Nicholas Epley

Papers

Total Citations

3,643

H-Index

About

Nicholas Epley is a leading figure in social cognition, renowned for his groundbreaking work on perspective-taking, dehumanization, and the psychology of anthropomorphism. His most influential contribution is the development of a three-factor theory explaining when and why people attribute humanlike minds to nonhuman agents, detailed in his seminal 2007 paper, which has garnered over 3,600 citations. This framework—identifying the roles of elicited agent knowledge, effectance motivation, and sociality motivation—has reshaped how researchers understand our tendency to see minds in everything from pets to gods. Beyond anthropomorphism, Epley has profoundly explored the barriers to understanding others, demonstrating how egocentrism and a lack of perspective-taking can lead to social disconnection and conflict. His work on dehumanization reveals the cognitive and emotional consequences of failing to see the full humanity in others. A professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Epley’s research has been widely recognized, earning him the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s Theoretical Innovation Prize. His accessible writing, including the book *Mindwise*, has brought these insights to a broad audience, cementing his status as a pivotal voice in modern social psychology.