Human Relations Area Files

Romantic or disgusting? Passionate kissing is not a human universal

From pop culture to evolutionary psychology, we have come to take kissing for granted as universally desirable among humans and inseparable from other aspects of affection and intimacy. However, a recent article in American Anthropologist…

Seeking Outreach Coordinator to Start July 2019

The Human Relations Area Files at Yale University, a member-supported anthropological organization, is seeking a full-time (or 30-hour a week) coordinator for outreach as well as design of educational and research materials to support faculty,…

Winter Solstice Celebrations Around the World

The Winter Solstice is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere. Marking the longest night and shortest day of the year, the hibernal solstice is an astronomical event that takes place when the Earth reaches its…

Surviving Winter Weather

Here in New England, a deep freeze has blanketed homes and streets with snow and ice this winter, making for treacherous and exhausting conditions including power outages, frozen plumbing and unending traffic congestion. With the…

Thanks, but no thanks: Expressions of gratitude in eHRAF World Cultures

During the end-of-year “holiday season” throughout much of the Western world, we are often reminded to be grateful for the things that we have, and even to go out of our way to be gracious…