University of North Carolina Psychologist Wins the $100,000 Tang Prize

Barbara L. Fredrickson, the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been chosen to receive the Tang Prize from the Tang Foundation in Toronto, Ontario.

Professor Fredrickson is being honored for “exceptional contributions to the well-being of humanity.” Her research shows that positive emotions such a joy, gratitude, and love can have long-term positive effects on health. The Tang Prize includes a $100,000 award.

Professor Fredrickson joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006. She is the author of Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the Upward Spiral That Will Change Your Life (Harmony, 2009) and Love 2.0: Finding Happiness and Health in Moments of Connection (Plume, 2013).

Dr. Fredrickson is a summa cum laude graduate of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she majored in psychology. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University.

SaveSave