Melanie Brewster: Banding Together as Nonbelievers: Community as a Pathway to Well-Being
843 views · Published 29 July 2016 · 1:08:26 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: Center for Inquiry · 2016 · Education
Upon finding a lack of research about atheists in the field of psychology, Melanie Brewster decided to conduct research herself. In this talk she presents her findings and links experiences of isolation and anxiety within the atheist community to experiences of minority stress found in other marginalized groups. Brewster also emphasizes that building atheist communities and groups is the most effective way to relieve this stress. Melanie Brewster is an assistant professor of psychology and education at Columbia University. Her research focuses on stigma and examines how experiences of dehumanization and discrimination may shape the mental health of people from marginalized groups (e.g., LGBTQ individuals, atheists and nonbelievers, people of color). Her first book, Atheists in America, was published in 2014 by Columbia University Press.
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