Yoobin Park, Ph.D., University of California, San Francisco

Topic: Thriving With Healthy Connections

Social relationships have a profound impact on mental and physical health. But what relationships do people pursue and why? What are the necessary ingredients for long-lasting, high-quality relationships? How can people leverage positive emotional interactions to feel closer to their valued social partners? My research employs a wide range of methodological and statistical approaches to provide novel and nuanced insights into these questions. In this talk, I will share my research focusing on romantic relationships. I will discuss diverse motivations for romantic pursuits, the role of gratitude in promoting intimacy between couples, and the implications of intimate experiences for relationship stability. I will also discuss what social connections people value and pursue in the absence of a romantic relationship (i.e., during singlehood). Finally, I will outline some of my current and future research directions examining the mechanisms underlying social connections, the health implications of various forms of connections, and the societal influences on close relationships.

Yoobin is a postdoctoral researcher at the Emotional Well-Being Network, based at the University of California, San Francisco. She received her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Toronto. Her research program broadly aims to understand the intrapersonal and interpersonal processes underlying the pursuit and maintenance of social connections. She is particularly interested in examining untested assumptions in relationship research and the often-overlooked variability in people’s experiences.