
How Behavior Spreads
The Science of Complex Contagions
Damon Centola(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 24. March 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
312 pages
978-0-691-20242-6 (ISBN)
Description
A new, counterintuitive theory for how social networks influence the spread of behavior
New social movements, technologies, and public-health initiatives often struggle to take off, yet many diseases disperse rapidly without issue. Can the lessons learned from the viral diffusion of diseases improve the spread of beneficial behaviors and innovations? How Behavior Spreads presents over a decade of original research examining how changes in societal behavior-in voting, health, technology, and finance-occur and the ways social networks can be used to influence how they propagate. Damon Centola's startling findings show that the same conditions that accelerate the viral expansion of an epidemic unexpectedly inhibit the spread of behaviors. How Behavior Spreads is a must-read for anyone interested in how the theory of social networks can transform our world.
New social movements, technologies, and public-health initiatives often struggle to take off, yet many diseases disperse rapidly without issue. Can the lessons learned from the viral diffusion of diseases improve the spread of beneficial behaviors and innovations? How Behavior Spreads presents over a decade of original research examining how changes in societal behavior-in voting, health, technology, and finance-occur and the ways social networks can be used to influence how they propagate. Damon Centola's startling findings show that the same conditions that accelerate the viral expansion of an epidemic unexpectedly inhibit the spread of behaviors. How Behavior Spreads is a must-read for anyone interested in how the theory of social networks can transform our world.
Reviews / Votes
"Winner of the Harrison White Book Award, Mathematical Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association"More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
53 b/w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
463 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-20242-6 (9780691202426)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2018
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€28.99
Available for download
Person
Damon Centola is professor of communication, sociology, and engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is also senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and director of the Network Dynamics Group.