Dara N. Greenwood

Professor Greenwood is a social psychologist whose research program centers on the interaction between individuals' media use and their emotional well being. Specifically, she has examined how individual differences (body image, self-esteem, attachment style, aggression) among young women predict patterns of identification and idealization with fictional characters. She has also explored media-perpetuated gender stereotypes (e.g. the "dumb blonde") in conjunction with viewers' perceptions of themselves and others.

Most recently, Professor Greenwood's work is focused on how both men and women utilize entertainment media in the service of emotion and mood regulation. Professor Greenwood's work has been published in The International Journal of Eating Disorders, The Psychology of Women Quarterly, and in the edited volume, The Psychology of Entertainment Media.