Jim Coan

James Arthur Coan Jr. (born July 11, 1969) is an American affective neuroscientist, clinical psychologist, writer, and psychology professor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where he serves as director of the Virginia Affective Neuroscience Laboratory.

Coan is known for his work proving memories can be implanted falsely in the Lost in the mall technique. He is known as an authority in interpersonal emotion regulation called social baseline theory because of his work regarding hand-holding to reduce stress and provide a "I am here with you" and "we are here" response in the brain. He is often consulted by the media and the U.S. government when they need information on loneliness, kindness, social isolation, social environments, physical boundaries and the physical and mental health effects of touch. Coan appeared in nine episodes of Brain Games.