Heider was born in
Northampton, Massachusetts. Heider is the son of psychologists
Fritz and Grace (née Moore) Heider. He had two brothers; John and Stephan. After spending two years at
Williams College, Heider transferred to
Harvard College where he earned his B.A. in anthropology. Heider then spent a year touring Asia on a Sheldon Traveling Fellowship provided by Harvard. Returning to Harvard in 1958, Heider went on to earn an M.A. in 1959 and Ph.D. in 1966. He was married to the psychologist
Eleanor Rosch with whom he studied the
Dani people. The couple divorced in the late 1970s. ==Career==