ABOUT THE EVENT

The 8th Annual Conference of Applied Psychological Research in the Middle East. This first online psychology conference will showcase an exceptional keynote address by Professor Viren Swami on “Nurtured by nature: Why being in nature is good for us”, followed by Oral paper presentations, and a thought-provoking panel discussion on Expatriate acculturation in the UAE.

Please note that in order to ensure the safety of our guests, students and staff the conference will be held virtually this year.

Date: Thursday 8 April 2021

Time: 11.30am – 5.30pm (GST)

Location: Via MS Team Platform

Register your place today!

Download Conference Brochure

Conference Programme

WELCOME ADDRESS	11:30 AM - 11:55 AM
Dr Cedwyn Fernandes, Dr Cody Paris, Dr Anita Kashi
KEYNOTE INTRODUCTION	11:55 AM - 12:00 PM
Dr Anita Kashi
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION	12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Prof. Viren Swami
1^st ORAL PRESENTATION	1:15 PM - 2:15 PM
Chair: Dr Nishtha Lamba
2^nd ORAL PRESENTATION	2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
Chair: Dr Lynda Hyland
PANEL DISCUSSION	4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Panellists: Dr Jigar Jogia, Dr Chasity O'Connell, Dr Rajeshree Singhania, Dr Thoraiya Kanafani Moderator: Ms Magdalena Mosanya
CLOSING ADDRESS	5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Dr Tenia Kyriazi and Dr Anita Kashi

Our Key Note Speaker

Professor Viren Swami

Viren Swami is Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University and Director of the Centre for Psychological Research at Perdana University. His research is focused on body image and human appearance. Dr. Swami has previously worked at the University of Westminster and the University of Liverpool after completing his PhD in Psychology from University College London. He is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and an Associate Editor for the journals Body Image and PLOS One. He is the author of over two hundred academic papers and three books, including Attraction Explained (now in its second edition) and The Psychology of Physical Attraction.

NURTURED BY NATURE:

WHY BEING IN NATURE IS GOOD FOR US

Spending time in nature has a range of benefits for physical health and psychological well- being. But why do these effects occur? And how can you make the most of natural environments?

Research has shown that spending time in natural environments had a range of benefits, including better physical health and psychological well-being. In this presentation, Prof Viren Swami will provide a brief overview of historic attempts at using nature to improve well- being before describing what contemporary research has shown. He will also discuss the findings of recent research showing that exposure to natural environments also improves body image outcomes. But understanding why those benefits occur is more complex: Prof Swami describes different theories that have been proposed to explain the impacts of nature on well-being. He’ll also discuss what we can all do to reap the benefits of spending time in nature.