Dacher Keltner Receives Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award
Keltner, a distinguished professor of psychology at Berkeley, has led the discipline's study of human emotion, power and the concept of awe throughout his career.
Dacher Keltner, a UC Berkeley distinguished professor of psychology who has led the discipline’s study of human emotion, power and the concept of awe, was honored this month with a lifetime achievement award from the Association for Psychological Science.
Keltner was specifically cited for his work compiling data from over 26 cultures to map the forms and functions of compassion, awe, love and embarrassment. The APS also cited his exploration of social class and inequality and work showing how social power shapes basic cognitive processes, from empathy to prejudice, and leads to impulsive and inconsiderate behavior.
At Berkeley, Keltner co-founded the Greater Good Science Center and hosts the widely acclaimed Science of Happiness podcast. Keltner was also a scientific advisor on Pixar’s Inside Out, Soul and Inside Out 2.
“The breadth, depth and impact of Dacher Keltner’s work is nothing short of remarkable,” the APS said in an announcement. “… Keltner’s prolific work has profoundly changed the way social psychologists think about power, social class and human emotions.”
Keltner arrived at UC Berkeley in 1995. Reflecting on his time in academia, he credited the campus culture of openness, social justice and societal critique as the necessary ingredients to launch what he called his “unconventional career.”
“The atmosphere of Berkeley liberated me,” he said.
The APS’s William James Fellow Award honors scholars for their lifetime of significant intellectual contributions to the basic science of psychology and is awarded annually to three scientists around the world.
Keltner said the honor was especially significant because James — for whom the award is named — conducted work that profoundly shaped the scientific and philosophical ways Keltner came to think about awe. The concept grew from a mere curiosity for Keltner years ago into a widely appreciated research discipline and Keltner’s bestselling book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.
“I’ve always loved science,” Keltner said, recalling years of long weeks in the lab and countless hours studying and refining data in the pursuit of rigorous scholarship and discovery. “I’m obsessive about it.”
The APS last year also awarded Keltner with its Mentor Award, recognizing psychology researchers and educators who have shaped the future directions of science by fostering the careers of students and colleagues.
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