Author Archives: Laura Akers, Ph.D.

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About Laura Akers, Ph.D.

I'm a research psychologist at Oregon Research Institute, and I'm writing a book about meta-narratives, the powerful collective stories we share about who we are and where we're headed. My interests include beliefs and worldviews, ethics, motivation, and relationships, both among humans and between humans and the natural world.

Stories-About-Us: How They Work

Posted on 10 July 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

In my last few blog posts, I’ve been focusing on our “stories about us” (“metanarratives”) – the topic of the book I’m writing. I hope the book will reach a broad audience, because it’s vital information we all need to … Continue reading →

Posted in narrative science | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mother of Two Englands

Posted on 25 June 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

British historian Lucy Worsley has a new TV series, and as I watched the first episode this week, I was delighted to find her talking about exactly the type of stories-of-us that I’m writing about in my book. Thanks to … Continue reading →

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More Slogan Science: Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

Posted on 23 June 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

In my last blog post, I took a close look at Trump’s campaign messaging, both for 2016 and 2020. Now it’s Joe Biden’s turn. What stories-about-us is he using to support his campaign and energize the voting public? Before we … Continue reading →

Posted in US politics | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Science of Slogans, with Donald J. Trump

Posted on 3 June 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

In 2016, Donald Trump masterfully wielded campaign slogans from at least four different emotional “genres,” each telling or implying a different story about who we are and where we’re headed. Can he repeat this performance in 2020? Will a sizeable … Continue reading →

Posted in US politics | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

The Warren Paradox

Posted on 22 April 2020 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Elizabeth Warren’s March 5 announcement that she was suspending her presidential campaign was certainly sensible, however disappointing it may have been to many in my own demographic, “highly educated middle-aged white women.” Throughout her campaign, she was usually labeled a … Continue reading →

Posted in US politics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

“The only thing we have to fear…”

Posted on 29 November 2015 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

International terrorists are trying to ratchet up our fear. They’re devoting their lives to getting us to invest a lot of energy into making ourselves far more secure (in one specific dimension or another) than rationally called for. They’re working … Continue reading →

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Mindfulness IV: Making Choices – Ethics and Mindfulness

Posted on 3 July 2014 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

Ideally, mindfulness would make us more conscious of the world around us and more sensitive to the way our actions affect others. But is that necessarily so? Caveat Four: Mindfulness doesn’t always lead to “goodness.” Here are some possible ways … Continue reading →

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Mindfulness III: When Mindfulness Sets Us Adrift

Posted on 2 July 2014 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

One benefit often mentioned for mindfulness is the value of shaking up one’s complacent perspective on life. Jon Kabat-Zinn explained that “we lock ourselves into a personal fiction that we already know who we are, that we already know where … Continue reading →

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Mindfulness Caveats II: “Always Be Mindful” – Good Idea?

Posted on 1 July 2014 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

“Chopping wood is meditation. Carrying water is meditation. Be mindful 24 hours a day, not just during the one hour you may allot for formal meditation… Each act must be carried out in mindfulness.” – Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle … Continue reading →

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Mindfulness – Four Caveats / Part One: Why Mindfulness?

Posted on 30 June 2014 by Laura Akers, Ph.D.

In the world of health behavior research, mindfulness is definitely hot. New benefits are being discovered all the time. Mindfulness helps people cope with stress, by reducing their cortisol (stress hormones) and blood pressure and increasing their resilience, and in … Continue reading →

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