To Signal Is Human

In the American Scientist article and in the book, Honest Signals, Alex (Sandy) Pentland writes about how social and interaction patterns reveal how we feel about other people. These unconscious signals create a different communication network. This “honest signaling” is part of our primal instincts. By trying to understand these intentions, we can predict the outcomes of future situations.

Pentland, with Ben Waber, Daniel Olguin Olguin, and Taemie Kim, developed an ID badge (they termed a “sociometer”) to analyze honest signals and activity levels between groups of people. They found that these communication networks greatly influence how we make decisions. In this book, Pentland explains the science behind this research and how organizations can utilize this intel to be better communicators and managers. Fill out the form to the right to access the American Scientist article.

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