Online dating seem awful? The reason may lie in evolution
In a new book –released in time for Valentine’s Day – a psychologist alum offers hopeful insights for those looking for love
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In the Department of Psychology we focus on the investigation of behavior and its cognitive, neural and hormonal underpinnings in the full range of environmental situations. Our strengths lie in four broadly defined areas of development, cognition, neuroscience, and social and personality psychology. We develop and conduct theoretical and translational research to advance health and well-being.
Currently, we offer two majors and minors for undergraduate students. The Psychology major and minor are offered through the College of Arts & Sciences while the Human Development major and minor are offered through the College of Human Ecology. We also offer graduate degrees in the field of Psychology through the College of Arts and Sciences and the field of Human Development through the College of Human Ecology.
Explore the Department
Born at Cornell, embraced by policymakers
Cornell University helped pioneer the collaborative field of behavioral economics, where economists and psychologists work side by side to uncover how human behavior drives decision-making in markets and beyond.
Click here to read more about the impact of our behavioral economics research
Department News
Cornell researchers win prize for insight into conspiracy belief
The 2026 Newcomb Cleveland Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Science goes to psychology researchers Gordon Pennycook and David Rand.
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Three Cornellians named Schwarzman Scholars for study in China
A Cornell student and two alumni have been named Schwarzman Scholars for the 2026-27 academic year and will spend it in a master’s program in global affairs at Beijing’s Tsinghua University.
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Four women’s hockey alumnae to play at Winter Olympics
Players familiar to Cornell women’s hockey fans will take the ice when the puck drops at the 2026 Winter Olympics this week in Milan, Italy.
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Art offers access to true self
Psychology researcher Jordan Wylie and colleagues found that artistic excellence, rather than moral excellence, offers greater access to one’s true self.
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College of Arts and Sciences announces 2026 Klarman Fellows
The 12 early-career scholars will pursue research in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
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AI chatbots can effectively sway voters – in either direction
Two new papers – with experiments conducted in four countries – demonstrate that chatbots powered by large language models (LLMs) are quite effective at political persuasion, moving opposition voters’ preferences by 10 percentage points or more in many cases.
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Research Matters’ video podcast debuts, translating ideas into impact
Launching Jan. 27 with three episodes, “Research Matters” spotlights Cornell scholars whose research directly engages with real-world challenges, from climate change and public safety to mental health.
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Preparing undergraduate students for the future of psychological research and practice
Undergraduate students develop critical thinking skills, emphasizing the foundational nature of the science of psychology.
Learn at the nexus of graduate level scientific inquiry
The Department of Psychology embraces multidisciplinary and translational research and graduate training, viewing psychology as a “hub science” at the nexus of many other areas of scientific inquiry.
A cross disciplinary approach to research
The Department of Psychology embraces a “big tent” approach to methods, techniques and analysis that can be used to expand the frontiers of psychological science.
Psychology Events
Feb
27
Friday
03:00 PM
The Eleanor J. and James J. Gibson Lecture in Experimental Psychology
Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium
132 Goldwin Smith Hall