Biography

Steven J. Heine is Professor of Social and Cultural Psychology and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of British Columbia. After receiving his PhD from the University of British Columbia in 1996, he had visiting positions at Kyoto University and Tokyo University, and was on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania before returning to British Columbia. He has authored the best-selling textbook in its field, entitled “Cultural Psychology,” and has written two trade book called “Start Making Sense” (2025) and “DNA is not Destiny” (2017). Heine has received numerous international awards and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. 

Heine’s research focuses on a few topics that converge on how people come to understand themselves and their worlds. In particular, he is most known for his work in cultural psychology where he has explored the key role that culture plays in shaping people’s psychological worlds. He has also conducted much research exploring how people’s essentialist biases make them prone to misunderstand and fear genetic concepts, how people make meaning in the face of meaninglessness, and how people can lead more meaningful lives.

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