Rate My Professor Thuy-vy Nguyen

Dr Thuy-Vy Nguyen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Durham University and the Principal Investigator of the Solitude Lab. She holds fellowships with the Durham Research Methods Centre, the Institute for Medical Humanities, and the Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing. Nguyen earned her PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Rochester, where her doctoral training emphasized motivational science and Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which posits that integration of behavioral values and satisfaction of basic psychological needs—autonomy, relatedness, and competence—underpin sustainable behavioral changes and wellness. Her research centers on individuals' experiences during solitude, exploring personality and contextual factors that shape the quality of time spent alone. Utilizing experimental and diary study designs, she frequently employs paradigms in which participants sit quietly for short durations, such as 15 minutes, to assess their reactions. Nguyen seeks to expand methodologies by integrating physiological and biological markers to examine parasympathetic responses alongside self-reported data. Her investigations also address self-regulation, motivation, and well-being.

Nguyen's contributions have illuminated solitude's nuanced effects on psychological adjustment, including its benefits and potential harms. She co-authored the book Solitude: The Science and Power of Being Alone (2024) with Netta Weinstein and Heather Hansen. Notable publications include 'Balance between solitude and socializing: everyday solitude time both benefits and harms well-being' (Scientific Reports, 2023, with Weinstein et al.), 'Definitions of Solitude in Everyday Life' (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2023, with Weinstein and Hansen), 'Who feels good in solitude? A qualitative analysis of the personality and mindset factors relating to well-being when alone' (European Journal of Social Psychology, 2023, with Weinstein and Hansen), 'Who enjoys solitude? autonomous functioning (but not introversion) predicts self-determined motivation (but not preference) for solitude' (PLoS ONE, 2022, with Weinstein and Ryan), and 'Alone With Our Thoughts: Investigation of Autonomy Supportive Framing as a Driver of Enjoyment During Quiet Time in Solitude' (Collabra: Psychology, 2022, with Weinstein and Deci). Additional works cover perinatal loneliness, arousal downregulation, and responses to isolation during COVID-19. In 2020, she received the Solomon Asch Best Paper Award for Early Career Researchers from Social Psychological Bulletin, recognizing her impactful scholarship in social psychology.