Marvin Zuckerman

Professor Emeritus, University of Delaware

Dr. Marvin Zuckerman is Professor Emeritus at the University of Delaware. His research involves the sensation-seeking trait, affect assessment, and its role in risk-taking behaviors and its biological bases. A fellow of the American Psychological Society, a fellow of its Division of Personality and Social Psychology and a diplomate of the American Board of Examiners in Professional Psychology-Clinical Psychology, Zuckerman has served as president of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences. He also is a board member of the Delaware Council on Gambling Problems and the Delaware Addictions Coalition.

He is the author of more than 200 articles and book chapters and several books, including Vulnerability to Psychopathology: A Biosocial Model, Psychobiology of Personality and Behavioral Expression and Biosocial Bases of Personality. He also serves on the editorial board of Personality and Individual Differences.

Zuckerman received his bachelor's and doctoral degrees from New York University.

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A Lesson in Psychological Discovery

When Marvin Zuckerman was developing his theory of sensation-seeking, his college friends provided a handy prototype.

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4 min

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Marvin Zuckerman

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The Anatomy of Torture

Why is isolation so dreadful for humans? As the clinical psychologist points out, it interferes with one of our brain’s basic needs.

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3 min

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Marvin Zuckerman

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The Psychology of Horror Films

As the psychologist explains, a very basic learning pattern stands as the basis for the increasingly violent nature of cinema.

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3 min

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Marvin Zuckerman

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The Link Between Risk-Seeking and Creativity

A psychologist explains why those equipped with a strong novelty-seeking gene tend to exhibit unconventional thinking—something that is clear as much in street criminals as scientists.

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3 min

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Marvin Zuckerman

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Why Men Drive Fast and Take Chances

Since the days of hunting and gathering, males have been hardwired to seek out novelty and risk. Yet in today’s society, this trait often proves fatal.

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6 min

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Marvin Zuckerman