Jeremy D.W. Clifton

Jeremy D.W. Clifton is a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center and directs the Primals Project. His work focuses on primal world beliefs—fundamental cognitive frameworks about the world's nature (e.g., safety, allure, aliveness) and their psychological ramifications. Clifton earned his Ph.D. in psychology from UPenn under Martin Seligman and Angela Duckworth.

Research Interests include primal world beliefs, their measurement, and implications for mental health, political ideology, and human behavior. He has published extensively in top journals, exploring how these beliefs shape trust, depression, curiosity, and spirituality. His 2019 foundational study identified 26 primal beliefs under broader categories like Safe, Enticing, and Alive, which together form an overarching Good World belief.

Awards include the 2024 APS Rising Star recognition. Clifton's teaching includes research methods in UPenn's Master of Applied Positive Psychology program.