"Vonnegut was right; readers (and pretty much everyone else for that matter) are mostly interested in other human beings, and especially in the contents of others’ minds. This preoccupation is a good thing, because it allows us to accomplish some of life’s central tasks: understanding, communicating, coordinating and commiserating with others. At the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab, we leverage a wide array of techniques (including behavioral testing, psychophysiology, neuroimaging, and field research) to examine the cognitive bases of these social behaviors."