Exploring Psychology

David Myers received his B.A. in chemistry from Whitworth University, and his psychology Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. He has spent his career at Hope College, Michigan, where he has taught dozens of introductory psychology sections. Hope College students have invited him to be their commencement speaker and voted him “outstanding professor.” His research and writings have been recognized by the Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize, an Honored Scientist award from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences, an Award for Distinguished Service on Behalf of Social-Personality Psychology, a Presidential Citation from APA Division 2, election as an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, and three honorary doctorates.

With support from National Science Foundation grants, Myers’ scientific articles have appeared in three dozen scientific periodicals, including Science, American Scientist, Psychological Science, and American Psychologist. In addition to his scholarly and textbook writing, he digests psychological science for the general public. His writings have appeared in four dozen magazines, from Today’s Education to Scientific American. He also has authored six general audience books, including, in 2022, How Do We Know Ourselves? Curiosities and Marvels of the Human Mind. And he blogs about psychology and life at TalkPsych.com.

David Myers has chaired his city’s Human Relations Commission, helped found a thriving assistance center for low-income families, and spoken to hundreds of college, community, and professional groups worldwide. Drawing on his experience of hearing loss, which now includes a cochlear implant, he also has written articles and a book (A Quiet World) about hearing loss, and he is advocating a transformation in U.S. assistive listening technology (see HearingLoop.org). For his leadership, he has received awards from the American Academy of Audiology, the hearing industry, and the Hearing Loss Association of America.

David and Carol Myers met and married while undergraduates, and have raised sons Peter and Andrew, and a daughter, Laura. They have one grandchild, Allie.

Nathan DeWall is professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky. He received his bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College, a master’s degree in social science from the University of Chicago, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in social psychology from Florida State University. DeWall received the College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award, which recognizes excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching. The Association for Psychological Science identified DeWall as a “Rising Star” early in his career for “making significant contributions to the field of psychological science.” He has been included in the top 1 percent of all cited scientists in psychology and psychiatry on the Institute for Scientific Information list, according to the Web of Science. DeWall conducts research on close relationships, self-control, aggression, the psychology of religion, and intellectual humility. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the John Templeton Foundation, he has published 225 scientific articles and chapters. DeWall’s research awards include the SAGE Young Scholars Award from the Foundation for Personality and Social Psychology, the Young Investigator Award from the International Society for Research on Aggression, and the Early Career Award from the International Society for Self and Identity. His research has been covered by numerous media and entertainment outlets, including Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Harvard Business Review, USA Today, National Public Radio, The Guardian, the BBC, and Netflix. He has lectured nationally and internationally, including in Hong Kong, China, the Netherlands, England, Greece, Hungary, Sweden, Australia, and France.

Nathan is happily married to Alice DeWall and is the proud father of Beverly “Bevy” and Ellis. He also enjoys taking care of the family dog, “Artie.” As an ultramarathon runner, he completed numerous races, including the Badwater 135 in 2017 (dubbed “the World’s toughest foot race”). In his spare time now, he enjoys hiking, attending live concerts, setting up and maintaining aquariums, watching sports, and playing guitar and singing in local rock bands.

June Gruber is an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado. She was previously a faculty member at Yale University. She received her B.A. in psychology, and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of California Berkeley. Gruber has published over 100 articles and chapters and has edited two books—the Oxford Handbook of Positive Emotion and Psychopathology and Positive Emotion: Integrating the Light Sides and Dark Sides with Judith Moskowitz. Her research has received several honors, including the Association for Psychological Science’s Rising Star Award, the Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions, the Society for Research in Psychopathologys Early Career Award, the NARSAD Young Investigator Award, and Yale University’s Arthur Greer Memorial Prize for Outstanding Junior Faculty. Gruber has served as an Associate Editor and Interim Editor-in-Chief for Perspectives on Psychological Science and is currently an Associate Editor at Emotion.

Gruber directs the Positive Emotion and Psychopathology Laboratory, where she studies the links between positive emotions and mental health, including the “dark side” of happiness. Gruber is co-leading a field-wide call to action in response to the mental health crisis sparked by Covid-19 (Gruber et al., 2020).

Gruber’s passion for teaching psychology and training future generations of scholars extends beyond the classroom. She has created freely available interview series and courses for the general public, including a Coursera #TalkMentalIllness course, Experts in Emotion Interview Series at Yale University, and an online course in Human Emotion. Gruber has also co-written a column for young scientists in Science Careers. Her teaching efforts have received several awards, including the Boulder Faculty Assembly Excellence in Teaching and Pedagogy Award and the UROP Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Gruber is invested in supporting and elevating the careers of underrepresented women in the sciences. She leads workshops, publishes papers, and gives talks to raise awareness about gender disparities in the field and to chart a proactive path forward.

Gruber enjoys spending quiet days in the Colorado mountains with her two sons, Ansel and Silvan, and her husband, Raul. She enjoys taking hikes with her dog Buddy, making art projects with her children, traveling, and basking in the nostalgia of 80s music.