Campus News

DeWall Runs for His Dreams

Nathan DeWall and his students in the UK Social Psychology Lab
Nathan DeWall and his students in the UK Social Psychology Lab

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 16, 2016) Nathan DeWall, professor of psychology and director of the Social Psychology Lab at the University of Kentucky, is currently writing the 12th edition of the introductory textbook, “Psychology,” with his mentor and renowned textbook writer David Myers.

DeWall received a bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College, a master’s degree in social science from the University of Chicago, and a master’s degree and doctoral degree in social psychology from Florida State University. Along with his educational achievements, he has won numerous awards and has published more than 150 scientific articles and chapters.  

DeWall wasn’t always interested in psychology; he entered college in hopes of becoming a musician. But after taking an introductory psychology course, he discovered his love for psychology. The book used in his entry-level class was written by David Myers, whom he now works alongside to co-author a leading series of introductory textbooks that aim to make learning psychology enjoyable and exciting.

“He (Myers) is the best in the business at communicating psychological science,” DeWall said. "For him to be my mentor is exciting and kind of intimidating.”

“Psychology” contains 16 chapters that are broken down into 55 modules in an effort to allow students to not just read but to actively learn the material. The other books in the series — “Psychology in Everyday Life” and “Exploring Psychology” — also use formats that make the material more easily digestible.

Myers and DeWall are passionate about teaching through writing and interactive media. As textbook authors, they get to teach critical thinking skills and present psychology as a science to hundreds of thousands of students.

“I write a textbook, I can reach more students,” said DeWall. “It’s as if by writing textbooks you get a huge classroom.” 

Aside from work, DeWall believes in living a balanced life. In his free time, he spends time with his wife and daughter, and he runs — a lot. This past summer, he placed 27th in the Vol State 500K, a race across Tennessee. He finished the 314-mile race in 6 days, 19 hours, 40 minutes, and 5 seconds. He also recently helped a friend complete a record-breaking transatlantic run. He wrote about this running experience, which appeared in The New York Times.

DeWall, an ultramarathon runner, says running makes him more aware of his surroundings and gives him more discipline in all aspects of his life. He is not afraid of trial and error; much of his preparation includes failing in order to improve, he said.

“My experience is to try it once, fail, and then spend the next year devoting every ounce of mental and physical energy I have to get prepared,” DeWall said.

DeWall spent a year building up his mileage before running his first 100-mile race in 2012, and he hasn't stopped since.

Through his journey, he has connected with runners from all over the world. He soon will travel to Hong Kong for a speaking engagement, where he plans to go on a long run with a fellow ultramarathoner. 

“You can kind of go anywhere,” DeWall said. “You get support from them (fellow runners) when things go well, and you also get support when things don’t go so well.”

DeWall loves traveling; this past summer, DeWall and his wife took a trip to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

“That was pretty special to see athletes from different countries trading pins with each other,” he said. “To talk with parents of athletes who have sacrificed so much, years and years of their lives so that they could just get a shot to be in one event at one Olympics in their lifetime, is incredible and it really puts things in perspective.”