What drew me to social psychology

“Psychology was the most interesting subject I studied in college, even though I had only one course in my first three years. I just thought, What more interesting subject could there be than human beings?

Faith is part of my identity, and therefore it is natural for me to ask how religious ideas about human nature correlate with psychological science’s ideas about human nature. I try to bridge those two understandings — to explain to people of faith the value of psychological science, to document interesting correlations between faith and personal and social well-being, and to compare big ideas about human nature found both in psychological research and in religion.

My main calling, however, is to read and teach psychological science through textbooks for introductory and social psychology. My task is to help students appreciate the wonders of their everyday lives and to help them think smarter — to supplement their intuition with critical thinking, and their judgmentalism with compassion.”

Dr. Myers has published 17 books, including Social Psychology (now in its 13th edition), Psychology (now in a 12th edition) and What God Has Joined Together: The Christian Case for Gay Marriage (with Letha Scanzoni, 2005). He’s also an advocate for people with hearing loss. Dr. Myers posts weekly online essays about psychological science and everyday life.