James H. Fowler
Encyclopedia
James H. Fowler is an American social scientist
specializing in social networks, cooperation
, political participation, and genopolitics
(the study of the genetic basis of political behavior). He is currently Professor of Medical Genetics in the School of Medicine
and Professor of Political Science in the Division of Social Science at the University of California, San Diego
. He was named a 2010 Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.
in 1992, a master's degree in International Relations from Yale University
in 1997, and a Ph.D. in Government from the Harvard University
in 2003. He was also a Peace Corps
volunteer in Ecuador
from 1992 to 1994. In 2010, he was named by Foreign Policy magazine to its list of top global thinkers.
, smoking
, and happiness
in the Framingham Heart Study
, but he has also studied the network of legislative cosponsorships in the U.S. Congress and the network of U.S. Supreme Court precedents
.
In addition to his research on social networks, Fowler has become known for his work on genopolitics
, showing that genes influence voting and other forms of political participation. Fowler used twin studies of voter turnout in Los Angeles and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
to establish that the decision to vote in the United States has very strong heritability
. He has also identified three genes that are associated with voter turnout and partisan attachment, specifically those regulating the serotonin
and dopamine
systems in the brain via the production of monoamine oxidase
, 5HTT, and DRD2.
More recently, he has shown evidence that social networks have a partly genetic basis. In 2010, he published a paper regarding the use of social networks as 'sensors' for forecasting epidemics.
In other research, Fowler is known for his theoretical and experimental work on egalitarianism
and the evolution of cooperation
, with related work on altruism
, overconfidence
, and political participation.
Fowler's newest research focuses on Facebook friendship as a predictor of voter mobilization, and the use of the social network medium, to mobilize voters in American elections. Based on a large manipulation of friendship cues in the Facebook social network, Fowler demonstrates that being presented with indications of friends having voted is a strong predictor of individual voting.
and James H. Fowler. Connected draws on previously published and unpublished studies, including the Framingham Heart Study
and makes several new conclusions about the influence of social networks on human health and behavior. In Connected, they put forward their "Three Degrees of Influence" rule about human behavior, which theorizes that each person's individual social influence stretches three degrees before it fades out.
published an op-ed that summarized Fowler's research showing that Democratic candidates who come on The Colbert Report receive 44% more in campaign donations in the first 30 days after appearing on the show. Colbert pointed out the op-ed on his March 3, 2008 show. Fowler also appeared during the Threatdown on his December 10, 2008 show, describing his work on the spread of happiness in social networks, and again on the January 7th, 2010 show to discuss the sociological impact of social networking.
Genes and Politics
Genes and Social Networks
Experimental Studies of Cooperation and Egalitarianism
Evolutionary Models
Altruism and Political Participation
Legislator Social Networks
Voter Social Networks
Network of Supreme Court Precedents
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
specializing in social networks, cooperation
Cooperation
Cooperation or co-operation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a...
, political participation, and genopolitics
Genopolitics
Genopolitics is the study of the genetic basis of political behavior and attitudes. It combines behavior genetics, psychology, and political science and it is closely related to the emerging fields of neuropolitics and political physiology .The...
(the study of the genetic basis of political behavior). He is currently Professor of Medical Genetics in the School of Medicine
UC San Diego School of Medicine
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine is a medical school located in La Jolla, California, USA.The school held its first class in 1968 and conferred its first degrees in 1972. The school aggressively recruited leading physician scientists of its era and rapidly gained a reputation...
and Professor of Political Science in the Division of Social Science at the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
. He was named a 2010 Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.
Background
Fowler earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard CollegeHarvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1992, a master's degree in International Relations from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1997, and a Ph.D. in Government from the Harvard University
Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is the academic unit responsible for many post-baccalaureate degree programs offered through the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University...
in 2003. He was also a Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
volunteer in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
from 1992 to 1994. In 2010, he was named by Foreign Policy magazine to its list of top global thinkers.
Research
Fowler's research centers on social networks. He is best known for his studies of the social spread of obesityObesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
, smoking
Smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
, and happiness
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
in the Framingham Heart Study
Framingham Heart Study
The Framingham Heart Study is a long-term, ongoing cardiovascular study on residents of the town of Framingham, Massachusetts. The study began in 1948 with 5,209 adult subjects from Framingham, and is now on its third generation of participants...
, but he has also studied the network of legislative cosponsorships in the U.S. Congress and the network of U.S. Supreme Court precedents
Precedent
In common law legal systems, a precedent or authority is a principle or rule established in a legal case that a court or other judicial body may apply when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts...
.
In addition to his research on social networks, Fowler has become known for his work on genopolitics
Genopolitics
Genopolitics is the study of the genetic basis of political behavior and attitudes. It combines behavior genetics, psychology, and political science and it is closely related to the emerging fields of neuropolitics and political physiology .The...
, showing that genes influence voting and other forms of political participation. Fowler used twin studies of voter turnout in Los Angeles and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health is the only nationally representative study of adolescent sexuality, which has spawned over one thousand peer-reviewed publications on many issues related to adolescent health and sexuality, and other adolescent health risk behaviors.The Add...
to establish that the decision to vote in the United States has very strong heritability
Heritability
The Heritability of a population is the proportion of observable differences between individuals that is due to genetic differences. Factors including genetics, environment and random chance can all contribute to the variation between individuals in their observable characteristics...
. He has also identified three genes that are associated with voter turnout and partisan attachment, specifically those regulating the serotonin
Serotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
and dopamine
Dopamine
Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...
systems in the brain via the production of monoamine oxidase
Monoamine oxidase
L-Monoamine oxidases are a family of enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of monoamines. They are found bound to the outer membrane of mitochondria in most cell types in the body. The enzyme was originally discovered by Mary Bernheim in the liver and was named tyramine oxidase...
, 5HTT, and DRD2.
More recently, he has shown evidence that social networks have a partly genetic basis. In 2010, he published a paper regarding the use of social networks as 'sensors' for forecasting epidemics.
In other research, Fowler is known for his theoretical and experimental work on egalitarianism
Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism is a trend of thought that favors equality of some sort among moral agents, whether persons or animals. Emphasis is placed upon the fact that equality contains the idea of equity of quality...
and the evolution of cooperation
Cooperation
Cooperation or co-operation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a...
, with related work on altruism
Altruism
Altruism is a concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of various religious traditions, though the concept of 'others' toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism is the opposite of...
, overconfidence
Overconfidence effect
The overconfidence effect is a well-established bias in which someone's subjective confidence in their judgments is reliably greater than their objective accuracy, especially when confidence is relatively high. For example, in some quizzes, people rate their answers as "99% certain" but are wrong...
, and political participation.
Fowler's newest research focuses on Facebook friendship as a predictor of voter mobilization, and the use of the social network medium, to mobilize voters in American elections. Based on a large manipulation of friendship cues in the Facebook social network, Fowler demonstrates that being presented with indications of friends having voted is a strong predictor of individual voting.
Books
In September 2009, Little, Brown & Co. published Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives by Nicholas A. ChristakisNicholas A. Christakis
Nicholas A. Christakis is a Greek American physician and sociologist known for his research on social networks and on the socioeconomic and biosocial determinants of health, longevity, and behavior...
and James H. Fowler. Connected draws on previously published and unpublished studies, including the Framingham Heart Study
Framingham Heart Study
The Framingham Heart Study is a long-term, ongoing cardiovascular study on residents of the town of Framingham, Massachusetts. The study began in 1948 with 5,209 adult subjects from Framingham, and is now on its third generation of participants...
and makes several new conclusions about the influence of social networks on human health and behavior. In Connected, they put forward their "Three Degrees of Influence" rule about human behavior, which theorizes that each person's individual social influence stretches three degrees before it fades out.
The Colbert Report
On February 28, 2008, the Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
published an op-ed that summarized Fowler's research showing that Democratic candidates who come on The Colbert Report receive 44% more in campaign donations in the first 30 days after appearing on the show. Colbert pointed out the op-ed on his March 3, 2008 show. Fowler also appeared during the Threatdown on his December 10, 2008 show, describing his work on the spread of happiness in social networks, and again on the January 7th, 2010 show to discuss the sociological impact of social networking.
Selected publications
The Framingham Heart Study Social NetworkGenes and Politics
Genes and Social Networks
Experimental Studies of Cooperation and Egalitarianism
Evolutionary Models
Altruism and Political Participation
Legislator Social Networks
Voter Social Networks
Network of Supreme Court Precedents
External links
- Personal webpage for James Fowler
- SSRN page with papers by James Fowler
- Center for Wireless and Population Health Systems
- UCSD Political Science Department faculty
- Video interview in Conversation with Tom Munnecke January 7, 2009
- Peace Corps Wiki article http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/James_Fowler
- Website for Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives http://connectedthebook.com