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

His mother, Marilynn Rosenthal of Ann Arbor, is a professor of behavioral sciences at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. — Sheryl Lee, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026

However, behavioral science suggests that instinct, emotion and cognitive shortcuts shape perception long before facts are fully processed, meaning that trust is influenced as much by context, experience and emotion as by the information itself. — Crispin Beale, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Their devotion to knotty specifics of academia extends to casting a real-life academic — Anne-Laure Sellier, currently a professor of behavioral sciences at HEC Paris business school — in the lead. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Clay regularly advises organizations on using existential psychology and behavioral science to improve their products, services, and workplace culture. — Big Think, 6 Aug. 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