behavioral science

noun

: a branch of science (such as psychology, sociology, or anthropology) that deals primarily with human action and often seeks to generalize about human behavior in society

behavioral scientist noun

Examples of behavioral science in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Future leaders will need fluency in technology, behavioral science, design thinking, storytelling and systems thinking. — David Henkin, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

An agent that knows us this well can draw on behavioral science—the same biases and triggers that have always influenced human decisions—to observe, understand, and either serve or manipulate us. — Ravi Dhar, Fortune, 23 June 2026

The research was conducted by Zillow's behavioral science team, which surveyed more than 4,400 recent and prospective home buyers around the country. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 22 June 2026

As psychoanalysis gave way to behavioral science, the pleasure principle evolved into the concept of immediate or instant gratification. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for behavioral science

• appliance
• compliance
• defiance
• reliance
• geoscience
• neuroscience
• noncompliance
• pseudoscience

Medical Definition

behavioral science

noun

: a science (as psychology, sociology, or anthropology) that deals with human action and seeks to generalize about human behavior in society

behavioral scientist noun