Jennifer De Paola

Jennifer De Paola, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and researcher with a fascination for how ordinary people understand life’s biggest questions. Her research on happiness—particularly its cultural aspect in Finland—has been published in top social sciences journals like Public Understanding of Science, Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, and Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science. Along the way, her research has sparked conversations on international platforms, including interviews on BBC TV and Business Insider.

Jennifer divides her time between research at the University of Eastern Finland and clinical practice in the private sector. But what truly drives her is listening to people’s stories—whether in the therapy room, in an interview, or over a cup of coffee. Currently, her work focuses on immigrants in Finland and how they imagine their futures, a topic that resonates deeply with her as an immigrant herself. In Helsinki, she also provides psychological support to the English-speaking community drawing from evidence-based and scientifically supported therapeutic approaches such as Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Despite having lived in Finland for 15 years, a part of her is still the child from rural southern Italy. Her happiest moments? Passing on little pieces of that heritage to her two-year-old Finnish-Italian son—through museums, library visits, and long hikes where she teaches him Italian words and he sneaks in Finnish and English ones.