Daily Interactions and Everyday Places

Research in this theme explores the impact of emotional states on cognitive styles, links between humour and the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia), cultural and community factors influencing engagement with public health initiatives, patient interaction with health services, the impact of social isolation on wellbeing, and educational delivery methods on student motivation, time management and educational attainment.

Everyday places also provide an important context for our behaviour, identities, social interactions, and wellbeing. Principles of environmental psychology are used to investigate how place-related identities shape perceptions of natural and built environments and pro-environmental behaviours.
This work also utilises health behaviour change frameworks to provide design recommendations for nature-based health interventions. We also undertake research in the area of occupational health psychology relating to improving resilience and safety within the workforce. This includes consultative action research with several organisations (including Vantec and Leiber) in relation to health and safety training and psychological wellbeing for employees within a shift pattern context. This approach has currently been extended to work in partnership with Northumbria Police investigating factors influencing psychological resilience within their workforce.

Research within this theme is multidisciplinary. It draws on frameworks of trait and state emotion, subjective and psychological wellbeing, health behaviour and health behaviour change, and environmental social science. Topics include use of place to promote health and wellbeing, nature-based interventions to reduce student anxiety or prevent/manage non-communicable diseases, and the psychosocial impact on individuals diagnosed with gut disorders.