Icon of a campfire, with text that says EMBER Lab: Existential Motivation, Belonging and Experimental Research

Research

Research in the EMBER Lab draws upon insights and methods from social, personality, existential, and cultural psychology to inform theory and practice. Broadly, research areas focus on the intersecting influences of individual differences (e.g., in personality, in motivation, in beliefs), relationships (e.g., attachment orientation, loneliness, belonging), and existential concerns (e.g., awareness of mortality, isolation, and meaninglessness), influence behavior, well-being, and various contemporary social issues (e.g., prejudice, bias, conspiracy theories). Undergraduates in the lab assist with ongoing research projects, gain a better understanding of relevant psychological theories, and learn experimental methods.

About us

Principle Investigator:

  • Dr. Peter Helm

Current Graduate Student:

  • Isaac Doll

Select Representative Publications

Galgali, M. S., Helm, P. J., & Arndt, J. (2024). Isolated by not necessarily lonely: An exploratory analysis of subjective isolation and conspiracist ideation. Journal of Individual Differences, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000420

Galgali, M. S., Helm, P. J., & Arndt, J. (2023). Feeling too isolated to be vaccinated? The contributing role of subjective interpersonal isolation factors towards COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and resistance. Social Science & Medicine, 323, 115865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115865

Edwards, M. E., Helm, P. J., Pratscher, S., Bettencourt, B. A., Arndt, J. (2023). The impact of awe on existential isolation: Evidence for contrasting pathways. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Helm, P. J., Jimenez, T., Carter, S., & Arndt, J. (2022). A phenomenological divide: Reference group consequences for existential isolation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 00, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672221127799.  

Helm, P. J., Chau, R. F., & Greenberg, J. (2022). Existential isolation: Theory, empirical findings, and clinical considerations. In R. G. Menzies, R. E. Menzies, & G. Dingle (Eds.), Existential concerns and cognitive-behavioral procedures: An integrative approach to mental health (pp. 95-113). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. 

Helm, P. J., Jimenez, T., Galgali, M. S., Edwards, M. E., Vail III, K. E., & Arndt, J. (2022). Divergent effects of social media use on meaning in life during the coronavirus pandemic via loneliness and existential isolation. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39, 1768-1793. 

Helm, P. J., Medrano, M., Allen, J. J. B., & Greenberg, J. (2020). Existential isolation, loneliness, depression, and suicide ideation among young adults. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 39, 641-674. doi: 10.1521/jscp.2020.39.8.641 

Helm, P. J., Lifshin, U., & Greenberg, J. (2020). Terror management theory. In B. J. Carducci, C. S. Nave, J. S. Milo, & R. E. Riggo (Eds.), Wiley encyclopedia of personality and individual differences: Vol. I. Models and theories (pp. 407-411). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 

Helm, P. J., Jimenez, T., Bultmann, M., Lifshin, U., Arndt, J., & Greenberg, J. (2020). Existential isolation, loneliness, and attachment in young adults. Personality and Individual Differences, 159, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.109890 

Helm, P. J., Lifshin, U., Chau, R., & Greenberg. J. (2019). Existential isolation and death thought accessibility. Journal of Research in Personality, 82, 1-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2019.103845 

Helm, P. J., Greenberg, J., Park, Y. C., & Pinel, E. C. (2019). Feeling alone in your subjectivity: Introducing the state trait existential isolation model (STEIM). Journal of Theoretical Social Psychology, 3, 146-157. doi: 10.1002/jts5.41 

Helm, P. J., Rothschild, L., Greenberg, J, & Croft, A. (2018). Explaining sex differences in existential isolation research. Personality and Individual Differences, 134, 283-288. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2018.06.032 

Helm, P. J., Duchschere, J., & Greenberg, J. (2018). Treating low self-esteem: Cognitive behavioral therapy and terror management theory. In R. E. Menzies, R. G. Menzies, & L. Iverach (Eds.), Curing the Dread of Death: Theory, Research, and Practice (pp. 219-238). Brisbane, Queensland: Australian Academic Press