Learn About Socionomics

A Snapshot

What is socionomics? Socionomics is a field of study deriving from the hypothesis that social mood motivates the character of social action.

What do socionomists do? Socionomists model trends in finance, macroeconomics, politics, fashion, entertainment, demographics and other areas of human social action, present, past and future.

How long has socionomics been around? Robert Prechter began developing the idea in the 1970s and first reached a mass audience in a 1985 cover article in Barron’s. Since then, researchers have applied the hypothesis to explain diverse social phenomena including election results, trends in popular culture, the timing of epidemics and pandemics, the emergence of prohibition movements, and financial manias and crashes.

Can I take a university course on socionomics? Yes, at two universities we know of:  The University of Delaware and Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. The field is attracting more academics and researchers, so this list may grow. Prechter and others have authored books, articles and peer-reviewed papers about the theory and its application. Socionomists have made presentations at academic conferences as well as such institutions as the London School of Economics, MIT, Georgia Tech, SUNY, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and Trinity College Dublin.

How can I learn more? The below resources are great places to start.

The Socionomics Institute produces a monthly subscription magazine, The Socionomist. Information about the publication is available here. To receive an email updates, sign up here.