Duncan Watts is a principal research scientist at Yahoo! Research, and a former professor of sociology at Columbia University. His research on social networks and collective dynamics has appeared in a wide range of academic journals, including Nature, Science, and the American Journal of Sociology. He is also the author of two previous books, Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age; and Small Worlds: The Dynamics of Networks between Order and Randomness. He lives in New York.

From the reviews of Everything is Obvious:'A fascinating book that ranges through psychology, economics, marketing and the science of networks.' Wall Street Journal 'Watts is an enjoyable companion... His enthusiasm is admirable and the book will hold valuable insights for a great many professions.' Prospect'Penetrating and engaging... Common sense is a kind of bespoke make-believe, and we can no more use it to scientifically explain the workings of the social world than we can use a hammer to understand molluscs... It's this sort of study, not common sense, that will shed bright light on human affairs.'