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“Being Present and Feeling Connected” with Dr. Polina Beloborodova

February 24, 2022 6:00 pm Free

Location

The Anderson
907 1/2 W Franklin St.
Richmond, Virginia, 23220
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Organizer

The Anderson

The Anderson is pleased to present, as a component of the programming for Conscious, Subconscious, (Collective) Unconscious (Feb. 11 – Mar. 4), Dr. Polina Beloborodova on February 24th, 6pm.

 

Being Present and Feeling Connected – How present moment awareness helps us to have more fulfilling social lives

Lockdowns in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by ubiquitous social distancing that we endure to this day, showed us how much we crave social connection. Researchers show that loneliness affects our mental and physical wellbeing and can be more detrimental to health than smoking. However, Buddhist and other scholars have long proposed that present-centered attention nurtures positive social interactions and relationships. In this talk, Dr. Polina Beloborodova, PhD candidate at VCU Psychology Department, will present her recent study on how being present helps us to connect with others and overcome loneliness and isolation. She will also give tips on starting a meditation practice and share her experience of integrating her practice into daily life and research work.

 

Bio:

Dr. Polina Beloborodova is a PhD Candidate in Social Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, working with Dr. Kirk Warren Brown at the Wellbeing Lab. After earning a BS in Management at HSE University (Moscow, Russia) and a double MS, also in Management, at HSE University and ESCP Europe (Paris, France), she started her career in business. However, Polina eventually found her calling in psychology research, completed a PhD in Psychology from HSE University and is currently working toward her second, quantitative research methods-focused PhD at VCU. She served as Research Assistant at the Positive Psychology of Personality and Motivation Lab (Moscow, Russia), VIA institute on Character (Cincinnati, Ohio), and Decision Neuroscience Lab (Richmond, Virginia). Polina‘s research interests lie in the intersection of contemplative science and positive psychology, with a special focus on how mindfulness practice affects our social and emotional well-being.