Dar Meshi investigates how our brains process socially communicated information. In particular, he is interested in how information conveyed through social media motivates us and influences our decisions—humans are drawn to positive, rewarding social information, such as “likes” on social media. Social media platforms are a relatively new phenomenon, but they tap into social cognitive processes that have been hardwired into our brains over years of evolution. Dar's research program focuses on the brain and behavior of both adults and adolescents to elucidate these processes. To answer his research questions, he conducts behavioral experiments both in the lab and online. He also conducts neuroimaging experiments with an MRI scanner to examine brain activation and structures related to social information processing, especially in relation to social media use. Ultimately, with the knowledge gained by this research, Dar hopes to contribute to a better understanding of socially motivated human behavior.
Dar Meshi earned his BS in biology from the University of California at Los Angeles, and his PhD from Columbia University in New York. After his PhD, Dar spent some time in New York working at advertising agencies like Ogilvy and Mather. More recently, Dar was a postdoctoral research scientist at Freie Universität Berlin.
