The importance of a sense of belonging has been demonstrated through extensive empirical work on human resilience and the factors that protect emotional health and personal wellbeing, even in the context of adversity and trauma. Individuals develop a sense of belonging when they feel meaningfully connected to others—particularly those who share aspects of their lived experience, interests, or goals. Belonging-supportive environments promote mental and physical health, strengthen engagement, and support human flourishing across life domains.
Conversely, individuals who experience disconnection or a lack of inclusion—often described as thwarted belongingness—are at heightened risk for psychological distress and poor outcomes. These risks are especially pronounced during periods of stress, transition, or vulnerability. Understanding how belonging is formed, threatened, and restored is therefore central to promoting wellbeing and preventing harm.
The Belonging Project at Stanford is a broadly engaged, interdisciplinary initiative housed within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The Project advances research, education, and applied work on belonging as a core behavioral and mental health process, with the goal of strengthening individual wellbeing, relational connection, and institutional culture at Stanford and beyond.
What We Do
The Belonging Project examines belonging across interconnected levels of human functioning. Our work integrates psychiatry, behavioral science, and neuroscience to understand how experiences of connection and disconnection shape mental health, behavior, and wellbeing—particularly under conditions of stress and uncertainty.
We study belonging at the level of individual experience (e.g., emotion regulation, threat perception, self-concept), interpersonal processes (e.g., social cognition and relational behavior), and underlying neural systems. Through empirical and conceptual research, we identify mechanisms that contribute to both vulnerability and resilience. These insights guide the development of targeted interventions, which we translate into practical tools, workshops, and programs for academic and organizational settings.
What Support Enables
Support for the Belonging Project enables the development and evaluation of research studies, educational programming, and applied initiatives focused on strengthening connection and wellbeing. This includes advancing scholarship on belonging and mental health, piloting and refining workshops and interventions, convening interdisciplinary dialogue, and building resources that inform practice across the university and beyond.
Our Approach
Our approach is mechanistic and translational. We treat belonging as a measurable and modifiable process, allowing us to identify specific leverage points for change. By grounding interventions in individual psychological and neural processes, we design approaches that can scale from individual experience to groups, institutions, and systems. This framework complements work in sociology, education, public policy, and the humanities, while enabling the development of targeted, evidence-informed interventions with real-world impact.
Work With Us
The Belonging Project welcomes collaboration and inquiry from across the Stanford community and external partners.
We invite engagement related to:
- Research collaboration
- Program or intervention design
- Consultation and advising
- Workshops and convenings
- Creative, cross-disciplinary ideas related to belonging and wellbeing
