Sociology is the study of social rules and processes that bind, and separate people not only as individuals, but as members of associations, groups, and institutions.

A typical textbook definition of sociology calls it the study of the social lives of humans, groups and societies. Sociology is interested in our behavior as social beings; thus the sociological field of interest ranges from the analysis of short contacts between anonymous individuals on the street to the study of global social processes.

Sociologists are those who study sociology.