From trivial groups to political parties, groups are central to how we define ourselves. The concept of social identity is one of the central ideas to emerge in the field of social psychology. In this talk, I will explain some of the key principles of social identity and describe how it impacts our judgments and decision-making. This work reveals how social identity shapes beliefs, intergroup conflict, polarization, social media, public health, and democracy. Finally, I will offer insights about how people might be able to harness the insights of social identity to foster healthier communities, organizations, and societies.

In this talk, I will present a predictive processing view of how a brain together with its body makes meaning of its current array of sense data in the context of its past experience. A brain’s main job is allostasis – the predictive regulation of the body, where prediction serves to enhance the organism’s energetic efficiency. Allostasis requires input both from the world outside the body (via exteroception), and also from the body’s internal milieu, which is called interoception. In addition, the brain can move parts of the body and coordinate multiple internal signals in ways that further take advantage of the brain’s predictions in the moment (also called memories or priors). Using the concepts of allostasis, interoception and active sensing, I will suggest that these processes are important for understanding how a brain and its body work together to create mental life.

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.

Chinese Rainbow Network (CRN) is the largest community organization in North America that serves the Chinese, Chinese American, and Chinese Canadian LGBTQ+ community, and Kyra will talk about how CRN supports LGBTQ+ members from Chinese cultural backgrounds in North America.