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Howard Friedman

Howard Friedman

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Howard Friedman's research efforts center on his archival prospective study of predictors and mediators of health and longevity in the 8-decade Terman cohort. This project studies females and males across the life-span (since 1921) based on archival data first collected by Lewis Terman in the 1920's, and updated by Friedman to include death certificates.

The goal of this research is to understand the ways psychosocial factors affect health and longevity across time. The initial findings emerging from this project indicated that childhood personality (especially conscientiousness) and the (lack of) experience of parental divorce in childhood were predictive of longevity across the life-span, and continuing efforts have focused on the explanatory mechanisms involved in such observed key relations. These relations are being explored in terms of subsequent (adulthood) psychosocial patterns and health-related behaviors such as alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity, physical activity, marriage, education, career success, and psychosocial adjustment.

Perhaps the key result of this project thus far is the emerging picture of a life-long pattern of responding that significantly decreases the risk of ill health and premature mortality. A major overview book from this project is: Friedman, H. S. & Martin, L. R. (2011). The Longevity Project: Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight-Decade Study. New York: Hudson Street Press. See:

http://www.howardsfriedman.com/longevityproject/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVQH0rGA9us

Professor Friedman has received the James McKeen Cattell Fellow Award (career award) from the Association for Psychological Science (2007-08). See:

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/awards/cattell/citations/friedman.cfm

Dr. Friedman's research on nonverbal communication focuses on expressive style and its relation to personality and the transmission of emotion. Studies of facial expressions and body movements are employed to examine healthy style, social influence, and personal charisma. An expanded version of his Affective Communication Test (ACT) (with detailed instructions for best use) is available from him for businesses or professionals as part of a limited consulting agreement. For personal insight, a short adaptation of the Affective Communication Test is provided in the book, The Longevity Project. See:

http://www.howardsfriedman.com/longevityproject/acttest.html

Primary Interests:

  • Emotion, Mood, Affect
  • Health Psychology
  • Interpersonal Processes
  • Life Satisfaction, Well-Being
  • Nonverbal Behavior
  • Personality, Individual Differences
  • Persuasion, Social Influence

Research Group or Laboratory:

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Books:

Journal Articles:

  • Friedman, H. S. (2000). Long-term relations of personality and health: Dynamisms, mechanisms, tropisms. Journal of Personality, 68, 1089-1108.
  • Friedman, H. S., Kern, M. L., & Reynolds, C. A. (2010). Personality and health, subjective well-being, and longevity. Journal of Personality, 78, 179-215.
  • Friedman, H. S., Tucker, J. S., Schwartz, J. E., Tomlinson-Keasey, C., Martin, L. R., Wingard, D. L., & Criqui, M. H. (1995). Psychosocial and behavioral predictors of longevity: The aging and death of the "Termites." American Psychologist, 50, 69-78.
  • Martin, L. R., Friedman, H. S., & Schwartz, J. E. (2007). Personality and mortality risk across the lifespan: The importance of conscientiousness as a biopsychosocial attribute. Health Psychology, 26, 428-436.
  • Peterson, C., Seligman, M. E. P., Yurko, K. H., Martin, L. R., & Friedman, H. S. (1998). Catastrophizing and untimely death. Psychological Science, 9, 49-52.
  • Tucker, J. S., Friedman, H. S. Schwartz, J. E., Criqui, M. H., Tomlinson-Keasey, C., Wingard, D. L., & Martin, L. R. (1997). Parental divorce: Effects on individual behavior and longevity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 381-391.

Other Publications:

Courses Taught:

  • Health Psychology
  • Nonverbal Communication
  • Personality
  • Research Methods
  • Self-Healing
  • Social Psychology
  • Writing in psychology

Howard Friedman
Department of Psychology
University of California
Riverside, California 92521
United States of America

  • Phone: (951) 827-3672

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