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Viren Swami

Professor of Social Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University
Viren is Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University and Director of the Centre for Psychological Medicine, a collaborative research centre between Anglia Ruskin University and Perdana University in Malaysia. He is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and an Associate Editor for the journal Body Image. Viren is the author of Attraction Explained, The Psychology of Physical Attraction, and The Missing Arms of Vénus de Milo, as well as over 250 peer-reviewed publications.

Viren’s work on human appearance and body image is focused on situating embodiment within different cultural and socio-political contexts. He is particularly interested in cross-cultural differences in beauty ideals and body image, and his research seeks to map changing rates of negative body image across different world regions. His other research on body image borrows concepts from first-wave feminist scholarship to examine the way in which beauty ideals and practices shift awareness away from real competencies to superficial aspects related to beauty and appearance. The aim of this research is to identify factors that might protect women and men from body image concerns and disordered eating. Separately, Viren also studies mental health literacy or the knowledge and beliefs that non-experts hold about mental health and illness. His work on mental health literacy is particularly focused on the ways in which masculinities impede adequate knowledge of mental health disorders and help-seeking for symptoms of mental illness.

Skin-to-skin contact is good for your baby and you – and not just straight after birth

Jan 29, 2025 12:14 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

SvetlanaFedoseyeva/Shutterstock In the 1950s, the American psychologist Harry Harlow provided a stark demonstration of the importance of a mothers touch. He famously and controversially showed that rhesus monkeys would...

Body dysmorphic disorder: what to know about this mental health condition

May 26, 2023 14:58 pm UTC| Health

Actress Megan Fox recently shared in an interview with Sports Illustrated that she has body dysmorphia. In the video interview, Fox said: I dont ever see myself the way other people see me. Theres never a point in my life...

Economy

France to Release 10 Million Barrels of Diesel to Ease Fuel Prices

France will release 10 million barrels of diesel from its strategic reserves as the government moves to ease tight fuel supplies and rising energy prices driven by the wars in Iran and Ukraine, Prime Minister Sebastien...

Oil Prices Rise as Hormuz Risks Offset IEA Stock Release

Oil prices climbed in volatile trading Wednesday as renewed Middle East supply concerns outweighed pressure from plans to accelerate releases from global emergency reserves. Brent crude futures for December rose 0.7% to...

Fed Minutes Signal Another Rate Hike by Year-End

Most Federal Reserve policymakers expect another U.S. interest rate hike before the end of 2026, according to minutes from the central banks September policy meeting released Wednesday. The Federal Open Market Committee...

Wall Street Falls as Fed Minutes Signal Another Rate Hike

Wall Street ended lower on Wednesday, snapping a four-session winning streak as investors weighed rising Treasury yields, volatile oil prices and Federal Reserve minutes pointing to another potential interest rate hike...

Gold Prices Fall as Fed Signals Another Rate Hike

Gold prices trimmed some losses on Wednesday after Federal Reserve minutes showed that most U.S. policymakers expect another interest rate hike before the end of the year, reinforcing concerns over higher borrowing costs....

Politics

Houthis Strike Aden Airport as Yemen Fighting Escalates

Houthi forces launched ballistic missiles and explosive drones at Aden International Airport early Wednesday as fighting intensified between the Iran-aligned group and Yemens Saudi-backed government. Yemens Transport...

Rapidus Seeks Chip Customers as Japan Pushes 2nm Semiconductor Revival

Japans Rapidus is expanding partnerships with global chip design companies as the state-backed semiconductor manufacturer races to secure customers for its planned 2-nanometre production facility. Backed by roughly $15...

Vance Demands Iran Cut Nuclear Enrichment to End War

US Vice President JD Vance said Iran must significantly reduce its nuclear enrichment capacity before Washington will agree to end the seven-month US-Iran war, stressing that concrete action rather than diplomatic...

North Korea Slams US Taiwan Arms Sales, Reaffirms Russia Support

North Korea has criticized the United States for supplying weapons and military support to Taiwan, accusing Washington of increasing tensions across the Taiwan Strait as Pyongyang also reaffirmed its backing for Russia. In...

Iran Tanker Attacks Surge as Hormuz Oil Flows Near Prewar Levels

Iran has intensified attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz even as oil shipments through the crucial waterway recover toward levels seen before the war, raising fresh concerns over Middle East energy security. UK...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Florida Seeks Tougher Meta Rules to Protect Young Users

Florida is asking a state judge to impose stricter protections for young Instagram and Facebook users as it moves forward with its lawsuit against Meta Platforms, rejecting a broader settlement accepted by dozens of other...

DogecoinVM Makes DOGE Transactions 300x Faster

Fintech company Metallicus has launched an alpha version of DogecoinVM on mainnet, introducing a payment layer designed to make Dogecoin transactions significantly faster without altering the cryptocurrencys underlying...

Zcash Privacy Demand Rises as AI Exposes Bitcoin Transactions

Zcash is gaining renewed attention as artificial intelligence makes it easier to trace Bitcoin transactions and connect public wallet activity with real-world identities, strengthening demand for privacy-focused...

Intel Reaffirms Role in Elon Musk’s Terafab Chip Project

Intel will continue working with Elon Musk on the ambitious Terafab semiconductor project, CEO Lip-Bu Tan said, reaffirming the U.S. chipmakers role despite speculation that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC)...

LG Electronics Shares Slide as Q3 Profit Misses Estimates

LG Electronics shares dropped sharply on Wednesday after the South Korean technology giant reported preliminary third-quarter operating profit that fell short of market expectations, despite delivering solid year-on-year...