Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Julianne Holt-Lunstad is a psychologist and professor of psychology and neuroscience, and director of the Social Connection and Health Lab, at Brigham Young University.^[3] She is a fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and Association for Psychological Science.

Julianne Holt-Lunstad
Born	Minneapolis, U.S.
Alma mater	Brigham Young University (B.S., M.S.) University of Utah (Ph.D.)
Children	2[1][2]
Scientific career
Fields	Psychology
Institutions	Brigham Young University

Life and career

Holt-Lunstad was born in Minneapolis.^[4] She earned her bachelor's degree and master's degree from Brigham Young University in 1994 and 1998, respectively, and her Ph.D. from the University of Utah in 2001.^[5] After completing her Ph.D., Holt-Lunstad joined the faculty of the department of psychology at Brigham Young University as an assistant professor.^[6]

Research

Holt-Lunstad specializes in psychology and neuroscience.^[7][8] Her research focuses on the long-term health effects of social connections and includes a meta-analysis on the effects of loneliness and social isolation on mortality.^[9][10] That research has linked loneliness to deteriorating health.^[11]

Holt-Lunstad was the first researcher to publish studies connecting poor social support to mortality.^[1]

As a result of her in-depth research, Holt-Lunstad was selected to serve as the lead scientific editor for the US Surgeon General's Advisory "Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation" and a scientific advisor for the Australian Coalition to End Loneliness in 2017.^[12] She has also been called to testify in front of the United States Congress Special Committee on Aging regarding her research.^[1][13]

In 2018, Holt-Lunstad was awarded BYU's Karl G. Maeser Research & Creative Arts Award.^[14] She is also a fellow of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology and the Association for Psychological Science.^[15]