Human Dynamics: The Correspondence Patterns of Darwin and Einstein

TL;DR

This study compares historical correspondence patterns of Darwin and Einstein with modern email exchanges, revealing similar underlying dynamics despite different communication media, and identifying a new universality class in human communication behavior.

Contribution

It demonstrates that human correspondence follows consistent scaling laws across different eras and media, introducing a new universality class distinct from email communication.

Findings

Correspondence patterns follow the same scaling laws across eras.

Historical and modern communication share similar dynamics.

A new universality class of human communication is identified.

Abstract

While living in different historical era, Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and Albert Einstein (1879-1955) were both prolific correspondents: Darwin sent (received) at least 7,591 (6,530) letters during his lifetime while Einstein sent (received) over 14,500 (16,200). Before email scientists were part of an extensive university of letters, the main venue for exchanging new ideas and results. But were the communication patterns of the pre-email times any different from the current era of instant access? Here we show that while the means have changed, the communication dynamics has not: Darwin's and Einstein's pattern of correspondence and today's electronic exchanges follow the same scaling laws. Their communication belongs, however, to a different universality class from email communication, providing evidence for a new class of phenomena capturing human dynamics.