Paul Zak is a neuroeconomist

Neuroeconomics

Neuroeconomics is an interdisciplinary field that seeks to explain human decision making, the ability to process multiple alternatives and to choose an optimal course of action. It studies how economic behavior can shape our understanding of the brain, and how neuroscientific discoveries can...

.

Background

Zak graduated with degrees in mathematics and economics from San Diego State University

San Diego State University

San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...

 before acquiring a PhD in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

. He is professor at Claremont Graduate University

Claremont Graduate University

Claremont Graduate University is a private, all-graduate research university located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...

 in Southern California

Southern California

Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...

. He has studied brain imaging, and was the first to identify the role of oxytocin

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is a mammalian hormone that acts primarily as a neuromodulator in the brain.Oxytocin is best known for its roles in sexual reproduction, in particular during and after childbirth...

 in mediating trusting behaviors between unacquainted humans. Zak directs the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University and is a member of the Neurology

Neurology

Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...

 Department at Loma Linda University Medical Center

Loma Linda University Medical Center

Loma Linda University Medical Center is a teaching hospital on the campus of Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, United States. The medical center serves as a level I trauma center for San Bernardino County and the rest of the Inland Empire. It is one of two closest trauma centers for...

. He edited Moral Markets: The Critical Role of Values in the Economy (Princeton University Press, 2008). His book, The Moral Molecule will be published in 2012 by Dutton.

Zak's research aims to challenge the thought that people generally are driven primarily to act for what they consider their self-interest, and asks how morality may modulate ones interpretation of what constitutes "self-interest" in ones own personal terms. Methodological questions have arisen in regards to Zak's work, however. Other commentators though have called his work "one of the most revealing experiments in the history of economics."

Zak is frequently interviewed in the media on topics ranging from economic policy to romantic relationships. He was named by Wired magazine as one of the 10 Sexiest Geeks in 2005. He is often called "Dr. Love" and believes in the habit of hugging people to raise oxytocin levels. Zak suggests that intimate contact, using social ritual and social media such as using Twitter and Facebook raises oxytocin levels.

Publications

• Paul J. Zak, "Neuroeconomics", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 359:1737-1748, 2004.
• Paul J. Zak, Robert Kurzban and William T. Matzner, "The Neurobiology of Trust", Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1032:224–227, 2004.
• Michael Kosfeld, Markus Heinrichs, Paul J. Zak, Urs Fischbacher, & Ernst Fehr, "Oxytocin Increases Trust In Humans", Nature, 435:673–676, 2005.
• Paul J. Zak, Robert Kurzban, and William T. Matzner. "Oxytocin is Associated with Human Trustworthiness", Hormones and Behavior, 48, 522–527, 2005.
• Paul J. Zak, Karla Borja, Robert Kurzban, and William T. Matzner, "The Neuroeconomics of Distrust: Physiologic and Behavioral Differences Between Men and Women", American Economic Review, 95(2): 360-363, 2005
• Paul J. Zak, Angela A. Stanton & Sheila Ahmadi, "Oxytocin increases generosity in humans," PloS ONE 2(11): e1128, 2007.
• Vera B. Morhenn, Jang Woo Park, Elisabeth Piper & Paul J. Zak. "Monetary sacrifice among strangers is mediated by endogenous oxytocin release after physical contact", Evolution and Human Behavior, 29(375–383), 2008.
• Jorge A. Barraza & Paul J. Zak, "Empathy toward Strangers Triggers Oxytocin Release and Subsequent Generosity", Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1167, 182-189, 2009.

External links

• Center for Neuroeconomics Studies
• TED Talk, November 2011,video, 16 mins