Naomi Eisenberger

Naomi I. Eisenberger (born in San Francisco) is a social psychologist known for her research on the neural basis of social pain and social connection. She is professor of social psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where she directs the Social and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory and co-directs the Social Cognitive Science laboratory.

Eisenberger was the 2012 winner of the IUPsyS Young Investigator Award in Applied Science and the 2013 winner of the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology (area: Social Psychology)." Her award citation noted that "Eisenberger's innovative program of research has brought together neural, experiential, genetic and physiological measures to better define the role that social ties play in individuals’ emotional and physical well-being. Her discovery that the neural bases of social pain overlap with the neural bases of physical pain is a landmark finding in social neuroscience.