Steven Crane, MS, Stanford Researcher who Walks his Talk
Many of us read about daily habits that can help us become our best selves—don’t scroll on your phone in bed, drink lemon water before coffee, do computer work from a walking desk—but Stanford University Social Health Researcher Steven Crane, MS, actually implements these health-promoting habits in his daily life. For example, every morning, Crane jumps into a cold plunge and meditates. After about ten deep breaths to calm his nerves and lower his reactivity to the discomfort, he easefully transitions into a hot tub to defrost. This morning routine clears his mind, awakens his body, and sets the tone for an equanimous, productive, and joyful day.
“My life’s work has focused on human flourishing. Specifically, on the behaviors that help people to flourish, and how to inspire people to adopt these behaviors,” says Crane, head of Stanford Lifestyle Medicine’s pillar on Social Engagement. “Much of my research is based on understanding intervention design, measurement of human flourishing at the physical and psychological levels, and what flourishing means with respect to human nature.”
Crane came to Stanford as an undergraduate in 2007. Although he was a Human Biology major, he took many classes in psychology and philosophy and became interested in the health benefits of human connection. In 2018, he pursued a master’s degree in Stanford’s Community Health and Prevention Research program where he wrote his master’s thesis on the experience of social connection throughout life and its connection to overall well-being.
“Given the state of social connection in the country, I realized how few people have the connections needed for overall well-being,” says Crane. “So I decided to dedicate my thesis to the topic of social connection and I worked with the Stanford Well for Life program analyzing social connection throughout the life course and how it affects people of different ages and genders.”
Along with being a student, Crane worked at the Stanford Boundaries of Humanity project from 2014 to 2023. Here, Crane and other researchers applied expertise in human evolution, biology, cognitive psychology, and information technology to reveal the impacts of advancing technology on humanity. The project offers public education and events addressing critical issues at the intersection of biotechnology and human identity.
“The focus of my work at the Boundaries of Humanity project was about human nature—defining who we are and how we flourish, especially in the ever-changing context of modern society with advancing technology and biotechnology,” says Crane. “I was there for nine years, so a big portion of my career was spent exploring those topics.”
In the spring of 2019, Crane joined the Stanford Behavior Design Lab, founded by leading behavior scientist and Stanford Lifestyle Medicine Director of Implementation BJ Fogg, PhD. Here, Crane led the Screentime Genie project to help people reduce their screen time, and co-taught Behavior Design for Social Health and Happiness courses at Stanford alongside Dr. Fogg.
Outside of Stanford, Crane started his own consulting company in 2020 called Synaptic Insights Consulting, with the mission of sharing principles of living that lead to greater wisdom, peace, and prosocial engagement. For the last four years, Crane has served as Head of Social Connection Science for a nonprofit called Sunny that promotes social well-being and helps people foster meaningful relationships.
“I feel really lucky that along the way I’ve been able to find professional opportunities aligned with my curiosities and interests,” says Crane. “These opportunities came into my life because I gave freely without expecting anything in return. Every opportunity I’ve benefited the most from resulted from something I did purely because I was interested in it and wanted to see it succeed.”
A Social Childhood
Crane grew up in rural northern Arizona until the age of 12. He then attended middle and high school in Tucson, Arizona. He grew up with two younger sisters and his parents, both public school teachers who fostered connection and curiosity in their children.
“Education was always really important growing up,” says Crane. “We had the 1985 World Book encyclopedias on our shelf, and anytime I was curious about something, my mom would walk me over to the shelf and open the encyclopedia with me to find the answer. This was before the internet, of course.”
In high school, Crane was very social and involved in several group activities like orchestra, volleyball, track, and the cross-country team.
“My high school years taught me that there was a place in the world for people like me with deep curiosity and a love of learning, and it is possible to be that sort of person and be deeply interconnected with bonds of love, care, and mutual support in a community of peers and mentors,” he says.
Practicing What He Preaches
As an adult, Crane says that his ability to take calculated risks and “jump before the net appears” is based on confidence that his strong relationships will support him if he falls, as well as his daily meditation practice.
“I’ve been able to follow my curiosity and intuition and stay calm amid uncertainty because I know I’ll be okay if all sorts of things go wrong,” says Crane. “Meditation, specifically Vipassana courses, have given me an unshakable sense of fundamental ‘okayness’–an ability to weather whatever challenges might arise. I’ve benefited greatly from Buddhist meditation practices, communities, teachers, and texts. It’s such a wisdom-filled tradition.”
Although he has many professional accomplishments, Crane is most proud of the depth and quality of his relationships. “I work really hard to maintain meaningful relationships with a lot of people,” says Crane. “And my work is to teach others to do the same for their health, happiness, and well-being.”
Regarding the future, Crane may pursue a doctoral degree or write a book on social connection and behavior change. But for now, his more significant concern is living in alignment with his values of growing meaningful relationships and living in community.
Crane lives with his partner and two young children in a multi-family community in Los Gatos, California. “We moved here because we could see the value of establishing our family in a community setting, and how much better it would be to have children when other kids and adults are around,” he says. “It’s been fantastic. My kids are now 3 and 7, and I’m happy they have a childhood filled with curiosity and community, just like mine was.”
