Asmir Gračanin

I am interested in the relationship between personality, emotion, and social behaviour. My research focuses on questions of how different personality traits affect our relationships with others and what biological causes and mechanisms form the basis of such effects. I am especially interested in the evolutionary roots of personality traits and mechanisms. In my research I rely on both self-reports and direct measurements of behaviour and (autonomic) psychophysiology.

Prestige and dominance

There are at least two general ways in which people attain social status. Firstly, the use of prestige is evident when one has certain features that benefit one’s group and when these are appreciated by the other group members. Secondly, one may also use dominance, which entails threats and intimidation. These two ways for attaining social status can be viewed as two different strategies but also as basic needs. My research focuses on questions such as How do individual differences in dominance and prestige motivation develop? Which situational features trigger and which cognitive processes affect the expression of these needs? How do these two needs interact? What are their consequences in the context of romantic relationships, friendship, and work? How do these needs affect well-being outcomes such as mood or somatic health?

Emotion and emotion regulation

I am also interested in different outcomes and correlates of habitual emotion regulation and other personality features related to emotional processes and communication. In addition, I study emotional crying - a still largely under-researched phenomenon. Here, I focus on questions such as How do personality and contextual features influence the use of cognitive and behavioural emotion regulation strategies? In which ways do the effects of these strategies depend on other individual and situational features? What are the biological functions of crying? How has crying evolved? How does crying relate to personality?

Since 2017

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Rijeka, Croatia

2014 – 2017

Postdoctoral Researcher, Marie Curie Fellow, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology and Center for Cognition and Communication, Tilburg University, Netherlands

2011 – 2014

Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Psychology, University of Rijeka, Croatia

2009 – 2011

PhD in Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

2003 – 2006

MSc in Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

1998 – 2003

MA in Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Rijeka, Croatia

I have supervised 15 Masters students and 1 PhD student. Currently I am supervising 2 Masters and 4 PhD students.

• 2017: University Science award, University of Rijeka

• 2017: National Science Award, Republic of Croatia

• 2013: National Award for the Promotion of Science, Republic of Croatia