Dr. Jennifer Stellar
Professional Biography
Dr. Jennifer Stellar is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and the director of the Health, Emotions, and Altruism Lab (HEAL). She received her PhD in Social-Personality Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Living harmoniously in large-scale societies requires individuals to suppress their more selfish inclinations and prioritize the welfare of others. Dr. Stellar’s research examines the forces that drive prosociality and morality. Specifically, she investigates how prosocial emotions (e.g., compassion, awe, etc.) promote empathy and altruism toward another person, encourage cooperation and cohesion within groups, and enhance the health and well-being of the individual. She also explores how individuals encourage moral behavior and uphold moral norms though expressing moral outrage toward transgressors, relying on moral character to inform other impressions, and allowing others to regain moral status through redemption. These projects aim to answer a fundamental question about humans—how do we transcend our own self-focus to care about other people, groups, and society as a whole?
Learn more at https://jenniferstellar.com/
Introducing Dr. Stellar
Listen to Dr. Stellar explain how her early interests in both psychology and anthropology led her to study the ‘positive side of human nature.’ Where does good behaviour come from and why do we do it?
What are Pro-social Emotions?
Dr. Stellar lists some of the specific emotions she studies that are known as pro-social, because they promote altruistic behaviour. These can also be called ‘self-transcendent emotions.’ Dr. Stellar believes they play an important role in our understanding of wellbeing.
The Interconnected Self
Dr. Stellar explains the reason behind the new title of ‘self-transcendent’ emotions: these emotions make our sense of self less central to our perspective and decisions. They blur the boundaries between self and other,
allowing for a shift in focus. In this way, reduced salience of the self can sometimes be a very good thing.
What is Awe?
Dr. Stellar explains the difficulty in defining this multifaceted emotion. She sees it as having two essential aspects: a reaction to perceiving vastness and a feeling of incomprehensibility of the thing encountered. Artists and writers have been interested in awe for a long time, but science has yet to fully conceptualize it.
How Can We Cultivate Awe?
Dr. Stellar explains the importance of paying attention in order to cultivate awe in our everyday lives. It’s not that we are incapable of awe; it’s just that we are often too busy to notice awe-inspiring aspects of life. Make awe a part of your routine by dedicating time to that which you personally find beautiful and inspiring. Allow yourself to be absorbed by beauty.
The Complexity of Emotions
Dr. Stellar discusses the way in which some emotions, such as awe, defy the categories of ‘positive’ or ‘negative.’ Depending on specific contexts and the way a person handles it, awe and other emotions can have very different consequences for our wellbeing.
Connecting with Others During the Pandemic
Dr. Stellar reflects on life during the pandemic, during which we have lost precious moments of interaction that had allowed us to feel grateful and appreciative of others. She suggests seeking out these moments even under
our limiting circumstances.