Profile

Professor Katarzyna Growiec is a social psychologist.

Research Interests

• Personality Traits: Investigating the personality-based determinants that underpin social capital and social trust.
• Evolutionary Social Development: Exploring the evolution of Homo sapiens with a specific focus on the formation of social bonds from the Stone Age through the modern era.
• Psychological and Economic Well-being: Leading a research project that investigates links between social capital, psychological well-being, and economic prosperity, funded by the National Science Center.

Completed Research Projects

• Field Research in Iceland: Conducted a research project in Iceland examining the transformation of social bonds during the economic crisis.
• Media and Communication Research (2013): Primary investigator for the project „Poza stare i nowe media – kompetencje komunikacyjne Polaków” [Beyond Old and New Media: Communication Competencies of Poles] that concerned the impact of media on social polarization.

Honors and Awards

• State competition for researchers: Honorable mention in the 2010 competition „Polskie wyzwania: państwo – tożsamość – rozwój” [Polish Challenges: State – Identity – Development], organized by the President of the Republic of Poland, for the best doctoral dissertation in the society and social policy category.
• START Fellowships: A two-time recipient of the fellowship for young researchers awarded by the Foundation for Polish Science.
• Polityka’s Award for Achievements in Science (2013): Winner of the award for outstanding achievements in science, in the social sciences category, granted by a Polish weekly news magazine Polityka.
• Ministry Scholarship (2013–2016): Recipient of the scholarship for outstanding young scientists awarded by Poland’s Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Publications

Books

• Kapitał społeczny. Geneza i społeczne konsekwencje [Social Capital: Origins and Social Consequences] (2011)
• Ile szczęścia dają nam inni ludzie? Więzi społeczne a dobrostan psychiczny [The Happiness We Derive from Others. Social Bonds and Psychological Well-being] (2015).

Journals

• She published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, Social Indicators Research, European Societies, and the Journal of Youth Studies.

Professional certifications

She is a certified psychosocial skills trainer, accredited by the Polish Psychological Association.

Teaching

At SWPS University, she teaches courses on the personality-based determinants of social processes.