Changemaker
Paul Piff
TL;DR
Paul Piff is the UC Irvine social psychologist who studies awe, and whose work is the reason Giants Rising can connect a very large tree to how people treat each other.
Paul Piff is a social psychologist and associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine. His own site describes research focused on economic inequality, on morality and social connection, and on the psychological effects of emotions such as awe. He has more than 50 scientific publications and has given a widely viewed TED Talk on his inequality research. In Giants Rising he examines what experiencing awe does to people, and where human kindness and cooperation come from.
Paul Piff is a social psychologist at UC Irvine whose research covers economic inequality, morality and social connection, and the psychological effects of awe.
Why OGSP Recommends It
We recommend Paul Piff’s work because it helps explain how experiences of awe can affect the way people relate to one another. As a social psychologist at UC Irvine, he studies awe alongside kindness, cooperation and social connection. He has published more than 50 scientific papers and shared his research with a broad audience through his TED Talk. His contribution gives the film a research-based way to examine why encounters with redwoods can have such a strong effect on people.
Related Resources
Key Takeaways
- His research covers economic inequality, morality and social connection, and the psychological effects of emotions such as awe.
- He has more than 50 scientific publications.
- His TED Talk on economic inequality has been widely viewed.
- The film’s own site describes his contribution as examining the impacts of experiencing awe and the origins of human kindness and cooperation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Paul Piff known for?
Research on economic inequality, on morality and social connection, and on the psychological effects of emotions such as awe.
Where does Paul Piff teach?
The University of California, Irvine, where he is an associate professor of psychology.
What does Paul Piff say about awe?
His own site describes his work on the psychological effects of awe, and the film’s site says he examines the impacts of experiencing awe and the origins of human kindness and cooperation.
Has Paul Piff given a TED Talk?
Yes. His own site describes a widely viewed TED Talk covering his research on economic inequality.