Dr. Sarah Gaither
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sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither
@sarahegaither.bsky.social
3K followers 800 following 340 posts

Social and Developmental Psychology at Duke; foodie, twin mom, UC Berkeley and Tufts alumna; she/her

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Psychology 32%
Political science 28%
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sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · 8d
Check out this blog post I wrote with Esha Naidu for @spspnews.bsky.social about our research on how cultural identity shapes the way we gesture while speaking—just in time for all those animated holiday get-togethers. 👐🎄🕎

spsp.org/news/charact...
Why Do Some People Talk with Their Hands? | SPSP
Cultural identity may shape how much you talk with your hands.
spsp.org

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · 10d
Grades are in. If you need me, I’ll be where all exhausted educators go this time of year: directly into a mug of hot chocolate.
a cartoon character is pouring something into a coffee cup
ALT: a cartoon character is pouring something into a coffee cup
media.tenor.com

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · 13d
Amazing holiday news!!!
dukeidlab.bsky.social Duke Identity and Diversity Lab @dukeidlab.bsky.social · 13d
What’s an amazing holiday gift that not everyone has? A shiny new Masters degree! Big congrats to @kirbylam.bsky.social on passing his Masters thesis defense yesterday!!!

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

dukeidlab.bsky.social
Duke Identity and Diversity Lab @dukeidlab.bsky.social · 13d
What’s an amazing holiday gift that not everyone has? A shiny new Masters degree! Big congrats to @kirbylam.bsky.social on passing his Masters thesis defense yesterday!!!

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · 18d
New paper with Esha Naidu and Emmy Reilly! As U.S. campuses grow more diverse, what really matters isn’t just who is on campus—it’s how universities shape interactions. Randomized roommates when supported with institutional backing can strengthen belonging
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Random Roommates, Broader Minds: Why Higher Ed Should Invest in Intergroup Contact - Sarah E. Gaither, Esha S. Naidu, Emily B. Reilly, 2025
As U.S. campuses grow more diverse, university policy choices determine whether cross-group encounters produce connection or division. Drawing on decades of int...
journals.sagepub.com

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · 21d
So so exciting!!!

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · 22d
Couldn’t be happier for Mercedes Muñoz! She has such a big heart and a brilliant mind, and seeing her land this faculty position feels like watching someone step right into where they’re meant to be. I feel so honored to have been a part of her journey!
dukeidlab.bsky.social Duke Identity and Diversity Lab @dukeidlab.bsky.social · 22d
Big congrats to Mercedes Muñoz — a future professor of psychology at the University of Richmond 🥳

UR and the students there are so lucky to have her! 👏📚✨

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

dukeidlab.bsky.social
Duke Identity and Diversity Lab @dukeidlab.bsky.social · 22d
Big congrats to Mercedes Muñoz — a future professor of psychology at the University of Richmond 🥳

UR and the students there are so lucky to have her! 👏📚✨

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · 23d
Not too bad at all!!

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · 23d
With less than one week of classes left, I’ve officially reached the high point of the term (and the fact that I am temporarily in an 8th floor office with this view of Duke has nothing to do with it!). At this altitude, everything I stressed about looks way smaller. It’s all about perspective.

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · 24d
Letter-of-rec writing season: DONE! 🎉
Now accepting good vibes only as I hope there isn’t a surprise request crouching in my inbox like a mischievous raccoon.
a raccoon is smiling and laughing with its hands folded in prayer .
ALT: a raccoon is smiling and laughing with its hands folded in prayer .
media.tenor.com

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · 25d
This paper was led by my former student Brenda Straka who is now faculty at UIUC! Check out our newest work! ⬇️⬇️
dukeidlab.bsky.social Duke Identity and Diversity Lab @dukeidlab.bsky.social · 25d
New paper! 🚨 We show that demographic forms can shape belonging. Across 4 studies, Latine Americans reported greater identity threat and exclusion when forms separated “race” and “ethnicity” or asked about citizenship—especially around major U.S. elections
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

dukeidlab.bsky.social
Duke Identity and Diversity Lab @dukeidlab.bsky.social · 25d
New paper! 🚨 We show that demographic forms can shape belonging. Across 4 studies, Latine Americans reported greater identity threat and exclusion when forms separated “race” and “ethnicity” or asked about citizenship—especially around major U.S. elections
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 25
Thankful for each and every single one of you in my lab!!
dukeidlab.bsky.social Duke Identity and Diversity Lab @dukeidlab.bsky.social · Nov 25
Grateful for our incredible lab team—their curiosity and care drive our science every day. 🧠💫

And heartfelt thanks to the adults, children, and families who make our research possible through their participation and trust. We couldn’t do this work without you. 🍂💛
#Psychology #Research #Gratitude

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

dukeidlab.bsky.social
Duke Identity and Diversity Lab @dukeidlab.bsky.social · Nov 25
Grateful for our incredible lab team—their curiosity and care drive our science every day. 🧠💫

And heartfelt thanks to the adults, children, and families who make our research possible through their participation and trust. We couldn’t do this work without you. 🍂💛
#Psychology #Research #Gratitude

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 20
That’s exactly right!

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 20
💩

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 20
Leftover pasta really is the best!! (The only positive part of this post ha ha)

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 19
Ya pros and cons always…I like being my own boss and owning my schedule a lot. BUT more money would be nice too!

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 19
Ohhh! Ha ha I thought you were implying me in that comment lol but yes!! It is all just silly!!!

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 19
Not sure I see what you mean here? What I meant was these ratings are just silly and we should just read the letter content we all put effort to write

Reposted by Efrén O. Pérez, Cailin O’Connor

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 19
It’s letter-of-recommendation season again, when universities ask me to rate a 21 year old student’s ability to “see the big picture of life” while I eat leftover pasta in a Tupperware…
a man with a mustache says but why in yellow letters
ALT: a man with a mustache says but why in yellow letters
media.tenor.com

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 12
But sounds like you are doing great!!! Eat some tortellini en brodo for me (my daughter's fav when we were there)

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 11
Yes!! I was in Italy for two months last fall and gesture is everywhere! Another great example of cultural differences in communication!

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 11
It isn’t that you don’t match, it is to highlight the fact that we all talk and communicate differently and that a lot of those differences may be culturally specific or norms we learned from others

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 11
Yes! There are so many culturally-specific gestures!

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 11
Yes! The moment I saw that in the lit review I knew this was a strongly engrained cultural difference!! #cultureiscool

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Efrén O. Pérez

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 11
Do your hands talk when you do? 🗣️✋

Check out this @duke-university.bsky.social write up about my new work with my postdoc Esha Naidu (she is on the job market!) showing gestures reflect culture & identity—our nonverbal “accents” can shape interracial communication.

trinity.duke.edu/news/talking...
Talking with Our Hands: Duke Study Reveals How Culture Shapes Our Gestures
You are having dinner with friends, and the conversation is lively. Do your hands join the chat, or do they stay focused on your knife and fork?
trinity.duke.edu

sarahegaither.bsky.social
Dr. Sarah Gaither @sarahegaither.bsky.social · Nov 6
So happy for my lab!!! See you in Chicago!
dukeidlab.bsky.social Duke Identity and Diversity Lab @dukeidlab.bsky.social · Nov 6
More @spspnews.bsky.social happiness for the lab! Congrats to @mohammadwiswall.bsky.social Tose, Mercedes, Hannah, Mariam and our undergrads Julia and Jalen for all having posters accepted!! We hope chilly Chicago is ready for our science!!
a penguin is standing in the snow with the words happyfeet behind it
ALT: a penguin is standing in the snow with the words happyfeet behind it
media.tenor.com

Reposted by Sarah E. Gaither

dukeidlab.bsky.social
Duke Identity and Diversity Lab @dukeidlab.bsky.social · Nov 6
More @spspnews.bsky.social happiness for the lab! Congrats to @mohammadwiswall.bsky.social Tose, Mercedes, Hannah, Mariam and our undergrads Julia and Jalen for all having posters accepted!! We hope chilly Chicago is ready for our science!!
a penguin is standing in the snow with the words happyfeet behind it
ALT: a penguin is standing in the snow with the words happyfeet behind it
media.tenor.com