Kristin Laurin’s research investigates how people’s goals and motivations interact with their beliefs and ideologies – about politics, about religion, or about the nature of the world. She is especially interested in how beliefs about societal, organizational and interpersonal structures can affect people’s ability to self-regulate in pursuit of their important goals. She also studies how various motivations can shape people’s beliefs and ideologies.

Kristin Laurin is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Her research can be divided into two general categories. On the one hand, she is interested in understanding how people’s beliefs and ideologies can affect their ability to self-regulate in pursuit of their goals. For example, she has studied how beliefs about social justice and religion can make people better or worse at dedicating themselves to the pursuit of their long-term goals. On the other hand, she is interested in understanding the motivated nature of beliefs and ideologies themselves. For example, she has investigated how the need for control and order can change people’s religious beliefs, and how their desire to put a positive spin on their enduring circumstances can influence their beliefs about justice, and even about their relationships. Her research appears in academic journals such as the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Psychological Science.

Kristin Laurin received her PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Waterloo.