Bio

I teach and do research across a variety of fields and work with teams to coordinate projects across academia and industry. I intend to study, share, and practice the principles of life that lead to greater wisdom, peace, and prosocial engagement in the world.

Born in Arizona in 1988, I received a BA in Human Biology (with a concentration in the Psychology and Philosophy of Successful Aging) from Stanford University in 2012 and an MS in Community Health and Prevention Research from Stanford Medicine in 2019. As a speaker, teacher, and writer, I cover topics ranging from biology and psychology to behavior design, human nature, and the future of biotechnology. As a consultant and interdisciplinary research scholar, I study human behavior (especially screen time), biotechnological ethics, social connectedness, public health, and human flourishing.

See more on my personal website: https://stevencrane.me/ or our Stanford project website at https://boundariesofhumanity.stanford.edu/

Academic Appointments

Contact

  • Academic
    stevoc@stanford.edu
    University - Academic staff Department: Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI) Position: Social Science Research Scholar

Additional Info

2022-23 Courses

All Publications

  • Longitudinal tracking of human plasma oxytocin suggests complex responses to moral elevation. Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology Parkitny, L., Carter, C. S., Peckins, M. K., Hon, D. A., Saturn, S., Nazarloo, H. P., Hurlbut, W., Knutson, B., Crane, S., Harris, X., Younger, J. 2022; 9: 100105

    Abstract

    Positive social experiences may induce oxytocin release. However, previous studies of moral elevation have generally utilized cross-sectional and simple modeling approaches to establish the relationship between oxytocin and emotional stimuli. Utilizing a cohort of 30 non-lactating women (aged 23.6 ± 5.7 years), we tested whether exposure to a video identified as capable of eliciting moral elevation could change plasma oxytocin levels. Uniquely, we utilized a high-frequency longitudinal sampling approach and multilevel growth curve modeling with landmark registration to test physiological responses. The moral elevation stimulus, versus a control video, elicited significantly greater reports of being "touched/inspired" and "happy/joyful". However, the measured plasma oxytocin response was found to be markedly heterogeneous. While the moral elevation stimulus elicited increased plasma oxytocin as expected, this increase was only modestly larger than that seen following the control video. This increase was also only present in some individuals. We found no relationship between plasma oxytocin and self-report responses to the stimulus. From these data, we argue that future studies of the relationship between oxytocin and emotion need to anticipate heterogeneous responses and thus incorporate comprehensive individual psychological data; these should include evidence-based variables known to be associated with oxytocin such as a history of trauma, and the individual's psychological and emotional state at the time of testing. Given the complexity of physiological oxytocin release, such studies also need to incorporate frequent biological sampling to properly examine the dynamics of hormonal release and response.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100105

    View details for PubMedID 35755919

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9216598

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5385-2926