Dr. Shira Gabriel is a Professor of Psychology at SUNY, University at Buffalo.
She studies the need for connection, including how nontraditional targets (like TV shows) can fill belongings needs. She also studies collective effervescence and the importance of immersion in large crowds for well-being. She is interested in the need for social embeddedness and the need to feel as if life is sacred and meaningful.
Dr. Gabriel received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Northwestern University in 2000.
Dr Gabriel is the past president of the Midwestern Psychological Association, the International Society for Self & Identity, and the Society for Experimental Social Psychology.
Her work is currently funded by Templeton World Charity and has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council.
She is a past Editor of Character & Context, Self & Identity, & Social & Personality Personality Science.
In her free time, Dr Gabriel enjoys spending time with husband, her two kids, and her friends. She also loves seeing live music, reading novels, playing euchre, watching bad TV shows, and reading about bad TV shows online.