Dr. Joey Cheng

My work focuses on the emotional underpinnings of status hierarchies. I believe that a set of human emotions - pride, humility, respect, and admiration - evolved under a larger psychology designed to facilitate cultural learning processes. While cultural transmission was largely predicated upon the social organization of prestige, emotions served as a vital proximal solution to the challenge of creating and stabilizing prestige hierarchies. For instance, taking pride in one's achievements may motivate the demonstration of skill and competence, attracting social learners and thus promulgating cultural knowledge. Using self-report, peer-report, and behavioral observation data obtained from naturalistic groups, I am examining the emotional precursors and consequences of attaining prestige (i.e., pride and humility), the feelings and emotions that motivate social learning (i.e., respect, admiration, adoration), and the ways in which individuals attain prestige (i.e., intelligence, alliances, altruism). 

Major Awards

2018: Achievement Award for Early Career Psychologists, American Psychological Association

2016: Rising Star Award, Association for Psychological Science

2011: Outstanding Research Award, Society for Personality and Social Psychology

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After completing her PhD at UBC in Social-Personality Psychology with a minor in quantitative methods, Dr. Joey Cheng is now an assistant professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (website)