Abstract

Cultural evolution is the study of how cultural traits (e.g., beliefs and behavioral patterns) stabilize, change and diffuse in a population, and why some cultural traits are more “cognitively attractive” (i.e., more likely to spread) than others. As such, cultural evolution is highly relevant for the emerging “science of science communication” in that it can help organize and guide the study of science communication efforts aimed at spreading scientifically accurate information and inspiring behavioral change. Here, I synthesize insights and theory from cultural evolution with central findings and concepts within the science of science communication with the aim of highlighting the inherent, but underexplored, consilience between these two fields. I demonstrate how cultural evolution can serve as a unifying framework for the science of science communication and how, conversely, science communication can serve as a fertile testing ground for applying, exploring and advancing cultural evolutionary theory in a real-world setting that matters.

T. Bendixen (2020). How cultural evolution can inform the science of science communication—and vice versa. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 7:35. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-00634-4