Research interests

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We humans form strong bonds with strangers from very young ages onwards. By shaping our preferences and behaviours, these social bonds help us feel more connected to our environment and can improve our psychological wellbeing.

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What are the origins of our social bonds? What kinds of body movements and non-verbal cues help us trust and love other people? And what does social bonding do for our mental health and wellbeing? My research aims to answer these questions from a developmental, social, cognitive and evolutionary lens using methods of experimental psychology and anthropology.

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Brief bio

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Dr Tunçgenç is a faculty member at Nottingham Trent University and a research affiliate at the University of Oxford.

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She studied psychology and cognitive science at the Middle East Technical University in her home country, Turkey, and completed her PhD studies at the Social Body Lab, University of Oxford. Following that, she worked as a postdoc at Johns Hopkins University and as a research fellow at the University of Nottingham.