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Richard Slatcher      

Gail M. Williamson Distinguished Professor in the Behavior and Brain Sciences area of the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia

Richard B. Slatcher is the Gail M. Williamson Distinguished Professor in the Behavior and Brain Sciences area of the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia. Understanding the effects of people’s close relationships on their health and well-being from a social psychological perspective is the central focus of his research and teaching. Much of his research has examined the twin roles of self-disclosure and interpersonal responsiveness in the development and maintenance of relationships. In recent years, his work has focused on how smartphones, social media, and emerging technologies impact people and their relationships. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his colleagues launched the Love in the Time of COVID study to examine the effects of the pandemic on peoples social relationships.

Richard received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a minor in Art History from the University of Richmond and his Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating from UT, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in health psychology at UCLA. Prior to his time at UGA, Richard was a Professor of Social Psychology at Wayne State University. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has received over $10 million in grant funding for his work.

His work has been frequently featured in the popular press, including National Public Radio (NPR), The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The Globe & Mail, and The Guardian, among many others. He is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the Society of Experimental Social Psychology (SESP), and the the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), and is a recipient of the Caryl Rusbult Close Relationships Early Career Award from SPSP and the award for Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology by an Early Career Professional from the Society for Health Psychology. He recently completed a term on the Board of the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR) and is currently an Associate Editor of Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Speech Topics

As Bad as Everyone Thinks? The Impact of Technology on our Social Worlds

This session summarizes almost a decade of research on the topic of how technology--especially smartphones and social media--has shaped our social relationships at work and with friends and loved ones. The findings are not as straightforward or consistent as the media and many academic researchers would like for you to believe.

Responsiveness: The Secret Ingredient to Successful Leadership and Workplace Relationships

This session synthesizes almost two decades of research on the benefits of what social psychologists call "responsiveness"--the ability to make someone feel heard and appreciated--for people's relationships. Responsiveness the single most important ingredient for a successful marriage, rewarding friendships, and successful leadership. This talk focuses on the particular benefits of responsiveness for organizational leadership and workplace relationships.

Teens and Their Phones

This talk summarizes the research that the UGA Close Relationships Lab and others have conducted on the effects of technology on teens, with a particular emphasis on the effects of technology on teens' social relationships. The findings will very much surprise you.

Is Social Media Actually So Bad for Us?

Despite what the media and a lot of academic researchers would like you to believe, the effects of social media on people's happiness and well-being are not as clear as many think they are. This talk synthesizes almost 15 years of research on how social media has shifted the social landscape and profoundly changed how we approach our relationships. Is social media really as bad for us as people think? The answer will likely surprise you.

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