanding the processes and consequences of cognitive evolution. Observations and experiments focus on birds, monkeys, apes, and humans, using experimental methods and theoretical insights from behavioral ecology, infant cognitive development, evolutionary theory, cognitive neuroscience, biological anthropology, economics, linguistics, and philosophy. Current research interests include: the nature of our moral judgments, economic decision making, and understanding the evolutionarily ancient building blocks of our capacity for language, mathematics, music, and morality.
Dr. Hauser is also an expert on human emotions and their social functions.
Awards and Credentials
- Guggenheim Fellowship, 2005
- Science Medal, College de France, Paris, 2006
- Fellow, Association for Psychological Science (APS), 2007
- Voted one of Harvard’s most popular professors by class of 2008
Related Links
Recommended Reading List
- Moral Minds: The Nature of Right and Wrong. Hauser, M. (2007). Harper Perennial.
- Wild Minds: What Animals Really Think. Hauser, M. (2001). Holt.
- The Evolution of Communication. Hauser, M. (1997). MIT Press.
