Daniel Sznycer

Université de Montréal, University of California, Santa Barbara

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About

Daniel Sznycer is a leading evolutionary psychologist whose research explores the deep-seated emotional and cognitive mechanisms that govern human sociality, with a particular focus on trust, cooperation, and moral judgment. His work bridges psychology, economics, and artificial intelligence, examining how ancient emotional systems shape modern interactions—including those with non-human agents. In his highly cited 2020 study, *Trust in humans and robots: Economically similar but emotionally different* (78 citations), Sznycer demonstrated that while people treat humans and robots similarly in economic trust games, the emotional experience—feelings of betrayal, gratitude, and warmth—differs profoundly. This finding has significant implications for human-robot collaboration and the design of trustworthy AI. His earlier work, *Trust in Humans, Robots, and Cyborgs: Treated the Same, but Experienced Differently* (2018), further refined this distinction. Sznycer’s contributions are foundational to understanding the evolved psychology of trust, showing that our social instincts are not easily extended to artificial agents. His research has been widely cited in psychology, robotics, and behavioral economics, and he is recognized for bringing rigorous evolutionary theory to bear on pressing modern questions about technology and social cohesion.