Research in this group explores the evolution of cooperation in nature. In particular, we ask what mechanisms can maintain cooperation in interactions where partners may otherwise be tempted to exploit one another. In parallel, we investigate the ecological causes and evolutionary consequences of individual variation in social behaviour.
We work on a variety of model species, and use real-world and lab-based methods to tackle these questions.
We are striving to be an open science lab. We publish in open-access journals, we pre-register our experiments when we can, and we routinely post the materials, data and code to reproduce analyses online.
If you’re keen to come and work with us in the Social Evolution and Behaviour Lab at UCL, please get in touch.
Principal investigator
Nichola Raihani is PI of the Social Evolution and Behaviour Lab. She is Professor in Evolution and Behaviour, a Royal Society University Research Fellow and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.
I wrote a thing about why cycling is a ‘make friends quickly anywhere’ sport and you can read it if you like 🚴♀️ https://t.co/Ekbfr8S39Y
— Prof Nichola Raihani (@nicholaraihani) January 26, 2023
I'm really happy to have been involved in this paper on the evidence (or lack thereof) for inequity aversion in nonhumans - expertly led by Oded. Thanks also to all the authors who kindly shared their data. https://t.co/gUnRKBpCqq
— Prof Nichola Raihani (@nicholaraihani) January 24, 2023
Really nice contribution to the debate over how intelligence evolves. Picks apart methods used to contrast ecological vs social intelligence hypotheses. Variable measurements of brain size & model specs make it v difficult to draw conclusions. https://t.co/SCirfn6qnF
— Prof Nichola Raihani (@nicholaraihani) January 23, 2023
Nichola Raihani awarded Philip Leverhulme Prize for Psychology
New paper shows that social threat causes paranoid thinking
Nichola Raihani elected to Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology