Talk by Olga Stavrova: The People Around Us and the Beliefs Within Us
The primary purpose of this talk is to introduce myself as a researcher to you. As a social psychologist, my research focuses on the social dimensions of human thought and behavior. There are two dominant streams to my work. First, I investigate social relationships in their many forms, from romantic partnerships, to digital interactions and social media, to decision-making in social dilemmas. Second, I investigate social beliefs, i.e., how people perceive and interpret their social world. In particular, I study cynicism, the belief that human nature is fundamentally driven by self-interest. My research explores the origins of this belief, its consequences for economic and organizational behavior, well-being, health, and personal relationships, as well as the conditions under which it can be changed. In this talk, I will present projects from both research streams, focusing in particular on my work on cynicism, and outline some avenues for future research. My hope is that you can see points of contact between our research interests and approaches.
talk by Olga Stavrova (Chair of Social Psychology and Micro-Sociology)
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 from 14:00- 15:00 in B 318 (A 5, 6)