Featured Scholar: Sara Konrath, PhD
Assistant Professor, Philanthropic Studies
IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Using mobile technology for psychosocial interventions
Mobile phones are a common mode of connecting with people in the digital age. Every day, young Americans on average send and receive 130 text messages and spend over nine hours using their mobile phones. Parents, educators, and social critics worry that at best, this displaces our deepest social connections—and at worst, it promotes bullying, sexting, and privacy abuses. And there is reason for such concerns. Professor Sara Konrath’s research has found recent declines in empathy among young Americans since the late 1970s. Fortunately, research also ¬finds that empathy can be taught and learned. Konrath is currently working with a multidisciplinary group of collaborators to develop theoretically-based mobile interventions to help increase empathy and prosocial behavior—thereby reducing bullying, aggression, and violence. Her mobile program, Text to Connect, sends daily text reminders that encourage users to think about and care for others. The program increases participants’ prosocial motives and behaviors—compared to control messages—with effects lasting up to six months. Konrath is also developing a fun empathy-building app named Random App of Kindness, which provides games based on scientific principles of empathy development. Professor Konrath sees the larger potential of mobile-based interventions in other psychosocial interventions, including those aimed at increasing mental health and well-being. Professor Konrath’s work to create tools to address declining empathy among younger generations is another example of how IU Indianapolis faculty are TRANSLATING RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.
Selected Publications in IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks
With several research works contributed to IU Indianapolis's free, open access repository, Professor Konrath has made translational research knowledge available to professionals, researchers, students, and communities around the world.
Konrath, S. (2019) Empathy, narcissism, and visual arts engagement. Chapter in Designing for Empathy: Perspectives on the Museum Experience, Gokcigdem, E. (Ed). Rowan & Littlefield. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/18308
Konrath, S., Meier, B. P., & Bushman, B. J. (2018). Development and validation of the Single Item Trait Empathy Scale (SITES). Journal of research in personality, 73, 111–122. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/20152
Ma, J., & Konrath, S. (2018). A Century of Nonprofit Studies: Scaling the Knowledge of the Field. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 29(6), 1139–1158. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/19864
Konrath, S., Meier, B. P., & Bushman, B. J. (2018). Development and validation of the Single Item Trait Empathy Scale (SITES). Journal of research in personality, 73, 111–122. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/20152
Ma, J., & Konrath, S. (2018). A Century of Nonprofit Studies: Scaling the Knowledge of the Field. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 29(6), 1139–1158. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/19864
Konrath, S. & Tian, Y. (2017, in press) Narcissism and prosocial behavior. Hermann, T., Brunell, A., & Foster, J. (Eds.) Handbook of Trait Narcissism: Key Advances, Research Methods, and Controversies. New York: Springer. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/14676
Bach, R., Defever, A. M., Chopik, W. J., & Konrath, S. (2017). Geographic variation in empathy: A state-level analysis. Journal of Research in Personality. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11988
Konrath, S. & Tian, Y. (2017, in press) Narcissism and prosocial behavior. Hermann, T., Brunell, A., & Foster, J. (Eds.) Handbook of Trait Narcissism: Key Advances, Research Methods, and Controversies. New York: Springer. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/14676
Bach, R., Defever, A. M., Chopik, W. J., & Konrath, S. (2017). Geographic variation in empathy: A state-level analysis. Journal of Research in Personality. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11988
Bekkers, R., Konrath, S. H., & Smith, D. H. (2016). Physiological Correlates of Volunteering. In D. H. Smith, R. A. Stebbins, & J. Grotz (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Volunteering, Civic Participation, and Nonprofit Associations (pp. 541–579). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11843
Konrath, S., Ho, M.-H., & Zarins, S. (2016). The Strategic Helper: Narcissism and Prosocial Motives and Behaviors. Current Psychology, 1–13. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11049
Sasha Zarins, Monique Johnson, Nina Ustymchuk, Kaylee Tutrow, and Sara H. Konrath PhD. 2016, April 8. More comfortable online? Alexithymia and social media use. Poster session presented at IU Indianapolis Research Day 2016, Indianapolis, Indiana. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10148
Bekkers, R., Konrath, S. H., & Smith, D. H. (2016). Physiological Correlates of Volunteering. In D. H. Smith, R. A. Stebbins, & J. Grotz (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Volunteering, Civic Participation, and Nonprofit Associations (pp. 541–579). Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11843
Konrath, S., Ho, M.-H., & Zarins, S. (2016). The Strategic Helper: Narcissism and Prosocial Motives and Behaviors. Current Psychology, 1–13. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11049
Konrath, S. (in press, 2016). The joy of giving. In Burlingame, D., Seiler, T., & Tempel, G. (Eds) Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, 4th edition. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10557
Sasha Zarins, Ava Le, Emily Mahurin, Michael McFerran, and Sara H. Konrath PhD. 2016, April 8. Tweets, Hashtags, & Likes: How is Social Media Use Related to Empathy? Poster session presented at IU Indianapolis Research Day 2016, Indianapolis, Indiana. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10542
Konrath, S. (in press, 2015). Positive Technology: Using Mobile Phones for Psychosocial Interventions. In Z. Yan (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mobile Phone Behavior (pp. 871–897). IGI Global. Retrieved from http://www.ipearlab.org/media/publications/psychosocial_interventions_5.27_NjXI51B.pdf. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10600
Cascio, C. N., Konrath, S. H., & Falk, E. B. (2015). Narcissists’ social pain seen only in the brain. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 10(3), 335–341. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10603
Konrath, S., Falk, E., Fuhrel-Forbis, A., Liu, M., Swain, J., Tolman, R., … Walton, M. (2015). Can Text Messages Increase Empathy and Prosocial Behavior? The Development and Initial Validation of Text to Connect. PLOS ONE, 10(9), e0137585. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/9809
Chopik, W. J., O’Brien, E., Konrath, S. H., & Schwarz, N. (2015). MLK Day and Racial Attitudes: Liking the Group More but Its Members Less. Political Psychology, 36(5), 559–567. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10516
Konrath, S. H. (2015). Can text messages make people kinder? In C. B. Miller, R. M. Furr, A. Knobel, & W. Fleeson (Eds.), Character: New Directions from Philosophy, Psychology, and Theology. Oxford University Press. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10520
Konrath, S. (in press, 2015). Positive Technology: Using Mobile Phones for Psychosocial Interventions. In Z. Yan (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Mobile Phone Behavior (pp. 871–897). IGI Global. Retrieved from http://www.ipearlab.org/media/publications/psychosocial_interventions_5.27_NjXI51B.pdf. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10600
Cascio, C. N., Konrath, S. H., & Falk, E. B. (2015). Narcissists’ social pain seen only in the brain. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 10(3), 335–341. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10603
McDougle, L., Konrath, S., Walk, M., & Handy, F. (2015). Religious and Secular Coping Strategies and Mortality Risk among Older Adults. Social Indicators Research, 125(2), 677–694. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/8428
Maguire, A., & Konrath, S. (2014). Revolutions, coups, and clashes: Using implicit motivations to predict the severity of intranational political unrest. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 20(3), 267–284. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10597
Konrath, S., & Bonadonna, J. P. (2014). Physiological and health-related correlates of the narcissistic personality. In A. Besser (Ed.), Handbook of the Psychology of Narcissism: Diverse Perspectives. Nova Science Publishers Incorporated. Retrieved from http://www.ipearlab.org/media/publications/konrath_bonadonna_2014_narcissism_health.pdf. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10593
O’Donnell, M. B., Falk, E. B., & Konrath, S. (2014). Big data in the new media environment. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37(1), 94–95. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10599
Konrath, S. & Bonadonna, J.P. (2014, in press) Narcissism. In Whitbourne, S. (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging, Wiley Press. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10592
Konrath, S., & Bonadonna, J. P. (2014). Physiological and health-related correlates of the narcissistic personality. In A. Besser (Ed.), Handbook of the Psychology of Narcissism: Diverse Perspectives. Nova Science Publishers Incorporated. Retrieved from http://www.ipearlab.org/media/publications/konrath_bonadonna_2014_narcissism_health.pdf. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10593
Konrath, S. H. (2014). Social (societal) support. In A. T. Scull (Ed.), Cultural Sociology of Mental Illness: An A-to-Z Guide (1 edition). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10090
Konrath, S. H. (2014). Self-esteem, culturally defined. In A. T. Scull (Ed.), Cultural Sociology of Mental Illness: An A-to-Z Guide (1 edition). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10089
O’Donnell, M. B., Falk, E. B., & Konrath, S. (2014). Big data in the new media environment. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37(1), 94–95. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10599
Maguire, A., & Konrath, S. (2014). Revolutions, coups, and clashes: Using implicit motivations to predict the severity of intranational political unrest. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 20(3), 267–284. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10597
Konrath, S. & Bonadonna, J.P. (2014, in press) Narcissism. In Whitbourne, S. (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging, Wiley Press. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10592
Ho, S. S., Konrath, S., Brown, S., & Swain, J. E. (2014). Empathy and stress related neural responses in maternal decision making. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 8, 152. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10521
Dempsey, A. F., Fuhrel-Forbis, A., & Konrath, S. (2014). Use of the Carolina HPV Immunization Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (CHIAS) in Young Adult Women. PLOS ONE, 9(6), e100193. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10408
Konrath, S., Meier, B. P., & Bushman, B. J. (2014). Development and Validation of the Single Item Narcissism Scale (SINS). PLOS ONE, 9(8), e103469. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10555
Bekkers, R., Konrath, S. H., & Smith, D. H. (2014). Physiological correlates of volunteering: health, neurology, hormones, and genetics. In D. H. Smith, R. Stebbins, & J. Grotz (Eds.), The Palgrave Research Handbook of Volunteering and Nonprofit Associations. Retrieved from http://www.ipearlab.org/media/publications/bekkers_konrath_smith_2014_physiology_volunteering.pdf. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10514
Konrath, S., & Cheung, I. (2013). The fuzzy reality of perceived harms. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 36(1), 26–27. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10602
Swain, J. E., Konrath, S., Dayton, C. J., Finegood, E. D., & Ho, S. S. (2013). Toward a neuroscience of interactive parent–infant dyad empathy. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 36(4), 438–439. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10598
Konrath, S. H., & Grynberg, D. (2013). The Positive (and Negative) Psychology of Empathy. In D. Watt & J. Panksepp (Eds.), The Neurobiology and Psychology of Empathy. Nova Science Publishers Incorporated. Retrieved from http://www.ipearlab.org/media/publications/Konrath_Grynberg_2013.pdf. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10596
Konrath, S., & Cheung, I. (2013). The fuzzy reality of perceived harms. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 36(1), 26–27. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10602
Swain, J. E., Konrath, S., Dayton, C. J., Finegood, E. D., & Ho, S. S. (2013). Toward a neuroscience of interactive parent–infant dyad empathy. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 36(4), 438–439. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10598
Konrath, S. H., & Grynberg, D. (2013). The Positive (and Negative) Psychology of Empathy. In D. Watt & J. Panksepp (Eds.), The Neurobiology and Psychology of Empathy. Nova Science Publishers Incorporated. Retrieved from http://www.ipearlab.org/media/publications/Konrath_Grynberg_2013.pdf. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10596
Konrath, S. (in press, 2013). The Empathy Paradox: Increasing Disconnection in the Age of Increasing Connection. In R. Luppicini (Ed.), Handbook of research on technoself : identity in a technological society (pp. 967–991). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. Retrieved from http://www.ipearlab.org/media/publications/Konrath_2013_empathy_paradox.pdf. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10595
Konrath, S. H., & Brown, S. (in press, 2013). The effects of giving on givers. In Health and social relationships: The good, the bad, and the complicated (Vol. ix). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10594
Konrath, S. (in press, 2013). The Empathy Paradox: Increasing Disconnection in the Age of Increasing Connection. In R. Luppicini (Ed.), Handbook of research on technoself : identity in a technological society (pp. 967–991). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. Retrieved from http://www.ipearlab.org/media/publications/Konrath_2013_empathy_paradox.pdf. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10595
Konrath, S. H., & Brown, S. (in press, 2013). The effects of giving on givers. In Health and social relationships: The good, the bad, and the complicated (Vol. ix). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10594
Konrath, S. (2013). Critical Synthesis Package: Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). MedEdPORTAL Publications. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10556
Schuldt, J. P., Konrath, S. H., & Schwarz, N. (2012). The Right Angle: Visual Portrayal of Products Affects Observers’ Impressions of Owners. Psychology & Marketing, 29(10), 705–711. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10601
Schuldt, J. P., Konrath, S. H., & Schwarz, N. (2012). The Right Angle: Visual Portrayal of Products Affects Observers’ Impressions of Owners. Psychology & Marketing, 29(10), 705–711. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10601
Reinhard, D. A., Konrath, S. H., Lopez, W. D., & Cameron, H. G. (2012). Expensive Egos: Narcissistic Males Have Higher Cortisol. PLOS ONE, 7(1), e30858. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10135
Bushman, B. J., Moeller, S. J., Konrath, S., & Crocker, J. (2012). Investigating the Link Between Liking Versus Wanting Self-Esteem and Depression in a Nationally Representative Sample of American Adults. Journal of Personality, 80(5), 1453–1469. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10515
Swain, J. E., Konrath, S., Brown, S. L., Finegood, E. D., Akce, L. B., Dayton, C. J., & Ho, S. S. (2012). Parenting and Beyond: Common Neurocircuits Underlying Parental and Altruistic Caregiving. Parenting, 12(2–3), 115–123. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10136
Konrath, S., Novin, S., & Li, T. (2012). Is the relationship between alexithymia and aggression context-dependent? Impact of group membership and belief similarity. Personality and Individual Differences, 53(3), 329–334. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10137
Lopez, W. D., Konrath, S. H., & Seng, J. S. (2011). Abuse-Related Post-Traumatic Stress, Coping, and Tobacco Use in Pregnancy. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing, 40(4), 422–431. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10088
Sripada, C., Gonzalez, R., Kessler, D., Laber, E., Konrath, S., & Nair, V. (2011). A Reply to Rose, Livengood, Sytsma, and Machery. http://philpapers.org/rec/SRIART. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10040
Konrath, S. H., & Anderson, P. A. (2011). A Century of Self-Esteem. In S. De Wals & K. Meszaros (Eds.), Handbook on Psychology of Self-Esteem (pp. 157–174). Retrieved from http://www.ipearlab.org/media/publications/konrath_anderson_century_of_self_esteem_2012.pdf. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10558
Konrath, S. H., & Ross, M. (2003). Our glories, our shames: Expanding the self in temporal self appraisal theory. Conference poster presented at the 111th Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Society, August. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10039
Ross, M., & Konrath, S. H. (2002). Synergies. Psychological Inquiry, 13(3), 223–226. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10038