In his research, Yale neuroscientist Steve W.C. Chang explores the neural circuit mechanisms of social cognition and social decision-making — and understanding how animals think is a common thread among the books he recommends.
Chang, a professor of psychology in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and professor of neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine, is also a member of the Wu Tsai Institute and the Kavli Institute for Neuroscience at Yale.
Steve Chang
What’s the last great book you read?
Steve Chang: “An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us,” by Ed Yong. This beautifully written book reveals fascinating, often overlooked truths about the natural world and the remarkable animals that inhabit it.
Is there anything you’re reading for your area of expertise?
Chang: “Sociobiology: The New Synthesis,” by E. O. Wilson. This is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the natural world and animal behavior. By exploring the social lives of diverse species, the book reveals the remarkable principles that shape and guide social beings.
Do you have a favorite book that you wish more people had read?
Chang: “Flowers for Algernon,” by Daniel Keyes. This thought-provoking book explores the ethical and moral questions surrounding the enhancement of intelligence through the story of a laboratory mouse whose intelligence is artificially increased.
