About
Jan Antfolk is a Professor of Psychology at Åbo Akademi University, leading research in the Interpersonal Relations Research Group. His scholarly work spans multiple critical areas including sexual behavior, minority stress, legal psychology, and cross-cultural studies. With over 124 publications and numerous active research projects, Antfolk has established himself as a prominent researcher in psychological science with significant contributions to understanding human behavior across cultural contexts.
Antfolk's research interests focus on several interconnected domains. His work on sexual behavior and orientation has examined how sexual minorities navigate asylum procedures in Finland, including studies on disclosure timing and credibility assessments. He has conducted extensive cross-cultural research on romantic love and mate preferences across 175 countries with over 117,000 participants. His legal psychology research investigates eyewitness testimony accuracy under various conditions, develops evidence-based training for asylum officials, and analyzes communication dynamics in official interviews. Additionally, he studies vaccine attitudes during the pandemic, postpartum depression, and mother-offspring conflict through multiple funded projects.
Analysis of Antfolk's recent publications reveals a strong methodological diversity and international collaboration. His work frequently employs large-scale cross-cultural designs, experimental methodologies, and qualitative analysis of real-world procedures. The research shows consistent focus on applying psychological science to real-world legal and social issues, particularly regarding asylum procedures and credibility assessments.
- Distributing Knowledge in Legal Psychology (2020-2022) - Principal Investigator
- PPD-MOC: Postpartum Depression and Mother-Offspring Conflict (2019-2022) - Principal Investigator
- VaccAtt: Research on Vaccine Attitudes (2018-2023) - Co-Investigator
Antfolk has supervised multiple students according to institutional records and collaborates extensively with researchers across numerous countries. His work demonstrates practical applications in legal settings, particularly in improving asylum procedures and eyewitness identification protocols in Finland, while also contributing to theoretical understanding of human behavior across cultures.
