2022-23 Department of Psychology Colloquium Series -- Dr. Sara Algoe

Social relationships dictate human life, ultimately contributing to an individual’s happiness, success, and health. In my research, I argue that identifying the everyday behaviors that most efficiently connect us with other people in our environments – from friends to lovers to co-workers -- will bring the fastest returns on helping people live happier and healthier lives. Examples of such behaviors include expressed gratitude, shared laughter, and affectionate touch. Merging theory from both affective and relationship science, I will present data from several studies to illustrate the potential of this new approach. The selected studies incorporate dyadic data, experimental methods, and prospective designs, while simultaneously emphasizing ecological validity. I will also discuss a few ongoing projects to illuminate what I believe to be important next steps in this area of research. I will look forward to discussing these ideas with talk attendees.