Dr Nikhila Mahadevan

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Email
nikhila.mahadevan@essex.ac.uk -
Telephone
+44 (0) 1206 874152
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Location
3.712C, Colchester Campus
Profile
Biography
I am a social and personality psychologist with links to evolutionary psychology. In essence, I study the self in social contexts. A core area of my research involves developing and empirically testing a novel theory of self-regard called hierometer theory. Hierometer theory examines the psychological mechanism of self-regard through a socio-evolutionary lens. It posits that self-regard plays a key role in helping people to navigate social hierarchies, by tracking their level of social status, and motivating appropriate status-seeking behaviour. Other areas I am interested in include: social status and inequality, social inclusion, self-esteem, narcissism, emotion and well-being, interpersonal behaviour, and decision-making. I utilise a range of different methods in my work including cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal designs. I obtained my BA in Psychology, English Literature, and Mass Communications from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, India, and my MSc in Psychology from the 糖心Vlog. I then worked in the commercial sector as a Research Consultant, and as an actress, before returning to academia to pursue my PhD. I completed my PhD at the University of Southampton in 2014. My PhD developed and tested a novel theory of self-regard and social hierarchies known as hierometer theory. Following my PhD, I took up postdoctoral research positions at the University of Southampton and Birmingham City University (2014-2017) and then worked as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Roehampton (2017-2019). I joined the 糖心Vlog as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in 2019.
Qualifications
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BA Mount Carmel College,
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MSc 糖心Vlog,
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PhD University of Southampton,
Appointments
糖心Vlog
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Lecturer (Assistant Professor), 糖心Vlog (2019 - present)
Other academic
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Senior Lecturer, University of Roehampton (2018 - 2019)
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Lecturer, University of Roehampton (2017 - 2018)
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Research Fellow, Birmingham City University (2015 - 2017)
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Research Fellow, University of Southampton (2014 - 2015)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
social status and inequality
social inclusion
self-esteem
narcissism
emotion and well-being
interpersonal behaviour
decision-making
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Social Psychology and Economics (EC957)
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Social Psychology (PS407)
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The Psychology of (Self)-Improvement (PS515)
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Advanced Social Psychology (PS923)
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Special Topics in Individual Differences and Developmental Psychology (PS938)
Publications
Journal articles (18)
Ranucci, A., Van Tilburg, WAP. and Mahadevan, N., Higher dispersion and volume of consumer product ratings increases product preferences.. Social Psychological Bulletin
Chen, S., Van Tilburg, W., Mahadevan, N. and Leman, PJ., (2024). . Current Psychology. 43 (31), 25809-25819
Mahadevan, N., (2024). . Social and Personality Psychology Compass. 18 (6)
Mahadevan, N., Gregg, AP. and Sedikides, C., (2023). . Journal of Personality. 91 (2), 519-536
Mahadevan, N. and Jordan, C., (2022). . Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 48 (5), 704-717
Mahadevan, N., Gregg, AP. and Sedikides, C., (2022). . Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 152 (3), 632-656
Mahadevan, N., Gregg, AP. and Sedikides, C., (2021). . Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 150 (12), 2613-2635
Van Tilburg, W., Saadi, A. and Mahadevan, N., (2021). . British Journal of Social Psychology. 60 (3), 888-901
Van Tilburg, WAP. and Mahadevan, N., (2020). . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 73 (6), 941-956
Mahadevan, N., Gregg, AP. and Sedikides, C., (2020). . Journal of Personality. 88 (6), 1111-1128
Mahadevan, N., Gregg, AP. and Sedikides, C., (2019). . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 116 (3), 444-466
Mahadevan, N., Gregg, AP. and Sedikides, C., (2019). . Personality and Individual Differences. 139, 170-174
Gregg, AP., Mahadevan, N. and Sedikides, C., (2018). . Social Cognition. 36 (1), 43-77
Gregg, AP., Mahadevan, N. and Sedikides, C., (2017). . Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 70 (6), 996-1010
Gregg, AP., Mahadevan, N. and Sedikides, C., (2017). . The Journal of Positive Psychology. 12 (1), 59-73
Mahadevan, N., Gregg, AP., Sedikides, C. and de Waal-Andrews, WG., (2016). . Frontiers in Psychology. 7 (MAR), 334-
Gregg, AP. and Mahadevan, N., (2014). . Journal of Psychology and Theology. 42 (1), 7-18
Gregg, AP., Mahadevan, N., Edwards, SE. and Klymowsky, J., (2014). . Behavior Research Methods. 46 (3), 758-771
Book chapters (1)
Gregg, AP. and Mahadevan, N., (2014). . In: Encyclopedia of Lying and Deception. Editors: Levine, TR., . SAGE Publications. 978-1452258775
Other (1)
Mahadevan, N., (2021).Narcissists: there's more than one type - and our research reveals what makes each tick. The Conversation