Jay Van Bavel is interested in the science of cooperation. A Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at New York University, Van Bavel has dedicated his career to understanding the factors that bind us together. In talks, he reveals how we can harness cooperation and build organizations that are more efficient, successful, and happier.

Humans are unparalleled when it comes to their uniquely strong ability to cooperate with each other. It’s how sports fan can show up to a stadium and immediately share a common purpose with 100,000 strangers; or how a person can go to great lengths—and take great risks—to save the life of someone they’ve never met.

Drawing from original neural science research conducted in his lab at NYU, Jay Van Bavel shows us what about human nature allows us to cooperate, why it matters to us today, and how we can nudge individuals and groups towards it. As work becomes more and more collaborative, Van Bavel’s talk is timely and necessary for organizations optimizing for the future.