Jennifer De Paola

Jennifer De Paola, PhD, is a Researcher and Visiting Scholar at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Social Sciences. Her work focuses on social psychology, particularly examining how happiness and related concepts are constructed and disseminated through digital media, social representations, and cultural narratives.

Education:

• PhD in Social Psychology, University of Helsinki (2022)
• Master's in Clinical Psychology, Università Degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" (2011)

Research Interests: Dr. De Paola investigates happiness through interdisciplinary lenses, analyzing its portrayal in children's art, social media platforms like Instagram, and digital journalism. She explores how societal perceptions of happiness are shaped by global reports like the UN World Happiness Index and manifests in cultural artifacts such as memes and memes. Her work bridges qualitative methods (e.g., drawing analysis) with digital ethnography.

Key Projects:

• Principal Investigator for 'Visualizing Happiness' (2023-2024), using drawing as a research method
• Participant in 'The Happiness Project - Onnellisuusprojekti' (2014-2015)

Awards & Media: Received the Best Oral Presentation award at the 2018 ICPPW Conference. Featured in prominent media including BBC News, Business Insider, and Finland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs publications, discussing Finland's 'happiest country' status and related cultural paradoxes.