Todd Kashdan

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Todd Kashdan
Born
Todd Barrett Kashdan
NationalityAmerican
Education
  • Cornell University (BS)
  • University at Buffalo (MA, PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology
InstitutionsGeorge Mason University

Todd Barrett Kashdan is an American psychologist. He is a professor of psychology[1] and director of the Well-Being Laboratory at George Mason University.[2] His research explores why people suffer, with an emphasis on the transition from normal to pathological anxiety. Other research explores the nature of well-being, with an emphasis on the critical functions of curiosity, meaning and purpose in life, and psychological flexibility to human performance.[1][2][3]

Early life and education[]

He received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1996.[4] He conducted research with Arthur Aron at Stony Brook University to identify what character traits drive attraction. He next accepted a position at State University of New York at Buffalo. With John Roberts, he studied how curiosity affects the successfulness of a relationship (2004). For instance, are curious people more active listeners, do they show more interest, and do they ask more thoughtful questions?[5]

While a doctoral student at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, he conducted research on how the degree of a person's curiosity affected the quality of their relationships. The research was performed with Paul Rose and under the direction of Francis Fincham. The result of the study was that people who were more curious than others were more likely to have close relationships.[6]

Career[]

Since 2004, Kashdan has taught at the George Mason University (GMU), where he is a tenured professor and leads the Well-Being Laboratory. The Charles Koch Foundation awarded a $1 million research grant to his Well-Being lab by 2020.[7]

Kashdan has found that curiosity is key to a "happy, fulfilling life", which may require managing anxiety to be able to successfully follow-through. He states that curiosity helps make even tedious tasks more enjoyable, by focusing on the details and capturing the child-like sense of awe and wonder.[8] He wrote a chapter about how curiosity is a character strength for Character Strengths and Virtues by Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman. From his research, Kashdan has found that curiosity leads to better performance because people are more open to learning and are more engaged.[9]

He has found that people who practice gratitude are better able to interact with others in the work and personal life because they are more likely to be more considerate of other people and less aggressive in response to insults.[10]

Kashdan has found that losing one's job can affect someone for several years, because even after they get a new job they wonder how long it will be until they lose that job. It is less disturbing, though, if the person was part of a mass-layoff than if they were the only person let go.[11]

Kashdan received the American Psychological Association's 2013 Distinguished Scientific Early Career Award.[12] He was an associate editor for the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Journal of Personality and Journal of Positive Psychology.[13]

In 2019, Kashdan was chastised by GMU for "lack of appropriate professional behavior" and gender-based sexual harassment stemming from activities going back as far as 2013,[7][14] including overt discussions of his own sexual conduct and a visit with a group of graduate students to a strip club where Kashdan received a lap dance.[7] Kashdan was reprimanded, and relieved of graduate teaching responsibilities and ordered to undergo sexual harassment prevention training, but allowed to continue teaching undergraduate courses.[7]

Books[]

  • Kennon M. Sheldon; Todd B. Kashdan; Michael F. Steger, eds. (3 January 2011). Designing Positive Psychology: Taking Stock and Moving Forward: Taking Stock and Moving Forward. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-970626-6.[15]
  • Todd B. Kashdan; Joseph Ciarrochi, eds. (1 April 2013). Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Positive Psychology: The Seven Foundations of Well-Being. New Harbinger. ISBN 978-1-60882-339-0.[16]

For the general public:

  • Todd B. Kashdan; Robert Biswas-Diener (October 2014). The Upside of Your Dark Side: Why being your whole self - not just your "good" self - drives success and fulfillment. Hudson Street Press. ISBN 978-1594631733.[17]
  • Todd Kashdan (21 April 2009). Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-166118-1.[18]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Dalphonse, Sherri (November 26, 2020). "Why Gratitude May Be What Gets Us All Through These Troubling Times". Washingtonian. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Hogenboom, Melissa. "Should women be grateful for help at home?". BBC. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  3. ^ Max, D. t (July 1, 2007). "Happiness 101". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  4. ^ "Reunion Reports". Cornell Alumni Magazine. September–October 2002. p. 78.
  5. ^ Goodwin, Bryan (2020-03-19). Building a Curious School: Restore the Joy That Brought You to School. Corwin Press. pp. PT 112. ISBN 978-1-0718-0212-0.
  6. ^ Morrin, Richard, of the Washington Post (December 19, 2002). "I am curious (and in love)". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2021-07-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Anderson, Nick (1 May 2020). "George Mason University investigation faults professor for sexual talk with students in class and a hot tub, court records show". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ Kinze, Susan (November 9, 2009). "Curious? That's the key to joy, psychologist says". The Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 2021-07-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Pollay, David J. (2009-08-14). "Focus + Humility + Questions = Momentum". The Miami Herald. p. 140. Retrieved 2021-07-09 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "For some, gratitude a way of life". The Atlanta Constitution. November 24, 2011. pp. F10. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  11. ^ "Money doesn't tip the happiness scale". National Post. 2009-03-14. p. 51. Retrieved 2021-07-09 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Reynolds, Anne (January 18, 2013). "Professor Kashdan Recognized with American Psychological Association Award". College of Humanities and Social Sciences, George Mason University. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  13. ^ "Presidential Citation Committee". American Psychological Association. 2015. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  14. ^ Burke, Lilah (4 May 2020). "George Mason Faults Professor for Sexual Talk With Students". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  15. ^ Zautra, Alex J. (2012). "Review of Designing Positive Psychology". Journal of Positive Psychology. 7 (1). doi:10.1080/17439760.2011.614830.
  16. ^ Luiselli, James K. (August 22, 2014). "Review of Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Positive Psychology". New England Psychologist.
  17. ^ Parks, Acacia C. (2015). "Review of The Upside of Your Dark Side". International Journal of Wellbeing. 5 (1). Sansom, Lisa (October 2, 2014). "The Upside of Your Dark Side (book review)". Positive Psychology News.
  18. ^ Parks, Acacia C. (2011). "Review of Curious?". Journal of Positive Psychology. 6 (3). doi:10.1080/17439760.2011.565603. Ferrell, Joseph (October 28, 2009). "The Happiness of Pursuit: A Review of Curious?". Greater Good Magazine.

External links[]

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