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
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 | |
1st ORAL PRESENTATION | 1:15 PM - 2:15 PM |
Chair: Dr Nishtha Lamba | |
2nd 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, 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.