Andrew Hales

Andrew Hales is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology within the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Mississippi. His research focuses on social ostracism and social influence, examining the psychological consequences of exclusion and recovery mechanisms through experimental methods.

Dr. Hales earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from Purdue University Main Campus in 2017. His primary research explores why exclusion causes distress, individual differences in ostracism vulnerability, and strategies for emotional recovery. He also investigates broader social influence processes including persuasion, self-presentation, and compliance techniques, while advocating for research replicability and transparency in psychological science.

His recent publications (2023-2025) consistently examine ostracism across diverse contexts including workplace ghosting, digital phubbing, group dynamics, and extremism. A dominant theme connects ostracism to extreme group affiliation, highlighting how threatened fundamental needs (belonging, self-esteem, control, meaningful existence) drive individuals toward radical ideologies. His work integrates systematic reviews with experimental validation to advance theoretical frameworks.

Dr. Hales actively mentors students as evidenced by his current review of applications for the Experimental Ph.D. Program. He directs the Social Connections and Influence Lab, which employs controlled experiments to study both target and perpetrator perspectives in exclusion scenarios, utilizing measures of affective response, behavioral intentions, and physiological reactivity.