@lbaknin

Social Psychologist @SFU studying how we can be kinder and happier. Lover of food, dogs, travel, running, and more food.

 Vancouver, British Columbia
sfu.ca/psychology/about/people/profiles/laknin.html
Joined January 2011
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  • Following676
  • Followers879
79Media
Social rels can be one of our greatest sources of happiness, but sometimes we lose touch w/ ppl we care about. Are we willing to reach out? New work w/@GillianSocial finds that people are surprisingly reluctant to reach out to old friends nature.com/articles/s44271-0…

People are surprisingly hesitant to reach out to old friends

Communications Psychology - Individuals seldom reach out to old friends with whom they have lost touch. Interventions focused on changing attitudes were ineffective, but practicing reaching out to...

nature.com
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Professor Lara Aknin and the Helping & Happiness Lab were featured in @voxdotcom! Their research shows people are kinder than we assume; and we often underestimate how much others like us. Read more at: vox.com/life/471602/loneline…
Vox
@voxdotcom9 Dec 2025
We consistently underestimate how much other people like us, and it may be hurting our social lives. vox.com/life/471602/loneline…

People are nicer than you think

We consistently underestimate how much other people like us, and it may be hurting our social lives.

vox.com
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SFU Psychology alum Anurada Amarasekera was recently featured in our Alumni Q&A, sharing her research on gratitude and helping behavior — and how her time at SFU shaped her research interests. Read her Q&A: shorturl.at/SZZiy
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Great opportunity for junior scholars working in the sciences and social sciences. CIFAR is a fantastic organization that supports innovative research of all kinds.
CIFAR@CIFAR_News8 Oct 2024
📣 Calling all early-career researchers! Applications are now OPEN for the CIFAR @azrielifdn #GlobalScholars program, a unique opportunity to transform your research and accelerate your career. Apply by Nov. 20: cifar.ca/next-generation/glo…
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Delighted to congratulate Dr. @jdproulx on receiving his PhD today! It’s been such a pleasure and honour to watch you reach this milestone. All of us in the lab will miss your insights and care, but we can’t wait to see what you do next!
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Beautiful discussion on increases in empathy in young people and how we can help harness it by @zakijam in @CNN. One important step? Recognizing how empathetic most people are! Don't underestimate your fellow humans... cnn.com/2024/08/20/health/em…

Empathy is on the rise in young people. Here’s how to build yours | CNN

Empathy is rebounding among young Americans, a recent study found. Experts propose ways to increase empathic connection and conversation in this digital era.

cnn.com
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This year’s @HappinessRpt is going to be a great one as we focus upon the topic of “caring and sharing” with an outstanding list of contributing authors.
World Happiness Report@HappinessRpt16 Aug 2024
CONFIRMED: We’ve assembled an international team of interdisciplinary experts to tackle the topic of ’Caring and Sharing’ in World Happiness Report 2025.👇
Graphic with the title “Our 2025 Author Team” and the subtitle “World Happiness Report”.

ALT Graphic with the title “Our 2025 Author Team” and the subtitle “World Happiness Report”.

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CONFIRMED: We’ve assembled an international team of interdisciplinary experts to tackle the topic of ’Caring and Sharing’ in World Happiness Report 2025.👇
Graphic with the title “Our 2025 Author Team” and the subtitle “World Happiness Report”.

ALT Graphic with the title “Our 2025 Author Team” and the subtitle “World Happiness Report”.

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Congratulations to professors @gerardo_otero, @lbaknin, and Tamir Moustafa who have been awarded the FASS Dean's Medal in recognition of their academic excellence in research, teaching, and service.🏆 Learn more at: i.sfu.ca/ZwDtjW
Photos of the 2024 FASS Dean's Medal winners, Gerardo Otero, Lara Aknin, and Tamir Moustafa.

ALT Photos of the 2024 FASS Dean's Medal winners, Gerardo Otero, Lara Aknin, and Tamir Moustafa.

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Call for collaborators! The Global Happiness Megastudy is looking for researchers to join as intervention designers or data collection collaborators. Learn more and join now: bit.ly/3zVf9gI #researchopportunity
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Happy Friday! Why not make the most of the weekend by reaching out to an old friend? @GillianSocial and I recap our recent paper and offer some advice on how to reach out in this piece at @sciam scientificamerican.com/artic…

How to Reconnect with Old Friends Who Have Become Strangers

People are reluctant to reach out to friends they have lost touch with—but both sides are gratified when they reconnect

scientificamerican.com
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Are you interested in what REALLY makes people happy? If so, join this incredible team in putting happiness boosting strategies to the test! Learn more and get involved at the link 👇🏼
Barnabas Szaszi@szaszibarnabas12 Jul 2024
🌍✨We're launching the Global Happiness Megastudy to uncover the most effective happiness strategies worldwide. We're seeking researchers to get involved as intervention designers & data collection collaborators. To join/more info, visit tinyurl.com/3ze2wyvf Please RT!
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@aa_marsh @SaraKonrath @KushlevPhD @GillianSocial @jedeneve @OxWellResearch @WhatWorksWB
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My lab @Georgetown is seeking 1-2 post-doctoral scholars. Our lab offers a unique opportunity to work with both people with psychopathy and people who have engaged in extraordinary acts of altruism (and to conduct behavioral, MRI, and intervention research). Please r/t and share.
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my first - first authored - publication ever! and better yet, I get to share the honour with my co-first author Tiara A Cash so, so grateful for the incredible team @lbaknin @LaurenJHuman and Scarlett RC MacPherson 💛 doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2024.1…
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Professor Lara Aknin's latest study (co-written with Gillian M. Sandstrom) was recently featured in @NatGeo's article, "It's hard to reconnect with old friends. Science may have a solution." Read more at: nationalgeographic.com/scien…

It's hard to reconnect with old friends. Science may have a solution.

Rekindling old friendships can be mentally and emotionally beneficial, yet when it comes to that first message to bridge the distance, most of us just can’t hit the send button.

nationalgeographic.com
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Congratulations to Psychology honours graduand Kalum Kumar on receiving the Governor General’s Silver Medal! This medal is awarded to two undergrad students who achieve the highest scholastic standing upon graduation from a bachelor’s program. Read more at bit.ly/4bOOqAD
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So INCREDIBLY proud of my honours student🌟Kalum Kumar🌟 for winning the Governor General's Silver Medal! Can't wait to celebrate you and this major achievement at @SFUFASS grad next week. WAY TO GO, KALUM!! sfu.ca/psychology/news-event…

Fostering a happier world: Psychology honours graduand Kalum Kumar awarded Governor General’s...

sfu.ca
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I had the pleasure of speaking with "Speaking of Psychology" last week about findings in this year's @HappinessRpt , social connection, and the relationship between generosity and happiness. Thank you for having me!
American Psychological Association@APA30 May 2024
Young Americans are less happy than their peers in many other countries. @lbaknin joins the podcast to talk about why. Listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎧🎙️🧠 Apple: at.apa.org/rqb Spotify: at.apa.org/6485e9 YouTube: at.apa.org/b0b
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LAST CHANCE: Not long left to submit your chapter proposal for World Happiness Report 2025! Find out more 👉 worldhappiness.report/news/s…
Graphic with the title "Caring & Sharing", plus text "Submit your chapter proposal for World Happiness Report 2025 by May 31".

ALT Graphic with the title "Caring & Sharing", plus text "Submit your chapter proposal for World Happiness Report 2025 by May 31".

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BIG life changes (eg., marriage 👰‍♀️, grad🎓) can be exciting and hard. Most advice tells ppl to focus on themselves in these periods, but our new work (led by Tiara Cash) shows that greater prosociality predicts greater well-being in times of change tinyurl.com/4he62ufp
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