iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 04/08/2026

I’m now @grinnellcollege.bsky.social in Anthropology where I’ll be offering a series of new courses on human #evolutionary social #science & #biologicalanthropology and launching a new lab to support student research and expand my research program. 🧪 #HBES 🌾💎 #Grinnell

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 08/05/2026

⭐️ to any @hbes2026.bsky.social or @ces2026.bsky.social attendees traveling across #Morocco who manage to spot our logo inspirations IRL #CESRabat #HBES2026

A line of riders in traditional dress performing a fantasia, galloping on horseback across sandy ground and firing rifles in unison, with smoke rising above them.

Goats perched and climbing across the branches of an argan tree in a dry, open landscape under a clear blue sky.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 30/04/2026

Conference update emails for #HBES2026 and #CESRabat will be sent soon. In the meantime, updated programs are live on both conference websites: airess.fgses-um6p.ma/hbes2026 airess.fgses-um6p.ma/ces2026 Check them out! @ces2026.bsky.social @hbes2026.bsky.social

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 14/04/2026

Q: How’s the end of the semester going? A: 🎾 @weratedogs.com

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 15/03/2026

What I find particularly striking is the within-species between-group variation in rates of observed aggression... #BioAnth 🧪 doi.org/10.1126/scia...

Figure from manuscript illustrating distributions of rates of aggression for each group by each species. It shows there's much overlap, but the most and least aggressive groups seems distinct.

Caption from MS:

Fig. 6. Posterior sample distributions for the group intercepts for aggression. (A) shows distribution for total aggression, and (B) shows distribution for contact aggression only. Black lines reflect a 95% CI.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 22/02/2026

MJ doesn’t penetrate the algorithms. Algorithms shape prestige and biases. Sadly. Update? 😢

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 10/02/2026

The social excursions for @hbes2026.bsky.social will be held on the 17th of May, after the conference. (There was a mistake in the date in the email sent out to HBES members.) Talk to your friends to coordinate on which one you may want to join. @humbehevosoc.bsky.social #HBES2026

Volubilis Excursion – May 17
A full-day trip to the Roman ruins of Volubilis. The group will depart Rabat at 8:00 a.m. and return around 6:00 p.m. This guided visit provides an opportunity to experience one of Morocco’s most impressive archaeological sites.

Chellah Excursion – May 17
A half-day visit to Rabat’s Chellah archaeological site. Participants will meet in the city at 10:00 a.m. and finish around noon. This outing offers an accessible way to explore the medieval necropolis and surrounding gardens.

Participants may choose either the Volubilis day trip or the Chellah visit. Please plan your travel accordingly

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 03/02/2026

Interesting ideas & industry needs new directions. A comment on analogy: most artistically-minded musicians & most serious fans still see the album as the primary mode. Those listeners are rare now. But it doesn’t mean the quality or experience is improved. The unbundling isn’t necessarily good.

It is incredibly unfortunate that the album has reached such a morose state. Something beautiful which unites people across the world is slowly losing its audience in favor of manufactured mainstream music which doesn’t even scratch the surface of the depth an album provides, which is why I strongly encourage you to listen to an album.

https://thetenaflyecho.com/26402/opinion/the-importance-of-the-album/

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 28/01/2026

It's here! zhgarfield.github.io/files/singh_... Ask @manvir.bsky.social for the behind-the-scenes version

A story of a pig theft from Singh & Garfield (2022) Nature Human Behavior.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 08/01/2026

One week left to submit your abstracts to #HBES2026 16 Jan deadline! @hbes2026.bsky.social @humbehevosoc.bsky.social We’re scouting banquet locations. Hope to see you in Rabat!!

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 18/09/2025

Ahh...the png from the article doesn't cross-post well. Here's the figure from the manuscript (zhgarfield.github.io/files/garfie...) :

Figure from cross-cultural coding from ethnographic data showing the percentage of societies supporting six features of reputation: Cultural group unity (about 80% of societies), Social & material success (about 60%), Neural capital (about 60%), Dominance (about 50%), Supernatural healing (about 45%) and Sexuality (about 23%). Caption from manuscript: Percentage of cultures providing evidence for reputation features (95% CI estimated via cluster bootstrap).

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 02/05/2025

"“After all these years, it hit me,” she says. “The reason that all of these interventions are working is because they make people feel more connected to others." The psychs should've talked to the anthros. Sociality is the key. w/ work by @dingdingpeng.the100.ci www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/m...

from: Happiness in the Amazon: Folk Explanations of Happiness in a Hunter-Horticulturalist Society in the Bolivian Amazon

According to free listings, the Tsimane’ sense of happiness centers on social relations (i.e., spending time with close family, drinking home-brewed beer, having visitors) and success in common subsistence activities (i.e., hunting, fishing, agriculture). Possession of material goods and money, and participation in market-based activities (i.e., buying and selling), do not appear as important sources of happiness for the Tsimane’. Frequency of responses varied between Tsimane’ living near to and far from the market town

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 11/04/2025

With @sheinalew.bsky.social: Teaching is associated with the transmission of opaque culture and leadership across 23 egalitarian hunter-gatherer societies, in @naturecomms.bsky.social #evolution #culture 🧪 #LeadSciSky #CultEvo www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Quote: " In sum, leader-directed teaching of opaque cooperative norms would be a mutually beneficial strategy, where the costs incurred by influential teachers are, at least partly, outweighed by the long-term benefits of cultivating cooperation within the group."

Mosaic plot illustrating the relationship between evidence for teaching and non-teaching social learning, based on a binary researcher-coded measure of teaching.

"Although instrumental cultural transmission frequently occurs through both teaching and non-teaching social learning, opaque cultural information is predominantly transmitted through teaching, with relatively fewer instances of non-teaching social learning."

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 08/02/2025

Biri's wife just gave birth to their second daughter! They are so happy. Biri is in his fourth year at Jinka University, studying accounting and finance. He is currently completing an internship at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia in Jinka, Ariksha branch. Aid is important.

BIri is holding his newborn daughter. The baby, unclothed, rests in his arms while looking away from the camera. Sunlight streams in from an opening behind them, casting a warm glow on their faces. The background consists of earthen walls and wooden beams.

Biri's wife is wearing traditional beaded necklaces and bracelets and sits inside a dimly lit tradiational house, cradling her newborn daughter wrapped in cloth. Beside her, her first daughter is wearing a red top and beaded jewelry sits on the floor, looking toward the camera. The setting has earthen walls, with sunlight filtering through gaps in the structure.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 16/01/2025

A chilly morning in Vancouver in 2016 we first talked about motherhood as a force in the evolution of prestige & leadership. The Computational Services model weaves together 10+ years of thinking on..a lot work led by @edhagen.net. 🧪 #LeadSciSky #Evolution authors.elsevier.com/c/1kR2W3tz49...

ur theory proposes that when there were asymmetries in information or computational resources, many of the diverse cognitive adaptations that evolved to benefit the individual could have been deployed as computational services to benefit others in exchange for various payments, thereby helping subsidize the large fixed energetic cost of maintaining the brain

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 04/12/2024

Also, feel free to use this #colorpalette put together at the Ben Youssef Madrasa in Marrakesh from the Marinid dynasty:

This image shows a person's feet wearing white sneakers while standing on the historic zellige tilework floor of the Ben Youssef Madrasa in Marrakech, Morocco. The traditional Moroccan geometric tilework displays a checkerboard pattern featuring tiles in white, black, amber/honey, and cobalt blue - colors that are characteristic of Moroccan Islamic architecture from this period. Built in the 14th century and later rebuilt in the 16th century, the Ben Youssef Madrasa was once the largest Islamic college in North Africa. The tiles show signs of age and wear from centuries of use, with a patina that adds to their historical character. The image is composed as a looking-down perspective, contrasting modern white sneakers and blue jeans against the ancient geometric patterns. There's a glimpse of a green-painted surface visible in the top left corner, likely one of the madrasa's architectural elements.

This style of geometric tilework (zellige) is a hallmark of Moroccan Islamic art and architecture, where intricate patterns were used to create beautiful spaces for learning and worship, as mathematical and geometric patterns were considered a reflection of divine order in Islamic artistic tradition.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 01/12/2024

Same story but different data (under review AFAIK): osf.io/preprints/os.... Overall, trust in science is high. However, many countries we might not expect score below the global mean. I stitched together the attached plot from the preprint for a presentation.

A plot from the linked preprint shows several countries and their mean scores for the trust in science measure based on survey reports. Egypt and India score the highest, and several relatively developed countries score below the global mean.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 23/11/2024

Open house today at UM6P-FGSES. 3000+ visitors learning about our #interdisciplinary programs, including our undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs in behavioral science. #BehSci #BehSciSky #Morocco

Students, families, and professors interact under pergolas and palm trees at UM6P’s Rabat campus.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 20/11/2024

Today at the AIRESS @matcharbonneau.bsky.social on open-ended technological evolution; explored how tools not only solve problems but amplify our problem-solving abilities, creating a feedback loop that fuels human uniqueness. #CulturalEvolution #EHBEA 🧪 #BehavoiralScience

Photo of Mathieu giving a talk for the Africa Institute of Research in Economics and Social Sciences seminar. Title slide pictured. Coauthor with James Winters.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 20/02/2024

Margaret Mead foresaw the future impact of interdisciplinary and evolutionary anthropology in 1957. resource.rockarch.org/story/margar...

Quote: “I expect important contributions from those anthropologists who are alive to the use of models from communication theory, and ethology, to the need for micro-analysis by the use of modern methods of recording, to the possibilities of pattern analysis using large numbers of variables suitable for computer treatment, to contemporary work on the brain.”
Margaret Mead, Ford Foundation letters (1957)

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 23/01/2024

Job search news: FGSES at UM6P is seeking applications for a Permanent Professor position in Behavioral Science. Come join a truly interdisciplinary environment at a dynamic and growing university in Morocco! The new call should be updated here soon: www.fgses-um6p.ma/jobs?field_t...

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 17/01/2024

I'm teaching a course on leadership and inequality this semester & students are reading Lewis' 1974 classic ethnographic survey. It dawned on me: it's the 50th anniversary of this pure masterpiece of anthropological and leadership theory. Herb is a fantastic scholar. This is a must-read:

Cover of the printed essay which reads: LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS: SOME ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES HERBERT S. LEWIS The In this comparative study of leadership and follower relations, specially stress is placed on the lessons to be learned from anthropology and comparative ethnography. There is a detailed discussion of the dynamics of certain political processes, includingthe element of transaction and exchange in social relationships.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 20/12/2023

Roads? To get to Kwegu country you may have to build your own. w/ Temechegen, Maud & Sindi. Teamwork makes the field work.

A muddy river crossing, to mushy to drive across.

We’re setting all the debris in place to make a road.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 10/12/2023

Call for papers in Hunter Gatherer Research. Special issue: Leadership, Power, and Politics in Forager and Post-Forager Societies 🧪 liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/pb-assets/do...

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 27/11/2023

Just here to work. 🇫🇷

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 14/11/2023

Here's a picture from the last time I saw and chatted with John, commemorating the reception of the 2020 Jean-Nicod Prize with Leda, pictured with @manvir.bsky.social

John Tooby and Leda Cosmides engaging in a panel discussion with Manvir Singh.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 14/11/2023

John was mentored by primatologist Irven DeVore and got his Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology. John trained multiple anthropologists. A part of his enduring legacy lies in laying the groundwork for today's integrated biological and social sciences

"John Tooby's Network" shows his Ph.D advisor, DeVore, DeVore's other students, and John's students. The network is not complete. From https://www.bioanthtree.org/

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 08/11/2023

Our study on interpersonal conflicts and third-party mediation in a pastoralist society is now available online via *Evolution and Human Behavior*: authors.elsevier.com/a/1i34C3tz49... #HBES #cssky #bioanth #EHBEA

Screen shot of the webpage for the paper:

Evolution and Human Behavior
Available online 8 November 2023
In Press, Corrected Proof
Evolution and Human Behavior
Interpersonal conflicts and third-party mediation in a pastoralist society
Zachary H. Garfield, Luke Glowacki

Human societies depend on the ability of their members to coordinate and cooperate with others. Yet, within-group conflict can threaten group stability. This threat is severe among humans due to the scale of our societies and the frequent low levels of relatedness between members. Our ability to resolve inter-individual conflicts is a key aspect of our species' success. Despite the importance of conflict resolution in human sociality, the socio-ecology of how within-group conflicts are resolved in naturalistic settings is underexplored. Using a sample of 160 inter-individual conflicts reported by 81 adults from an agro-pastoralist community in southwest Ethiopia, we identify the primary causes of interpersonal conflict and the features associated with third-party mediation and conflict outcomes. We find that both men and women experience relatively severe inter- and intra-gender conflicts; conflicts between women are more likely to be social in nature, while conflicts between men are m

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 26/10/2023

This will be a first: presenting my cross-cultural and evolutionary anthropological research directly to a group of diverse decision-makers and real-world leaders. I hope they're excited to learn about leopard skin chiefs, Umealik, Ariki, and Ekila. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWqL...

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 25/10/2023

You've read about *the* WEIRD people problem. But have you read about weird people's problems?

Cover of, "Weirdest People in the World" (1965)

Section of the cover depicts a skeleton sitting in a chair, with the caption, "Safe in her parlor, she suddenly turned into devouring flame."

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 09/10/2023

Today I'm giving a (remote) talk for the *Learning, Evolution, and Games* seminar -- a fascinating group of theorists, empiricists, & experimentalists working on evolutionary foundations of behavior, game theory, and learning in games, etc. thelegproject.wordpress.com/leg-seminar/

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 09/10/2023

In science, we need to understand our biases and be explicit about them. My bias is not Jennie.

The dictionary definition of "bias" includes a specific definition of a K-Pop fan's preference for their favorite singer of a group. It uses the example of, "I'm a fan of Blackpink and my bias is Jennie."

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 09/10/2023

Today I discovered Mary Inez Hilger's "Field Guide to the Ethnological Study of Child Life" (1960). Her comments on how to research intellect among children in smaller-scale societies...thinking about which children would become community leaders. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_I...

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 09/10/2023

I sometimes use this slide when introducing myself before a talk. More than once, someone has jokingly pointed out I only affiliate with institutions with red-pallette-based insignias. When I joined UM6P their blue-based logos broke the streak. However, one month in, they've appropriately rebranded.

A slide with the background and academic 'lineage': UNL, WSU, and IAST, all with red-based logos.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 08/10/2023

Student's first ggplot. I'm most impressed with them getting the theme(element_text(size) in there.

A ggplot scatter plot of penguin data: flipper length by body mass, with point color and shape related to three different species. There's a positive relationship with one species being larger and having longer flippers than the other two.

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 18/09/2023

Call for papers -- Special issue for *Hunter Gatherer Research*: Leadership, Power, and Politics in Forager and Post-Forager Societies. liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/pb-assets/do... Due 21 Feb 2024 🔄 #Leadership #power #politics #anthropology #huntergatherers #culture #HBES

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 10/09/2023

Excellent point, Cathryn. I agree that the book-level treatment/theory does perhaps have some very, although subtle, over generalizations. doi.org/10.1080/2153...

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 10/09/2023

Very good, indeed. Although Henrich et al. were clear in 2010: non-WEIRD isn’t a thing. But nonetheless…much of social science continues problematic essentialism of broad cross-sections of human cultural diversity. We tried to make a similar point : www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 09/09/2023

There was no damage in Rabat, but we felt strong vibrations, like someone rocking the bed back and forth with their hands. Lasted at least 45 seconds to a minute. Everyone in our neighborhood had evacuated their buildings. On Thursday I’m supposed to finish a lecture on PTSD and natural disasters…

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 29/08/2023

www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/abs/10.3...

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Zach Garfield @zhgarfield.com · 25/08/2023

Maybe the comms team can stream them to you if I give the lectures in the studio. Otherwise, make friends with the Prince?

Screen capture of the opening of an intro video for the course, Human Behavior and Ecology.

Me in the intro video, in the studio, sitting in front of a bookshelf.

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