Dr. Barbara L. Fredrickson stands as a preeminent scholar in the field of positive psychology, renowned for her groundbreaking theoretical contributions and empirical research. She currently holds the distinguished position of Kenan Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also directs the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory. Born and raised in Minnesota, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Carleton College in 1986 before earning her Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University in 1990 with a minor in organizational behavior. Her academic journey includes faculty appointments at Duke University and the University of Michigan prior to her tenure at UNC-Chapel Hill, establishing her as a leading figure whose work has shaped the trajectory of positive psychology as a scientific discipline.
Dr. Fredrickson's seminal contribution to psychology is her broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, which posits that positive emotions broaden people's momentary thought-action repertoires and build their enduring personal resources. This theoretical framework, for which she received the American Psychological Association's inaugural Templeton Prize in 2000, has fundamentally reshaped scientific understanding of how fleeting emotional experiences contribute to long-term resilience, well-being, and health outcomes. Her research identifies and investigates the "big 10" positive emotions—love, joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, and awe—demonstrating how these states function as building blocks for human flourishing. Most recently, her work has advanced the concept of "positivity resonance," which describes co-experienced warm-hearted emotional connections that combat loneliness and promote public health, establishing a rigorous scientific foundation for understanding interpersonal aspects of positive emotional experience.
The impact of Dr. Fredrickson's scholarship extends far beyond academia, influencing practices in education, business, healthcare, and military settings worldwide through her widely accessed Coursera course that attracted over 57,000 learners in its first offering. Her distinguished career has been recognized with numerous prestigious honors including the Tang Prize for Psychology in 2017, the James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science, and fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Currently, she collaborates with Dr. Allison Lazard to develop and test health communication messages delivered via social media aimed at reducing loneliness and social isolation among vulnerable young adults. As a principal investigator whose work has been continuously supported by National Institutes of Health grants for over 16 years, Dr. Fredrickson continues to pioneer new frontiers in understanding how positive emotional experiences can be harnessed to improve individual and collective well-being in an increasingly disconnected world.
