Nicholas Epley

Behavioral scientist and University of Chicago Booth School of Business professor whose research focuses on social cognition, perspective-taking, human judgment, social connection, happiness, and well-being. He is the John Templeton Keller Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and director of the Roman Family Center for Decision Research.

People Underestimate How Often Attempts at Connection Will Be Welcomed

Behavioral scientist Nicholas Epley argues in a TED talk that people routinely avoid social connection because they misjudge how warmly others will respond. Drawing on experiments involving more than 30,000 people, he says this “misplaced pessimism” leads people to skip conversations, compliments, gratitude and offers of support that are usually received better than they expect. His prescription is modest: treat social fear as a forecast to be tested, and when in doubt, reach out.

TEDMay 28, 20267 min read