Professor Eric Vanman
Professor

Eric Vanman

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 56213

Background

Professor Eric J. Vanman is a social psychologist and social neuroscientist whose research examines the emotional, physiological, and neural mechanisms underlying social behaviour. His work focuses on empathy, intergroup relations, and human interaction with emerging technologies, including AI, social robots, and social media.

Using experimental and psychophysiological methods such as facial EMG, EEG, and behavioural paradigms, he bridges social psychology, affective neuroscience, and the psychology of technology. A central theme of his work is understanding what human emotional responses to artificial agents reveal about the social brain.

His research has contributed to the study of implicit emotion and bias and informs contemporary debates about digital empathy, online behaviour, and the psychological impact of new technologies. He teaches and supervises across social psychology, social neuroscience, and the psychology of technology.

Availability

Professor Eric Vanman is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Fields of research

Biological psychology Human-centred computing Information and Computing Sciences Psychology Social and affective neuroscience Social and personality psychology

Qualifications

  • Masters (Coursework), University of Southern California
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Southern California

Research interests

  • Empathy and Emotional Processes

    This research examines how empathy and emotion are experienced, expressed, and perceived in social contexts. It includes work on emotional expression (such as crying), affect sharing, and the physiological and behavioural mechanisms that support social connection and understanding between individuals.

  • Human Interaction with Artificial Agents

    This research explores how people emotionally and socially respond to artificial agents such as AI systems, chatbots, avatars, and social robots. It focuses on empathy, trust, and social cognition, and what human responses to artificial agents reveal about the social brain.

  • Social Media and Online Behaviour

    This research examines how online environments shape emotion, empathy, and social behaviour. Topics include anonymity, social comparison, antisocial behaviour, and stress in digital contexts, with a focus on understanding why online interactions can differ so markedly from face-to-face communication.

  • Psychophysiological Methods in Social Psychology

    This research focuses on the use of psychophysiological measures—such as facial EMG, EEG, and autonomic indices—to study emotion and social processes. It aims to improve how implicit emotional responses and social bias are measured in both laboratory and applied settings.

Research impacts

Professor Vanman’s research has contributed to public and professional understanding of how emotions, empathy, and social bias shape behaviour in both offline and digital environments. His work has informed discussions about social media use, online anonymity, and antisocial behaviour, helping explain why digital contexts can amplify emotional responses and reduce empathy.

His research on emotional expression, including crying and affect sharing, has influenced how psychologists, educators, and the broader public understand emotional communication and social connection. These findings are regularly translated for non-academic audiences through media commentary, public engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

More recently, his work on human interaction with artificial agents such as AI systems and social robots has contributed psychological insight to debates about digital empathy, trust in technology, and the social consequences of emerging technologies. This research is relevant to technology designers, policymakers, and educators seeking to understand how people emotionally respond to intelligent systems and what this means for responsible technology development.

Search Professor Eric Vanman’s works on UQ eSpace

86 works between 1996 and 2025
All (86) Book (1) Journal Article (68) Other Outputs (1) Conference Publication (8) Book Chapter (8)

21 - 40 of 86 works

2021

Journal Article

Social exclusion enhances affiliative signaling

Philipp, Michael C., Bernstein, Michael J., Vanman, Eric J. and Johnston, Lucy (2021). Social exclusion enhances affiliative signaling. Journal of Social Psychology, 161 (4), 1-11. doi: 10.1080/00224545.2020.1854648

Social exclusion enhances affiliative signaling

2021

Journal Article

The relationship between testosterone and social cognition in younger and older adults

Grainger, Sarah A., Mead, Jessica K., Vanman, Eric J. and Henry, Julie D. (2021). The relationship between testosterone and social cognition in younger and older adults. Biological Psychology, 161 108072, 1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108072

The relationship between testosterone and social cognition in younger and older adults

2021

Journal Article

Social neuroscience is more than the study of the human brain: the legacy of John Cacioppo

Vanman, Eric J., Kappas, Arvid and Ito, Tiffany A. (2021). Social neuroscience is more than the study of the human brain: the legacy of John Cacioppo. Social Neuroscience, 16 (1), 1-5. doi: 10.1080/17470919.2021.1879459

Social neuroscience is more than the study of the human brain: the legacy of John Cacioppo

2020

Journal Article

Tears of sadness reduce others' gazing toward the eyes

Grainger, Sarah A., Vanman, Eric J. and Henry, Julie D. (2020). Tears of sadness reduce others' gazing toward the eyes. Emotion, 22 (6), 1382-1386. doi: 10.1037/emo0000926

Tears of sadness reduce others' gazing toward the eyes

2020

Journal Article

Emotion and its management: the lens of language and social psychology

Gallois, Cindy, Vanman, Eric J., Kalokerinos, Elise K. and Greenaway, Katharine H. (2020). Emotion and its management: the lens of language and social psychology. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 40 (1), 0261927X2096672-59. doi: 10.1177/0261927x20966722

Emotion and its management: the lens of language and social psychology

2020

Journal Article

Negative valence specific deficits in judgements of musical affective quality in alexithymia

Larwood, Joel L., Vanman, Eric J. and Dingle, Genevieve A. (2020). Negative valence specific deficits in judgements of musical affective quality in alexithymia. Cognition and Emotion, 35 (3), 1-10. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2019.1707514

Negative valence specific deficits in judgements of musical affective quality in alexithymia

2020

Journal Article

Pathogens and intergroup relations. How evolutionary approaches can inform social neuroscience

McGovern, H. T. and Vanman, Eric John (2020). Pathogens and intergroup relations. How evolutionary approaches can inform social neuroscience. Evolutionary Psychological Science, 7 (2), 200-210. doi: 10.1007/s40806-020-00269-3

Pathogens and intergroup relations. How evolutionary approaches can inform social neuroscience

2020

Book Chapter

Communicating with robots: what we do wrong and what we do right in artificial social intelligence, and what we need to do better

Kappas, Arvid, Stower, Rebecca and Vanman, Eric J. (2020). Communicating with robots: what we do wrong and what we do right in artificial social intelligence, and what we need to do better. Social intelligence and nonverbal communication. (pp. 233-254) edited by Robert J. Sternberg and Aleksandra Kostić. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-34964-6_8

Communicating with robots: what we do wrong and what we do right in artificial social intelligence, and what we need to do better

2019

Journal Article

Children's perceptions of the moral worth of live agents, robots, and inanimate objects

Sommer, Kristyn, Nielsen, Mark, Draheim, Madeline, Redshaw, Jonathan, Vanman, Eric J. and Wilks, M. (2019). Children's perceptions of the moral worth of live agents, robots, and inanimate objects. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 187 104656, 1-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.06.009

Children's perceptions of the moral worth of live agents, robots, and inanimate objects

2019

Journal Article

The relationship of gender roles and beliefs to crying in an international sample

Sharman, Leah S., Dingle, Genevieve A., Baker, Marc, Fischer, Agneta, Gračanin, Asmir, Kardum, Igor, Manley, Harry, Manokara, Kunalan, Pattara-Angkoon, Sirirada, Vingerhoets, Ad J. J. M. and Vanman, Eric J. (2019). The relationship of gender roles and beliefs to crying in an international sample. Frontiers in Psychology, 10 2288, 2288. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02288

The relationship of gender roles and beliefs to crying in an international sample

2019

Journal Article

A Meta-Analysis of the Emotional Victim Effect for Female Adult Rape Complainants: Does Complainant Distress Influence Credibility?

Nitschke, Faye T., McKimmie, Blake M. and Vanman, Eric J. (2019). A Meta-Analysis of the Emotional Victim Effect for Female Adult Rape Complainants: Does Complainant Distress Influence Credibility?. Psychological Bulletin, 145 (10), 953-979. doi: 10.1037/bul0000206

A Meta-Analysis of the Emotional Victim Effect for Female Adult Rape Complainants: Does Complainant Distress Influence Credibility?

2019

Journal Article

“Danger, Will Robinson!” The challenges of social robots for intergroup relations

Vanman, Eric J. and Kappas, Arvid (2019). “Danger, Will Robinson!” The challenges of social robots for intergroup relations. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 13 (8) e12489. doi: 10.1111/spc3.12489

“Danger, Will Robinson!” The challenges of social robots for intergroup relations

2019

Journal Article

Using crying to cope: physiological responses to stress following tears of sadness

Sharman, Leah S., Dingle, Genevieve A., Vingerhoets, Ad J. J. M. and Vanman, Eric J. (2019). Using crying to cope: physiological responses to stress following tears of sadness. Emotion, 20 (7), 1279-1291. doi: 10.1037/emo0000633

Using crying to cope: physiological responses to stress following tears of sadness

2019

Journal Article

Interest, but not liking, drives consumer preference toward novelty

Sung, Billy, Vanman, Eric and Hartley, Nicole (2019). Interest, but not liking, drives consumer preference toward novelty. Australasian Marketing Journal, 27 (4), 242-248. doi: 10.1016/j.ausmj.2019.06.003

Interest, but not liking, drives consumer preference toward novelty

2019

Journal Article

The influence of tears on older and younger adults' perceptions of sadness

Grainger, Sarah A., Vanman, Eric J., Matters, Gabriella and Henry, Julie D. (2019). The influence of tears on older and younger adults' perceptions of sadness. Psychology and Aging, 34 (5), 665-673. doi: 10.1037/pag0000373

The influence of tears on older and younger adults' perceptions of sadness

2019

Book Chapter

Physiological Measures

Vanman, Eric J. and Philipp, Michael C. (2019). Physiological Measures. Advanced Research Methods for the Social and Behavioral Sciences. (pp. 147-167) edited by John E Edlund and Austin Lee Nichols. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Physiological Measures

2018

Journal Article

Intranasal oxytocin does not alter initial perceptions of facial trustworthiness in younger or older adults

Grainger, Sarah A., Henry, Julie D., Steinvik, Henriette R. and Vanman, Eric J. (2018). Intranasal oxytocin does not alter initial perceptions of facial trustworthiness in younger or older adults. Journal of Psychopharmacology , 33 (2), 026988111880630-254. doi: 10.1177/0269881118806303

Intranasal oxytocin does not alter initial perceptions of facial trustworthiness in younger or older adults

2018

Journal Article

Does crying help? Development of the beliefs about crying scale (BACS)

Sharman, Leah S., Dingle, Genevieve A. and Vanman, Eric J. (2018). Does crying help? Development of the beliefs about crying scale (BACS). Cognition and Emotion, 33 (4), 1-15. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2018.1488243

Does crying help? Development of the beliefs about crying scale (BACS)

2018

Journal Article

The burden of online friends: the effects of giving up Facebook on stress and well-being

Vanman, Eric, Baker, Rosemary and Tobin, Stephanie (2018). The burden of online friends: the effects of giving up Facebook on stress and well-being. The Journal of Social Psychology, 158 (4), 496-507. doi: 10.1080/00224545.2018.1453467

The burden of online friends: the effects of giving up Facebook on stress and well-being

2018

Journal Article

Interaction of stereotypical trustworthiness, facial resemblance, and group membership in the perception of trustworthiness and other traits

Tsankova, Elena, Vanman, Eric J. and Kappas, Arvid (2018). Interaction of stereotypical trustworthiness, facial resemblance, and group membership in the perception of trustworthiness and other traits. Journal of Trust Research, 8 (1), 31-44. doi: 10.1080/21515581.2018.1453824

Interaction of stereotypical trustworthiness, facial resemblance, and group membership in the perception of trustworthiness and other traits

Current funding

  • 2023 - 2026
    Robots as a Social Group: Implications for Human-Robot Interaction
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2020 - 2025
    Reducing social frailty in late adulthood
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2016
    A brain physiology laboratory for neuropsychological research in the new Queensland Neuropsychology Research Centre
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2013
    A brain stimulation and portable eye-tracking suite for human behavioural research
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Advancing the science of willpower: Investigating the mechanisms and processes of self-control (ARC Discovery Project administered by Curtin University)
    Curtin University of Technology
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2015
    Intergroup emotions and prejudice toward obese people (ARC Discovery Project administered by the University of New South Wales)
    University of New South Wales
    Open grant
  • 2009 - 2011
    Emotional and political reactions to representations of terrorism
    ARC Discovery Projects
    Open grant
  • 2008 - 2009
    Somatic Markers of Social Prejudice
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant
  • 2008
    User-friendly equipment for central nervous and cardiovascular psychopshysiology
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant

Availability

Professor Eric Vanman is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Available projects

  • Emotional Responses to Artificial Agents

    This project examines how people emotionally and physiologically respond to artificial agents such as AI systems, chatbots, avatars, and social robots. Using experimental and psychophysiological methods (e.g., facial EMG, EEG, behavioural measures), the project explores empathy, trust, and social cognition in human–AI interaction. Suitable for students interested in psychology, technology, and emotion research.

  • Empathy, Emotion, and Intergroup Relations

    This project investigates how empathy and emotion operate across social group boundaries, including why empathy is often reduced toward outgroup members. The project uses experimental and psychophysiological approaches to study prejudice, bias, and affect sharing, with potential applications to social cohesion and conflict reduction.

  • Social Media, Anonymity, and Online Behaviour

    This project explores how online environments influence emotion, empathy, and social behaviour. Topics may include anonymity, social comparison, stress, and antisocial behaviour on social media platforms. The project is suitable for students interested in digital psychology and the social impact of online technologies.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    AI as a Tool for Truth and Empathy: Exploring the Impact of AI-driven Interactions on False Beliefs and Intergroup Empathy

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Leah Henrickson

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Emerging Adult Substance Use: An Integrated Approach to Risk Pathways and Interventions

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Leah Sharman

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Exploring the Quality and Impact of Human-AI Relationships on Social Connection and Well-being

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Marie Boden

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Robots as Social Groups: A Social Neuroscience Approach

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Associate Professor Jess Taubert

  • Doctor Philosophy

    The Effects of Acting Prosocially on Well-being and Neural Networks

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Julie Henry

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Professor Eric Vanman directly for media enquiries about:

  • AI & Society
  • anonymity online
  • artificial intelligence
  • catfishing
  • compassion
  • crying
  • digital empathy
  • emotion
  • empathy
  • human AI interaction
  • online behaviour
  • social empathy
  • social media psychology
  • social robots

Need help?

For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team:

communications@uq.edu.au