Much of my research is guided by the proposition that humans are a fundamentally social species and thus a great deal of human behavior can be understood as being in service of social connection.

For example, my students and I study how people fill their social needs through being in crowds with strangers. We have found that people in crowds sometimes experience collective effervescence—an intertwining of a sense of connection to others and a sensation of sacredness. People experience collective effervescence in big crowds, like concerts or football games, or small crowds, like coffee shops or city buses. Our research suggests that these experiences lead to wellbeing in the short and long term.

We also study non-traditional ways to fill social needs, such as television, music, books and comfort food, and find that these are potent ways to feel connection. These nontraditional ways of belonging increase our psychological wellbeing. Our research suggests the happiest and healthiest people have both traditional and nontraditional ways of belonging.

At the heart of both collective effervescence and nontraditional ways of filling social needs is the need for social embeddedness—a term we coined to describe the deeply human desire to feel as if we are embedded in a larger social structure. We feel socially embedded when we are cheering on our favorite football team and when we are watching our favorite TV show. In a deeply divided and isolated world, those activities can contribute to community and cohesion.

Selected Publications

Gabriel, S., & Schneider, V. (2026). The rivers flow through us: Collective effervescence mediates the effect of nature on wellbeing. Sustainability, 18(13), 6795. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18136795
Koefler, N., Naidu, E., Gabriel, S., Schneider, V., Pascuzzi, G., & Paravati, E. (2026). Let the music play: Live music fosters collective effervescence and leads to lasting positive outcomes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 52(3), 546–558.
Paravati, E., Naidu, E., & Gabriel, S. (2026). Thank you for the music: Music as a social surrogate that protects against social threats. Psychology of Music, 54(2), 197-214. https://doi.org/10.1177/03057356241312219
Gabriel, S., & Schneider, V. (2024). The need for social embeddedness: Human belonging goes beyond dyadic bonds. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 33(4), 247-253. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214241257880
Naidu, E., Gabriel, S., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2024). Reliving the good old days: Nostalgia increases psychological wellbeing through collective effervescence. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 15(1), 22-32. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221149813
Naidu, E., Paravati, E., & Gabriel, S. (2022). Staying happy even when staying 6 feet apart: The relationship between extroversion and social adaptability. Personality and Individual Differences, 190, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111549
Ministero, L. M., Green, M. C., Gabriel, S., & Valenti, J. (2021). Back where I belong: Rereading as a risk-free pathway to social connection. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 16(1), 97-109. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000375
Paravati, E., Naidu, E., & Gabriel, S. (2021). From “love actually” to love, actually: The sociometer takes every kind of fuel. Self and Identity, 20, 6-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2020.1743750
Gabriel, S., Naidu, E., Paravati, E., Morrison, C. D., & Gainey, K. (2020). Creating the sacred from the profane: Collective effervescence and everyday activities. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 15(1), 129–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1689412
Gabriel, S., Paravati, E., Green, M. C., & Flomsbee, J. (2018). From Apprentice to President: The role of parasocial connection in the election of Donald Trump. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 9(3), 299–307. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617722835
Gabriel, S., Valenti, J., Naragon-Gainey, K., & Young, A. F. (2017). The psychological importance of collective assembly: Development and validation of the Tendency for Effervescent Assembly Measure (TEAM). Psychological Assessment, 29(11), 1349–1362. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000434
Gomillion, S., Gabriel, S., Kawakami, K., & Young, A. F. (2017). Let’s stay home and watch TV: The benefits of shared media use for close relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 34(6), 855-874. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407516660388
Gabriel, S., Read, J. P., Young, A. F., Bachrach, R. L., & Troisi, J. D. (2017). Social surrogate use in those exposed to trauma: I get by with a little help from my (fictional) friends. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 36(1), 41–63. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2017.36.1.41
Buffone, A., Gabriel, S., & Poulin, M. (2016). There but for the grace of god: Counterfactuals influence religious belief and images of the divine. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7(3), 256–263. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550616632576
Gabriel, S., Valenti, J., & Young, A. F. (2016). Social surrogates, social motivations, and everyday activities: The case for a strong, subtle, and sneaky social self. In J. M. Olson & M. P. Zanna (Eds.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 189–243). Elsevier Academic Press.