Dr. Elizabeth L. Cohen

Research Interests:

• Psychology of Media and Pop Culture
• Attachments to Celebrities and Fictional characters
• Intergroup Outcomes of Media Use

Elizabeth L. Cohen joined the WVU faculty in 2012. She was educated in a department that helped her develop an appreciation for all approaches to understanding the nature of human communication, and is specifically trained as media psychologist. Dr. Cohen studies how the media that we binge, scroll, and talk about can affect our thoughts and emotions, our relationships with others, and our sense of self. She is particularly interested in how the stories, fictional characters, and celebrities that we encounter in entertainment media can enhance our lives. Her work helps answer questions like: How do people come to feel like they know the characters, social media influencers, and celebrities they like to watch and read about? And ultimately, how can these experiences make improve our well-being and more tolerant of other people? Her research has been published many respectable academic journals, but she’s probably captured the widest audience in mainstream press coverage that has relied on her expertise to explain many pressing social issues, such as why people derive psychological satisfaction from J-Lo and Ben Affleck’s relationship failures.

Dr. Cohen has developed more than 20 courses at West Virginia University on a variety of topics including health communication campaigns, contemporary issues in social media, film appreciation, media and prejudice, and the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror. Most recently, she innovated a presentational speaking course designed to cultivate students’ speaking skills across a variety of communication contexts and media platforms. Her students describe her as an attentive and approachable teacher that brings high energy, good humor, and reasonable expectations to her classroom.

Dr. Cohen also has a rich existence outside of work. She is partial to new wave music, dark TV shows, and she has a basic but burgeoning interest in surrealist art. At home, Dr. Cohen is usually accompanied by three dogs, one cat, and a very supportive husband. When she’s needs a break from participating in the knowledge economy, she enjoys connecting with friends, hiking in the West Virginia wilderness, staring at waterfalls in silence, or tending to her flock of approximately two dozen chickens, lovingly dubbed “The Co-Hens.” 

Education: