Joe Conti

Advisor: Dr. Mark Landau

Research Interests: I’m interested in non-traditional methods of defending from existential threats, such as, isolation, meaninglessness, and lack of belonging. Specifically, I study how people may turn to virtual social environments, like MMO’s, in order to re-establish social connectedness and restore feelings of meaning and belonging—even when their real-life experiences provide little existential protection. I’m looking into when, why, and how these virtual environments are beneficial to people, as well as, when they start to become detrimental. Additionally, I’m also interested in conceptual metaphor theory and time perception and use them to further study human perception and cognition.