Dr. Gentile is an award-winning research scientist, educator, author, and is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Iowa State University. His experience includes over 35 years conducting research with children and adults. He has authored over 160 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, including studies on the positive and negative effects of mass media on children in several countries.
He is the editor or author of several books, including:
- Media Violence and Children (2 editions)
- Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy
- Game On! Sensible Answers about Video Games and Media Violence
- Learning from Video Games (and everything else)
- Finding the Freedom to Get Unstuck and be Happier
He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP). He was honored with the Distinguished Lifetime Contributions Award to Media Psychology and Technology by the American Psychological Association, and he was named one of the Top 300 Professors in the United States by the Princeton Review.
Dr. Gentile runs the Media Research Lab at Iowa State University where he conducts research on media’s impact on children and adults. As the leader of this effort, he develops and conducts research projects designed to give parents and other caregivers the kind of information they need and want to make informed media choices for their children. His research has been supported by several grants, including grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Centers for Disease Control.
Dr. Gentile speaks internationally to community, education, health care, and parent groups. Praised as an engaging and energetic speaker, he speaks about issues such as the connection between media and brain development, the effects of television and video game violence, the effects of tobacco and alcohol advertising on adolescents, and the psychology of advertising. He has been featured on such radio shows as National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, To the Point, the BBC World Service, and his work has been reported on CNN, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Jo Frost’s Extreme Parental Guidance, as well as the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and hundreds of other newspapers and television stations internationally. He was the creator and host of the monthly radio show The Science of Parenting.
In his creative life, he is the leader of Ames’ premier jazz band, the Indigo Monks. He also claims to be three-quarters of the comedy music duo, Tom and Doug, who have a nationally-syndicated weekly radio show across the Pacifica Radio Network. They also have a long-running TV show, featuring puppet versions of themselves (which, sadly, are more popular than the fleshy versions of themselves).
In addition to his academic work, Venerable Douglas Myeong’il Gentile is a Zen monk and teacher in an American tradition with Korean and Vietnamese lineage roots. He wrote and narrated the best-selling audiobook Buddhism 101: How to Walk Easily over Rough Ground and Meditation: The Busy Person’s Guide to Cultivating Compassion and Positive Mind States. His most recent book, Finding the Freedom to Get Unstuck and be Happier blends Buddhist and scientific views on karma and free will.
Dr. Gentile received his doctorate in child psychology from the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota. Prior to his work at Iowa State University, he was the Director of Research for the non-profit National Institute on Media and the Family, he worked as a market researcher, and served as test developer and data analyst for Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey. He lives in Ames, Iowa with his wife Jennifer.
Download Dr. Gentile’s CV here
Photo credit: Christopher Gannon