Jeanne Nakamura

Jeanne Nakamura serves as an Associate Professor in the Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences at Claremont Graduate University (CGU), where she co-founded the Positive Psychology concentration and directs the Quality of Life Research Center—a nonprofit institute dedicated to studying human strengths including creativity, intrinsic motivation, and responsibility. Her academic home within CGU's structure is explicitly the Division of Behavioral & Organizational Sciences, reflecting her interdisciplinary focus.

Her educational foundation includes a PhD in Human Development (Psychology) and a BA in Behavioral Sciences, both earned at the University of Chicago. This training underpins her developmental approach to positive psychology across the lifespan.

Dr. Nakamura's research centers on positive psychology in developmental contexts, with three interconnected pillars: engagement and flow experiences in daily life, mentoring dynamics in professional formation, and positive aging as social innovation beyond age 60. Her work examines how intrinsic motivation shapes creativity during adulthood, how mentoring investments yield long-term professional integrity, and how later-life contributions redefine aging. Through the Quality of Life Research Center, she translates these concepts into practical frameworks for enhancing human flourishing.

Analysis of her 2009-2015 publications reveals consistent exploration of positive psychology's application across life stages—from adolescent risk-taking in flow states to ego-integrity in academic mentoring. Key thematic threads include the role of meaning in daily experience, cross-cultural contexts of positive development, and the intersection of excellence with social responsibility in professional practice ('good work').

Her research program has secured competitive funding from the Spencer Foundation, Encore.org, and the John Templeton Foundation (2017-2019 grant for positive aging studies). As co-director of the Harvard-based GoodWork Project, she investigated excellence and ethics in professional life, while her book Good Mentoring established evidence-based frameworks for academic development.

Dr. Nakamura maintains active leadership through board roles at the Center for a New American Dream and International Positive Psychology Association, plus advisory work for Notre Dame's Developing Virtue in Science project. The Quality of Life Research Center operates as her primary research hub, facilitating collaborations on engagement measurement and positive aging interventions.