Duke Interdisciplinary Behavioral Research Center

Duke IBRC is recruiting for an in-person & online church study — earn up to $110 total. Sign up via SONA Systems and attend all three parts to get the full compensation!⭐️sign up, participate, and email [email protected] to claim your bonus

✨ SPSP 2026 Recap ✨
So proud of our lab at this year’s Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention! Here’s a look at what we were up to 💙.

Dr. Patty Van Cappellen opened minds with her talk on the religious and existential dimensions of hope!


Dr. Megan Edward’s presented an amazing talk about hope and its relationship to meaning!


Jenna Faith McClear, M.T.S. presented fascinating research on the immediate emotional benefits of attending religious services!


And Camryn Yeager, B.A. sparked important conversations about how campus economic inequality shapes student well-being and feelings of falling behind 💛


We’re so inspired by the incredible work happening in our field — and so proud of these brilliant humans representing our lab 🌟
Swipe to see all the highlights →

We've landed in Chicago! The IBRC is at and ready to share our work with the field.


This week, catch us at the New Directions in Existential Psychology for the Religious and Nonreligious symposium and beyond:
🌈 Dr. Patty Van Cappellen presents Beyond Rainbows: Religious and Existential Dimensions of Hope (Fri. Feb. 27)
🌑 Dr. Megan Edwards presents Hope in the Dark (Fri. Feb. 27)
⛪ RC Jenna Faith McLear presents her poster on Immediate Emotional Benefits of Religious Service Attendance (Thurs. Feb. 26 & Fri. Feb. 27)
📊 RC Camryn Yaeger presents her poster on Campus Economic Inequality and Student Well-Being (Sat. Feb. 28).


We're so proud of this incredible team. Come find us and say hi! 👋

🔗 ibrc.duke.edu

Is online research losing its edge? 🖥️📉

In an increasingly digital world, a feature from Duke SSRI explores why in-person research remains irreplaceable. While AI is, they can’t fully capture the nuance of authentic human behavior.


At the IBRC, we believe in the power of in-person discovery. We provide the space where technology meets genuine insight, ensuring that research remains as rich and real as the people behind it.


🔗 💙⭐️Scan the QR code to read the full article, and make sure to check out our website to see how YOU can get involved!

This past January, Our very own Dr. Patty Van Cappellen was featured on David DeSteno’s How God Works Podcast on an episode titled “Mattering.”


To listen to the episode, check out the link in our story! 💙.

We appreciate those that have taken the time to provide a testimonial about their experience with the IBRC. 💙 If you have used our resources in the past, we’d love to hear from you! If you would like to use our resources now, let us know by emailing us!
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If you would like to bring a class or student group to the IBRC for a hands-on research workshop, reach out to us via email: [email protected].
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Join us at the Black Excellence in Science event this Saturday, February 7th at the Museum of Life and Science! ⭐️

During the event, we will be recruiting participants for upcoming research. We hope to see you there!

The Duke University IBRC would like to wish all of our followers a Happy New Year! To ring in 2026, we want to remind the social and behavioral research community at Duke that we want to help you make your goals into a reality this year! Reach out to us or visit the link in our bio to learn more!
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If you would like to bring a class or student group to the IBRC for a hands-on research workshop, reach out to us via email: [email protected].
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Swipe to learn about Dr. Van Cappellen and Dr. Johnston’s Bass Connections project, “What is Hope? Bridging the Gap Between Experience and Research”! The class took place in the 2024-2025 academic year and collected “stories of hope” from people in the Duke University and greater Raleigh/Durham communities with help from the IBRC participant pool, hosted on SONA. To read more about that What is Hope? project, visit the linktree in our bio and click “What is Hope?”!
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If you would like to bring a class or student group to the IBRC for a hands-on research workshop, reach out to us via email: [email protected].
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