Julianne Holt-Lunstad
American psychologist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Julianne Holt-Lunstad is a psychologist and professor of psychology and neuroscience, and director of the Social Connection and Health Lab, at Brigham Young University.[3] She is a fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and Association for Psychological Science.
University of Utah (Ph.D.)
Julianne Holt-Lunstad | |
|---|---|
| Born | Minneapolis, U.S. |
| Education | Brigham Young University (B.S., M.S.) University of Utah (Ph.D.) |
| Children | 2[1][2] |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Psychology |
| Workplaces | Brigham Young University |
Life and career
Holt-Lunstad was born in Minneapolis.[4] She earned her bachelor's degree and master's degree from Brigham Young University in 1994 and 1998, respectively, and her Ph.D. from the University of Utah in 2001.[5] After completing her Ph.D., Holt-Lunstad joined the faculty of the department of psychology at Brigham Young University as an assistant professor.[6]
Research
Holt-Lunstad specializes in psychology and neuroscience.[7][8] Her research focuses on the long-term health effects of social connections and includes a meta-analysis on the effects of loneliness and social isolation on mortality.[9][10] That research has linked loneliness to deteriorating health.[11]
Holt-Lunstad was the first researcher to publish studies connecting poor social support to mortality.[1]
As a result of her in-depth research, Holt-Lunstad was selected to serve as the lead scientific editor for the US Surgeon General's Advisory "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation" and a scientific advisor for the Australian Coalition to End Loneliness in 2017.[12] She has also been called to testify in front of the United States Congress Special Committee on Aging regarding her research.[1][13]
In 2018, Holt-Lunstad was awarded BYU's Karl G. Maeser Research & Creative Arts Award.[14] She is also a fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the Association for Psychological Science.[15]
