Erin Westgate
@erinwestgate.bsky.social
Social psychologist, studying boredom, interest, and thinking (...and why it's so hard for so many of us!). Assistant Professor @ University of Florida 🐊
🌐 erinwestgate.com
📸 https://instagram.com/erin.corwin.westgate
🌐 erinwestgate.com
📸 https://instagram.com/erin.corwin.westgate
Pinned
Erin Westgate
@erinwestgate.bsky.social
· Dec 24
Are you living a good life? Take this quiz to find out.
Now is a good time to reflect on the life you’re leading — and what you want out of it.
www.washingtonpost.com
Are you leading a (mostly) happy life, a meaningful life, or a psychologically rich life? Take this fun quiz at the Washington Post and find out!
www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/int...?
www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/int...?
My office for today! Field data collection day #16 at Fanning Springs State Park, for our NSF grant study on whether people underestimate the meaning of novel experiences
February 8, 2026 at 3:49 PM
My office for today! Field data collection day #16 at Fanning Springs State Park, for our NSF grant study on whether people underestimate the meaning of novel experiences
Reposted by Erin Westgate
free video for intro lectures on auditory perception
February 8, 2026 at 3:14 AM
free video for intro lectures on auditory perception
Reposted by Erin Westgate
February 8, 2026 at 8:28 AM
Reposted by Erin Westgate
I can point to the exact moment when my faith in academia died, and it was when my MS advisor had a friend/collaborator get busted for sexually harassing women during Antarctic fieldwork. He defended it to us (his students, majority-women) by saying that in Antarctica, "men turn into animals."
Trust me, the woman of academia are not at all surprised by the number of academic men orbiting Epstein.
February 7, 2026 at 2:55 PM
I can point to the exact moment when my faith in academia died, and it was when my MS advisor had a friend/collaborator get busted for sexually harassing women during Antarctic fieldwork. He defended it to us (his students, majority-women) by saying that in Antarctica, "men turn into animals."
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Lord grant me the confidence of a dog who rearranges all the blankets on a freshly made bed with clean sheets.
February 8, 2026 at 2:07 AM
Lord grant me the confidence of a dog who rearranges all the blankets on a freshly made bed with clean sheets.
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Trust me, the woman of academia are not at all surprised by the number of academic men orbiting Epstein.
February 7, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Trust me, the woman of academia are not at all surprised by the number of academic men orbiting Epstein.
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Thrilled to share our latest paper, out now in Science Advances! We explored the development of cooperative behaviors — fairness, trustworthiness, forgiveness, & honesty — across five societies, culturally contextualizing them & seeing how they correlate. (1/5) www.science.org/doi/full/10....
February 7, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Thrilled to share our latest paper, out now in Science Advances! We explored the development of cooperative behaviors — fairness, trustworthiness, forgiveness, & honesty — across five societies, culturally contextualizing them & seeing how they correlate. (1/5) www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Erin Westgate
You've got to put the fact you're an Olympic athlete in the first sentence. No prof is getting that far into an email.
February 7, 2026 at 11:03 PM
You've got to put the fact you're an Olympic athlete in the first sentence. No prof is getting that far into an email.
Reposted by Erin Westgate
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
YOU RUIN THE PUBLICATION, DRIVE OFF ALL THE SUBSCRIBERS, DO HIS DIRTY WORK, AND ONLY *THEN* LEAVE?????
YOU RUIN THE PUBLICATION, DRIVE OFF ALL THE SUBSCRIBERS, DO HIS DIRTY WORK, AND ONLY *THEN* LEAVE?????
JUST IN: Washington Post CEO Will Lewis Steps Down Just Days After Cutting Hundreds of Jobs
JUST IN: Washington Post CEO Will Lewis Steps Down Just Days After Cutting Hundreds of Jobs
Washington Post CEO and publisher William Lewis announced on Saturday he's relinquishing his post just days after the paper announced massive layoffs.
The post JUST IN: Washington Post CEO Will Lewis Steps Down Just Days After Cutting Hundreds of Jobs first appeared on Mediaite.
dlvr.it
February 7, 2026 at 11:04 PM
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
YOU RUIN THE PUBLICATION, DRIVE OFF ALL THE SUBSCRIBERS, DO HIS DIRTY WORK, AND ONLY *THEN* LEAVE?????
YOU RUIN THE PUBLICATION, DRIVE OFF ALL THE SUBSCRIBERS, DO HIS DIRTY WORK, AND ONLY *THEN* LEAVE?????
Back to our spring data collection…there are 7+ manatees in the spring this morning, including this mama and baby!
February 7, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Back to our spring data collection…there are 7+ manatees in the spring this morning, including this mama and baby!
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Devastated to see what’s happening at a place that I loved because it was the writing home of so many people I loved. what a gutting week
Should You Buy a Newspaper or a Yacht?
Advice for Jeff Bezos
www.theatlantic.com
February 6, 2026 at 12:33 AM
Devastated to see what’s happening at a place that I loved because it was the writing home of so many people I loved. what a gutting week
Reposted by Erin Westgate
From the Cooking community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the Cooking community
www.reddit.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:48 AM
Reposted by Erin Westgate
As a former editor: PLEASE do this!
A quick e-mail saying: "I don't have time, but try [A] or [B]" can speed up the review process by *weeks*. And it also helps the many junior scientists who need reviewing experience on their CVs, but struggle to get invited.
A quick e-mail saying: "I don't have time, but try [A] or [B]" can speed up the review process by *weeks*. And it also helps the many junior scientists who need reviewing experience on their CVs, but struggle to get invited.
3) When you decline, suggest at least one other reviewer, preferably a junior scientist who tends to do a great job and is likely not on the radar of the editor.
February 6, 2026 at 11:45 AM
As a former editor: PLEASE do this!
A quick e-mail saying: "I don't have time, but try [A] or [B]" can speed up the review process by *weeks*. And it also helps the many junior scientists who need reviewing experience on their CVs, but struggle to get invited.
A quick e-mail saying: "I don't have time, but try [A] or [B]" can speed up the review process by *weeks*. And it also helps the many junior scientists who need reviewing experience on their CVs, but struggle to get invited.
Reposted by Erin Westgate
We had devastating cuts to @washingtonpost. Our health team of 14 lost 9 reporters yesterday despite it being listed as part of the Post’s new focus.
But I still have my job. Along w/a core team, we are still dedicated to covering public health, holding the powerful to account.
But I still have my job. Along w/a core team, we are still dedicated to covering public health, holding the powerful to account.
February 5, 2026 at 7:16 PM
We had devastating cuts to @washingtonpost. Our health team of 14 lost 9 reporters yesterday despite it being listed as part of the Post’s new focus.
But I still have my job. Along w/a core team, we are still dedicated to covering public health, holding the powerful to account.
But I still have my job. Along w/a core team, we are still dedicated to covering public health, holding the powerful to account.
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Another rigorous study calls into question the ability of animal models of alcohol use disorder to predict the discovery and development of new drug treatments.
Kudos to the authors for this solid, albeit negative, translational work!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Kudos to the authors for this solid, albeit negative, translational work!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 6, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Another rigorous study calls into question the ability of animal models of alcohol use disorder to predict the discovery and development of new drug treatments.
Kudos to the authors for this solid, albeit negative, translational work!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Kudos to the authors for this solid, albeit negative, translational work!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Imagination in bonobos!
I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org
We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative
youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko
I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org
We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative
youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko
Apes Share Human Ability to Imagine
YouTube video by Johns Hopkins University
youtu.be
February 5, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Imagination in bonobos!
I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org
We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative
youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko
I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org
We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative
youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko
Reposted by Erin Westgate
As part of an effort to celebrate scholars who apply their research in service of social change, SPSP is highlighting the late Dr. Samuel Sommers - who served as an expert in several cases on different aspects of the criminal justice system.
Learn more: https://ow.ly/wr7V50Y9sKA
Learn more: https://ow.ly/wr7V50Y9sKA
February 5, 2026 at 8:05 PM
As part of an effort to celebrate scholars who apply their research in service of social change, SPSP is highlighting the late Dr. Samuel Sommers - who served as an expert in several cases on different aspects of the criminal justice system.
Learn more: https://ow.ly/wr7V50Y9sKA
Learn more: https://ow.ly/wr7V50Y9sKA
Reposted by Erin Westgate
To all the non-academics who don't understand the point of academic freedom and don't care to learn about it, let me give you a factor you might care about:
Tenure is the biggest reason you get my services at a steep discount over my private sector value.
Tenure is the biggest reason you get my services at a steep discount over my private sector value.
No Tenure for Oklahoma.
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Tenure Will Be Eliminated at Most of Oklahoma’s Public Colleges, Governor Says
Gov. J. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, directed the state’s two-dozen regional universities and community colleges to phase out the practice. Existing faculty members will be grandfathered in.
www.chronicle.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:16 AM
To all the non-academics who don't understand the point of academic freedom and don't care to learn about it, let me give you a factor you might care about:
Tenure is the biggest reason you get my services at a steep discount over my private sector value.
Tenure is the biggest reason you get my services at a steep discount over my private sector value.
Reposted by Erin Westgate
No Tenure for Oklahoma.
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Tenure Will Be Eliminated at Most of Oklahoma’s Public Colleges, Governor Says
Gov. J. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, directed the state’s two-dozen regional universities and community colleges to phase out the practice. Existing faculty members will be grandfathered in.
www.chronicle.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:40 AM
No Tenure for Oklahoma.
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Reposted by Erin Westgate
“In addition, the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County is conducting contact tracing in two University of Florida classes in which exposure to measles may have occurred.”
was somehow NOT the opening sentence in an email to UF faculty, staff, and students.
was somehow NOT the opening sentence in an email to UF faculty, staff, and students.
February 6, 2026 at 1:01 AM
“In addition, the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County is conducting contact tracing in two University of Florida classes in which exposure to measles may have occurred.”
was somehow NOT the opening sentence in an email to UF faculty, staff, and students.
was somehow NOT the opening sentence in an email to UF faculty, staff, and students.
okay who put measles on their 2026 bingo card
February 6, 2026 at 12:04 AM
okay who put measles on their 2026 bingo card
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Some people will be tempted to think that having the state dictate faculty teaching loads we can repair trust in institutions and avoid authoritarianism when in actuality having the state dictate faculty teaching is part of an authoritarian program.
February 5, 2026 at 12:34 AM
Some people will be tempted to think that having the state dictate faculty teaching loads we can repair trust in institutions and avoid authoritarianism when in actuality having the state dictate faculty teaching is part of an authoritarian program.
Reposted by Erin Westgate
McGill is hiring a faculty lecturer in social psychology, in a (non-adjunct) permanent teaching position.
Please consider being my colleague, Montreal is really great: mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...
Please consider being my colleague, Montreal is really great: mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...
Faculty Lecturer - Department of Psychology
Please refer to the How to Apply for a Job (for External Candidates) job aid for instructions on how to apply. If you are an active McGill employee (ie: currently in an active contract or position at ...
mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:36 PM
McGill is hiring a faculty lecturer in social psychology, in a (non-adjunct) permanent teaching position.
Please consider being my colleague, Montreal is really great: mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...
Please consider being my colleague, Montreal is really great: mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/McGill...
Reposted by Erin Westgate
Professors Are Being Watched: ‘We’ve Never Seen This Much Surveillance’ www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/u...
Professors Are Being Watched: ‘We’ve Never Seen This Much Surveillance’
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Professors Are Being Watched: ‘We’ve Never Seen This Much Surveillance’ www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/u...
My grad advisor was (and still is) great about this. He routinely turns down interviews on my work and points them towards me instead. It is gracious and deeply appreciated - an example to model for sure
A grad student I know recently had his work covered in a high profile outlet...but his name wasn't mentioned at all despite his advisor explicitly saying he did all of the work.
Since I've straddled the line between academic and journalist, I see both sides. Here are a couple ways to avoid this:
Since I've straddled the line between academic and journalist, I see both sides. Here are a couple ways to avoid this:
February 4, 2026 at 2:19 AM
My grad advisor was (and still is) great about this. He routinely turns down interviews on my work and points them towards me instead. It is gracious and deeply appreciated - an example to model for sure