Douglas Gentile

Dr. Douglas Gentile is an award-winning research scientist, educator, author, and is Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University. His experience includes over 30 years conducting research with children and adults. He has authored over 140 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, including studies on the positive and negative effects of mass media on children in several countries, video game addiction, and mindfulness practices for reducing anxiety and increasing happiness. He has written several books on similar topics.

He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. He was honored with the Distinguished Lifetime Contributions Award to Media Psychology and Technology by the American Psychological Association, and he was named one of the Top 300 Professors in the United States by the Princeton Review.

In addition, he is an ordained Zen Buddhist monk and meditation teacher who leads retreats and has written and narrated the best-selling audiobook Buddhism 101: How to Walk Easily over Rough Ground and Meditation: The Busy Person’s Guide to Cultivating Compassion and Positive Mind States.