Aiyana Koka Willard
@aiyanakoka.bsky.social
Cultural Evolutionary Psychologist | Centre for Culture and Evolution | Brunel University London
Researcher of religion, religious decline, spiritual beliefs, and other worldviews
Researcher of religion, religious decline, spiritual beliefs, and other worldviews
This video was made about our folk medicine project. It talks about our recent PNAS project, and also this study we did in Mauritius www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
December 3, 2025 at 9:24 AM
This video was made about our folk medicine project. It talks about our recent PNAS project, and also this study we did in Mauritius www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
On a roll with papers this week. PNAS paper with @michealdebarra.bsky.social giving some evidence to the idea that people turn to the supernatural because of uncertainty about causal processes. BONUS of curing whooping cough with donkeys and warts with snails 🐌
1/ 🧵 New PNAS paper by CCE’s @michealdebarra.bsky.social @aiyanakoka.bsky.social with Angel V Jiménez and Nachita Rosun🎉
📄 Why do people turn to religious or supernatural cures?
🧪🏺
#evolpsy #evolanth #evolutionarybehaviouralsciences #culturalevolution
📄 Why do people turn to religious or supernatural cures?
🧪🏺
#evolpsy #evolanth #evolutionarybehaviouralsciences #culturalevolution
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
December 2, 2025 at 1:48 PM
On a roll with papers this week. PNAS paper with @michealdebarra.bsky.social giving some evidence to the idea that people turn to the supernatural because of uncertainty about causal processes. BONUS of curing whooping cough with donkeys and warts with snails 🐌
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
1/ 🎙️ New paper by Dr Aiyana Willard argues it’s time to retire HADD = “we’re hardwired to see agents EVERYWHERE” and replace it with something that *actually* fits the evidence 🪦➡️📚
@brunelpsy.bsky.social
🔗 Read it 👇
@brunelpsy.bsky.social
🔗 Read it 👇
Belief as explanation: a motivation-based theory of agency and anthropomorphism in religious belief
Supernatural agent beliefs are ubiquitous across cultures, yet many theories aimed at explaining this fact have not held up to scrutiny. The most famous of these, the Hyperactive Agency Detection D...
www.tandfonline.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:37 PM
1/ 🎙️ New paper by Dr Aiyana Willard argues it’s time to retire HADD = “we’re hardwired to see agents EVERYWHERE” and replace it with something that *actually* fits the evidence 🪦➡️📚
@brunelpsy.bsky.social
🔗 Read it 👇
@brunelpsy.bsky.social
🔗 Read it 👇
I wrote a paper on my least favourite theory of religion: HADD
It’s good, you should read it! 😆
It’s good, you should read it! 😆
1/ 🎙️ New paper by Dr Aiyana Willard argues it’s time to retire HADD = “we’re hardwired to see agents EVERYWHERE” and replace it with something that *actually* fits the evidence 🪦➡️📚
@brunelpsy.bsky.social
🔗 Read it 👇
@brunelpsy.bsky.social
🔗 Read it 👇
Belief as explanation: a motivation-based theory of agency and anthropomorphism in religious belief
Supernatural agent beliefs are ubiquitous across cultures, yet many theories aimed at explaining this fact have not held up to scrutiny. The most famous of these, the Hyperactive Agency Detection D...
www.tandfonline.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:18 PM
I wrote a paper on my least favourite theory of religion: HADD
It’s good, you should read it! 😆
It’s good, you should read it! 😆
This is my wee baby cousin who I used to babysit. The hippy Willards are just out there spawning scientists 😆 www.mcgill.ca/channels/art...
How a McGill undergrad’s summer research project became a paper in a prestigious journal
When then-McGill undergraduate Maya Willard-Stepan cold-emailed a professor asking to help with their research, she didn’t expect the project to end up in the Nature-partner journal npj Urban Sustaina...
www.mcgill.ca
November 18, 2025 at 3:41 PM
This is my wee baby cousin who I used to babysit. The hippy Willards are just out there spawning scientists 😆 www.mcgill.ca/channels/art...
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
Teaching a fun science & critical thinking course this semester.
Trying out THAMES as a handy mnemonic for what to look for in evaluating science papers & such (obvs not all are as relevant for every paper)...
Trying out THAMES as a handy mnemonic for what to look for in evaluating science papers & such (obvs not all are as relevant for every paper)...
October 10, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Teaching a fun science & critical thinking course this semester.
Trying out THAMES as a handy mnemonic for what to look for in evaluating science papers & such (obvs not all are as relevant for every paper)...
Trying out THAMES as a handy mnemonic for what to look for in evaluating science papers & such (obvs not all are as relevant for every paper)...
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
🧵 1/ Excellent and impactful work from CCE second in command @loraadair.bsky.social published in the New Metro over the weekend about Outcry Witness
It’s an anonymous website where sexual-assault survivors can safely tell their stories.
No names, no pressure. Just a record in their own words 🗣️🛡️
It’s an anonymous website where sexual-assault survivors can safely tell their stories.
No names, no pressure. Just a record in their own words 🗣️🛡️
Home - Healing starts when people bear witness
Outcry Witness is the platform where survivors of sexual violence keep an anonymous record of their experience, always under their control.
outcrywitness.com
October 13, 2025 at 7:55 AM
🧵 1/ Excellent and impactful work from CCE second in command @loraadair.bsky.social published in the New Metro over the weekend about Outcry Witness
It’s an anonymous website where sexual-assault survivors can safely tell their stories.
No names, no pressure. Just a record in their own words 🗣️🛡️
It’s an anonymous website where sexual-assault survivors can safely tell their stories.
No names, no pressure. Just a record in their own words 🗣️🛡️
First day of school, grade 33? (I think?)
September 23, 2025 at 8:18 AM
First day of school, grade 33? (I think?)
I am on vacation in the place I grew up. I used to come here (meeting of the waters, Illecillewaet) everytime we drove through the rockies when I was a kid. At least once a year. Still as impressive as I remember it.
September 3, 2025 at 2:45 AM
I am on vacation in the place I grew up. I used to come here (meeting of the waters, Illecillewaet) everytime we drove through the rockies when I was a kid. At least once a year. Still as impressive as I remember it.
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
🧠 Want to integrate cultural evolution into your course using award winning materials created by the field's experts, and get paid $2000 to do it? 💵
🚨 The Cultural Evolution Society is seeking applications for the ACE Teaching Innovation Awards.
🔖 Apply here: vuw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
🚨 The Cultural Evolution Society is seeking applications for the ACE Teaching Innovation Awards.
🔖 Apply here: vuw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
vuw.qualtrics.com
August 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
🧠 Want to integrate cultural evolution into your course using award winning materials created by the field's experts, and get paid $2000 to do it? 💵
🚨 The Cultural Evolution Society is seeking applications for the ACE Teaching Innovation Awards.
🔖 Apply here: vuw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
🚨 The Cultural Evolution Society is seeking applications for the ACE Teaching Innovation Awards.
🔖 Apply here: vuw.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
I complain, but I got not one, not two, but three (!) papers off my desk this week.
I love writing because I get to engage with so many other people’s brilliant ideas and read about cool research. I hate editing papers because I have to engage with my very familiar ideas and read the same thing 300 times.
August 15, 2025 at 3:05 PM
I complain, but I got not one, not two, but three (!) papers off my desk this week.
I love writing because I get to engage with so many other people’s brilliant ideas and read about cool research. I hate editing papers because I have to engage with my very familiar ideas and read the same thing 300 times.
August 12, 2025 at 1:34 PM
I love writing because I get to engage with so many other people’s brilliant ideas and read about cool research. I hate editing papers because I have to engage with my very familiar ideas and read the same thing 300 times.
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
The Spirits and Sources folks attended the Goddess Conference last week 🧙♀️🪬🧚
lots of fieldwork 🏞️🔍, participant observation and ethnography 🧑🤝🧑📋🖊️, and community building 🌐🤝🏘️ as well as embodied experience 🙏💃🌀
@brunelpsy.bsky.social @brunelgradschool.bsky.social
lots of fieldwork 🏞️🔍, participant observation and ethnography 🧑🤝🧑📋🖊️, and community building 🌐🤝🏘️ as well as embodied experience 🙏💃🌀
@brunelpsy.bsky.social @brunelgradschool.bsky.social
August 6, 2025 at 3:04 PM
The Spirits and Sources folks attended the Goddess Conference last week 🧙♀️🪬🧚
lots of fieldwork 🏞️🔍, participant observation and ethnography 🧑🤝🧑📋🖊️, and community building 🌐🤝🏘️ as well as embodied experience 🙏💃🌀
@brunelpsy.bsky.social @brunelgradschool.bsky.social
lots of fieldwork 🏞️🔍, participant observation and ethnography 🧑🤝🧑📋🖊️, and community building 🌐🤝🏘️ as well as embodied experience 🙏💃🌀
@brunelpsy.bsky.social @brunelgradschool.bsky.social
Free to a good home. Will bring you live bats while you sleep.
June 28, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Free to a good home. Will bring you live bats while you sleep.
I bought a new book! I am very excited to read it! @manvir.bsky.social
May 23, 2025 at 10:17 AM
I bought a new book! I am very excited to read it! @manvir.bsky.social
Jumping a fire for Beltane in Glastonbury with @loraadair.bsky.social and @michelleakline.bsky.social. #BestFeildsiteEver
May 5, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Jumping a fire for Beltane in Glastonbury with @loraadair.bsky.social and @michelleakline.bsky.social. #BestFeildsiteEver
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
Ayesha Ali from @brunelcce.bsky.social presenting on the importance of Spiritual-But-Not-Religious practices providing community for people in Glastonbury, including a slide with the first quote from a male witch I’ve seen so far at #ehbea2025
April 16, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Ayesha Ali from @brunelcce.bsky.social presenting on the importance of Spiritual-But-Not-Religious practices providing community for people in Glastonbury, including a slide with the first quote from a male witch I’ve seen so far at #ehbea2025
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
@brunelcce.bsky.social graduate Nachita Rosun presenting research at #ehbea2025 on the cultural transmission of Spiritual-But-Not-Religious behaviours in the UK (about 20% of the prolific sample identified this way); collaborative work including @aiyanakoka.bsky.social
April 16, 2025 at 3:37 PM
@brunelcce.bsky.social graduate Nachita Rosun presenting research at #ehbea2025 on the cultural transmission of Spiritual-But-Not-Religious behaviours in the UK (about 20% of the prolific sample identified this way); collaborative work including @aiyanakoka.bsky.social
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
Lovely recent CCE social in the *always sunny* London 🌞🤩🎡
If this doesn't sell us.... 🤷♀️
@loraadair.bsky.social @aiyanakoka.bsky.social @rebeccasear.bsky.social @nicolewen.bsky.social @michelleakline.bsky.social @matthewmgervais.bsky.social ❤️
If this doesn't sell us.... 🤷♀️
@loraadair.bsky.social @aiyanakoka.bsky.social @rebeccasear.bsky.social @nicolewen.bsky.social @michelleakline.bsky.social @matthewmgervais.bsky.social ❤️
March 12, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Lovely recent CCE social in the *always sunny* London 🌞🤩🎡
If this doesn't sell us.... 🤷♀️
@loraadair.bsky.social @aiyanakoka.bsky.social @rebeccasear.bsky.social @nicolewen.bsky.social @michelleakline.bsky.social @matthewmgervais.bsky.social ❤️
If this doesn't sell us.... 🤷♀️
@loraadair.bsky.social @aiyanakoka.bsky.social @rebeccasear.bsky.social @nicolewen.bsky.social @michelleakline.bsky.social @matthewmgervais.bsky.social ❤️
Come do a masters degree with the coolest culture and evolution group around!
1/ 🌟📢 Applications for our MSc in Psychology, Culture & Evolution at @brunelpsy.bsky.social @brunelgradschool.bsky.social are OPEN for 2025/26 🎓 📢
Ever wondered how culture 🌍 and evolution 🧬 shape human behaviour? 🤔 This interdisciplinary program might be for you 🧵
Ever wondered how culture 🌍 and evolution 🧬 shape human behaviour? 🤔 This interdisciplinary program might be for you 🧵
Psychology, Culture and Evolution MSc | Brunel University of London
A research-intensive psychology master's course, allowing you to understand how culture and evolution can influence human behaviour.
www.brunel.ac.uk
March 11, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Come do a masters degree with the coolest culture and evolution group around!
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
If you’ve got $20,000 a month to spend on a “PhD level” ai agent, just hire a person.
OpenAI reportedly plans to charge up to $20,000 a month for specialized AI 'agents' | TechCrunch
OpenAI may be planning to charge up to $20,000 per month for specialized AI 'agents,' according to The Information.
techcrunch.com
March 5, 2025 at 10:24 PM
If you’ve got $20,000 a month to spend on a “PhD level” ai agent, just hire a person.
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
🎙 Exciting news! Transmissions Episode 1 features Dr. Cristina Moya.
In this episode, we explore her fieldwork in Peru, and discuss how pilgrimage sites emerge and sustain themselves over time.
It will be out on YouTube this week—Stay tuned for the link!
In this episode, we explore her fieldwork in Peru, and discuss how pilgrimage sites emerge and sustain themselves over time.
It will be out on YouTube this week—Stay tuned for the link!
March 2, 2025 at 12:00 PM
🎙 Exciting news! Transmissions Episode 1 features Dr. Cristina Moya.
In this episode, we explore her fieldwork in Peru, and discuss how pilgrimage sites emerge and sustain themselves over time.
It will be out on YouTube this week—Stay tuned for the link!
In this episode, we explore her fieldwork in Peru, and discuss how pilgrimage sites emerge and sustain themselves over time.
It will be out on YouTube this week—Stay tuned for the link!
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
1/ 🧵 🚨New paper!🚨 Cross-cultural research is expanding in the social sciences — but are we measuring what we think we are? Our recent paper argues that construct validity is an overlooked challenge, especially in developmental research. Let’s break it down. 🌍 🧠
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Construct Validity in Cross-Cultural, Developmental Research: Challenges and Strategies for Improvement | Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core
Construct Validity in Cross-Cultural, Developmental Research: Challenges and Strategies for Improvement
www.cambridge.org
March 2, 2025 at 12:37 AM
1/ 🧵 🚨New paper!🚨 Cross-cultural research is expanding in the social sciences — but are we measuring what we think we are? Our recent paper argues that construct validity is an overlooked challenge, especially in developmental research. Let’s break it down. 🌍 🧠
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Things I often think about: of places I have lived, people think of London as place with a violent crime problem, Vancouver as very unsafe in some places, and Austin generally quite safe. Austin’s murder rate is 2x that of Vancouver and 3x that of London. London is the safest of the three.
February 27, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Things I often think about: of places I have lived, people think of London as place with a violent crime problem, Vancouver as very unsafe in some places, and Austin generally quite safe. Austin’s murder rate is 2x that of Vancouver and 3x that of London. London is the safest of the three.
Reposted by Aiyana Koka Willard
If you're considering grad school (:cough: outside 🇺🇸), @brunelcce.bsky.social has a Psychology, Culture, & Evolution MSc with absolutely top-notch staff. Plenty of expats to help plug you into UK life & academia, MSc -> PhD & beyond.
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements & feel free to email w/ Qs!
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements & feel free to email w/ Qs!
February 22, 2025 at 3:56 PM
If you're considering grad school (:cough: outside 🇺🇸), @brunelcce.bsky.social has a Psychology, Culture, & Evolution MSc with absolutely top-notch staff. Plenty of expats to help plug you into UK life & academia, MSc -> PhD & beyond.
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements & feel free to email w/ Qs!
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements & feel free to email w/ Qs!