Jacob Strandell

Ph.D. Cognitive Sociology

I constantly think about two things: Human behavior and Efficiency. In everything - from exercise to investments and research. This makes me a pragmatic generalist in the social and behavioral sciences and a bit of a 'scientific problem-solver,' who asks big questions and seeks to improve science.

Most of my academic research involves coming up with creative solutions where conventional methods get 'stuck'. For example:

  • why marriage once again attracts young Swedes

  • how self-esteem influences behavior

  • the importance of emoji use for chemistry in online dating

  • how cognitive science can be used to understand the influence of culture


All research has three things in common: it is all about impactful ideas, always interdisciplinary and always big-picture. Look under the research section for details!

Currently I am a consultant at an analysis firm doing contract research about youth attitudes and behavior for a broad range of clients, from international tech companies to government agencies.


Prior to this I was a postdoctoral researcher at the Division for Environmental Communication (SLU), on a project to develop socially sustainable forms of environmental governance. Before that, I was an assistant professor at Uppsala University for 3 years following PhD-research at the University of Copenhagen with a dissertation about how cultural studies can learn from cognitive science.