Profile – Wellbeing Zone

Education:

University College London (BSc, 1999-2002) and University College London (PhD, 2002-2005).
Qualifications:

BSc Psychology (Honours, 1st Class), PhD Psychology
Work History:

University of Liverpool (2006-2007), University of Westminster (2007-2015), Anglia Ruskin University (2015-present).
Current Job:

Professor of Social Psychology

About Me:

Professor of Social Psychology
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I was born in Malaysia but educated in the UK, and later became one of the youngest Professors of Psychology in the country. I now work at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge but live in London with my wife Christa, son Jesse, and our two dogs Brick and Reggie. I’ve written several books on psychology, love reading fiction, and go to the gym most days of the week. I’ve also appeared in a music video!
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I am a social psychologist, with an interest in body image. I try to understand why so many people across the world feel anxious and dissatisfied about their appearance, which is important because negative body image can result in all sorts of negative outcomes. I also try and develop methods of promoting healthier body image. For example, I’ve been looking at how spending time in nature might have a positive effect on our body images.
My Typical Day:

When I’m not lecturing, I can usually be found in front of my laptop doing research (or procrastinating by watching videos on YouTube).
What I'd do with the prize money:

I’d like to help school students write articles about their body image and what they think should be done to promote more positive body image.

Viren Swami