Professor Viren Swami 
Professor of Social Psychology | Anglia Ruskin University
Cambridge, England, UNITED KINGDOM
His research focuses on the psychology of body image, human appearance, and attraction in relationships.
Areas of Expertise (7)
Impact of Nature on Healthy Living
Tattoos
Body Image
Psychology of Attraction
Relationships
Body Art
Post-natal Depression in Fathers
Biography
Professor Viren Swami is Professor of Social Psychology in the School of Psychology and Sport Science at Anglia Ruskin University. His research focuses on the psychology of body image, human appearance, and attraction in relationships. He has a particular interest in cross-cultural differences in body image and beauty ideals. He also explores the impact of physical appearance in how relationships are formed as well as body art (particularly tattoos). Recent studies include women’s perceptions of their satisfaction with their breast size, the benefits of gardening and nature to well-being self-esteem, and post-natal depression among fathers.
Viren is a Director at the Centre for Psychological Medicine (a joint centre between Anglia Ruskin and Perdana universities). He is the author of Attraction Explained - The Science of How We Form Relationships. He is also a Chartered Psychologist, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and an Associate Editor for the journals Body Image and PLOS One. He works with Guerilla Science - which connects public audiences to scientific thinking - and is the Convenor of Anglia Ruskin’s Mind-Body Matters events.
Media Mentions (5)
COVID-19 anxiety linked to body image issues, finds study
Times of India online
2020-10-24
The research, led by Professor Viren Swami of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, involved 506 UK adults with an average age of 34.
COVID-19 anxiety linked to body image issues
Science Daily online
2020-10-23
The research, led by Professor Viren Swami of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, involved 506 UK adults with an average age of 34.
Warning as pandemic stress leads to body image issues
Surrey Comet online
2020-10-22
Lead author Viren Swami, professor of social psychology at Anglia Ruskin University, said: “In addition to the impact of the virus itself, our results suggest the pandemic could also be leading to a rise in body image issues.
Gardening 'holds the key to lifting spirits during the coronavirus crisis' by promoting positive body image and boosting self-esteem, psychologists claim
Daily Mail online
2020-04-02
Study lead author Professor Viren Swami, a psychologist at Anglia Ruskin University, said positive body image is beneficial for psychological and physical resilience.' It is a state of mind that also enables us to be at peace with our bodily imperfections, he explained.
Breast cancer: Size doesn't matter
Ottawa Citizen online
2020-02-07
Viren Swami, a professor of social psychology at Anglia Ruskin University who led the study, told The Scotsman that practitioners need to promote greater breast size satisfaction so that they can improve detecting cancer early. “For women who are dissatisfied with their breast size, having to inspect their breasts may be experienced as a threat to their body image and so they may engage in avoidance behaviours,” he said.
Multimedia Appearances
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Education (2)
University College London: Ph.D., Psychology 2005
University College London: B.Sc., Psychology 2002
Affiliations (5)
- Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow, British Psychological Society
- Fellow, Advance HE
- Associate Editor, Body Image
- Associate Editor, PLOS One
- Board Director, Asian Psychological Associations
Links (5)
Articles (5)
The Body Acceptance by Others Scale: An assessment of its factorial validity in adults from the United Kingdom
Body Image2020 The construct of body acceptance by others (i.e., the degree to which an individual perceives acceptance for their appearance by others) is central to conceptual models of positive body image and adaptive eating styles.
Investigating the Links Between Cultural Values and Belief in Conspiracy Theories: the Key Roles of Collectivism and Masculinity.
PsyArXiv2020 Research suggests that belief in conspiracy theories (CT) stems from basic psychological mechanisms and is linked to other belief systems (eg religious beliefs). While previous research has extensively examined individual and contextual variables associated with CT beliefs, it has not yet investigated the role of culture.
COVID-19-related stress and anxiety are associated with negative body image in adults from the United Kingdom
Personality and Individual Differences2020 The stress and anxiety caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic presents a serious threat to psychological well-being in populations worldwide and may also extend to body image outcomes.
How Being in Nature can Promote Healthier Body Image
Relate Malaysia2020 As many Asian nations rapidly urbanise, governments and policy-makers are having to deal with the negative impacts of urbanisation on population mental health. One cost-effective way of promoting population psychological well-being is through nature experiences, or exposure to natural environments.
Nature exposure and positive body image:(Re-) examining the mediating roles of connectedness to nature and trait mindfulness
Body Image2020 Previous studies have reported a significant association between nature exposure and positive body image, but understandings of the mechanisms that help to explain this link remain nascent.
