
Laura H
- Research Program Mentor
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Expertise
Neuroscience of social connection; how kindness and connection impact health
Project ideas
How does feeling socially connected affect our emotions and actions?
This could be a review of research out there on a topic you're interested related to social connection or social support. It could also be a study where you send out a survey that asks people a questionnaire that assesses how socially connected they feel, and then asks a number of questions about their emotions or actions that day. You could also track people's daily behaviors and see if on days that people feel more connected, they have more positive or kinder thoughts, feelings, or actions. I can help you measure these fuzzy concepts like social connection, emotions like gratitude, and behaviors like kindness and think up ways to explore how they interact in real life!
How friendships form
Let's look at how meaningful connections form, and what it takes to keep them going strong. I can help you review the science on friendship, and come up with your own questions around the formation of friendships. We could also look at how social media changes the dynamics of friendship.