Welcome


I’m a senior graduate student studying social psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  My research investigates interpersonal relationship formation, social coordination, human synchrony, and the role of emotions in achieving each.  I combine methods of psychophysiology, nonverbal behaviors, self-report measures, and various statistical models to discover answers to the question “What makes people ‘gel’?” 

If you would like more information, feel free to contact me or see my CV. 

Research

Current Projects

      
  • How is entrainment related to coordinated behavioral movements?  This project explores the effect(s) of rhythmic entrainment on one's emotions and how it may affect performance with a partner on a coordination task.  



  • What is the role of positive emotions and self-regulatory resources in achieving social coordination?  This project looks into how both an intrapersonal and interpersonal process combine to affect how pairs of strangers coordinate with one another on a joint task. 



  • What can nonverbal behaviors tell us about the thoughts and feelings of two strangers interacting for the first time?  I'm particularly interested in the affiliative cues, synchronous behaviors, and facial expressions that arise during the interaction.  
Publications & Presentations

Publications

Research Articles:
  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2012). Strangers in sync: Achieving embodied rapport      through shared movements. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48, 399-402.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2011.07.015
  • Kok, B. E., Coffey, K. A., Cohn, M. A., Catalino, L. I., Vacharkulksemsuk, T., Algoe, S., Brantley, M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (in press). Positive emotions drive an upward spiral that links social connections and health. Psychological Science.
Chapters:
  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T., & Fredrickson, B. L. (under review). One decade later: An update of the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions in organizations. In A. B. Bakker (Ed.) Advances in Positive Organizational Psychology, Vol. 1. UK: Emerald.
  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T., & Fredrickson, B. L. (under review). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. In M. Salama-Younes, & A. D. Fave (Eds.) Positive Psychology for All: Introduction, Concepts and Applications and in School Age.
  • Sekerka, L. E., Vacharkulksemsuk, T., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2012). Positive Emotions: Broadening and building upward spirals of sustainable development. In K. Cameron, and G. Spreitzer (Eds.) Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship, 2nd Edition. Oxford university Press.
  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T., Sekerka, L. E., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2011). Establishing a Positive Emotional Climate to Create Twenty-first Century Organizational Change. In N. M. Ashkanasy, C. P. M. Wilderom, & M. F. Peterson (Eds.) Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate, 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Presentations & Posters

  • Sekerka, L. E., Vacharkulksemsuk, T., & Fredrickson, B. L. (April, 2012). Establishing a positive emotional climate to create 21st century organizational change. Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology Conference. San Diego, CA.

  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T. (March, 2012). You can’t hurry love: Nonverbal backfire in newly acquainted dyads. Social Psychology UNC-Duke Conference. Durham, NC.

  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T. (January, 2012). Strangers in sync: Achieving social coordination through shared movements. Nonverbal Behavioral Preconference. San Diego, CA.

  • Lembke, J., Vacharkulksemsuk, T., & Fredrickson, B. L. (April, 2012). Curiosity and interest in interpersonal interactions. Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research at UNC-Chapel Hill. Chapel Hill, NC.

  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T., & Fredrickson, B. L. (January, 2012). Identifying the nonverbal correlates of love in newly acquainted dyads. Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA.

  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T. & Fredrickson, B. L. (January, 2011). Strangers moving together: Interactional synchrony predicts high-quality connections. Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference. San Antonio, TX.

  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T. & Fredrickson, B. L. (January, 2010). Dyadic social coordination: Can positive emotions differentially impact how two people work together? Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference. Las Vegas, NV.

  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T., & Fredrickson, B. L. (May, 2009).  Working together as one: The role of emotions in achieving social coordination. Association for Psychological Science Conference. San Francisco, CA.

  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T. & Fredrickson, B. L. (February, 2009). How Sweet It Is: The Effects of Glucose on Emotions. Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference. Tampa, FL.

  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T., Peters, J. A., McDonald, P., Hoskins, L. M., Loud, J. T., & Greene, M. H. (August, 2008). It’s What You Don’t Say: Nonverbal Behaviors in Counselor Interactions with BRCA1/2 -positive Women. National Institutes of Health Summer Research Festival. Bethesda, MD.

  • Vacharkulksemsuk, T. (August, 2006). Breaking Down Barriers: The Effect of Power Differences on Closeness in Cross-Race Friendships. Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program Presentations. Berkeley, CA.

Links