diff --git a/lib/sync.js b/lib/sync.js
index 510ca256..92bc622c 100644
--- a/lib/sync.js
+++ b/lib/sync.js
@@ -57,22 +57,25 @@ module.exports = function (x, options) {
     function loadAsDirectorySync(x) {
         var pkgfile = path.join(x, '/package.json');
         if (isFile(pkgfile)) {
-            var body = readFileSync(pkgfile, 'utf8');
             try {
+                var body = readFileSync(pkgfile, 'UTF8');
                 var pkg = JSON.parse(body);
+
                 if (opts.packageFilter) {
                     pkg = opts.packageFilter(pkg, x);
                 }
 
                 if (pkg.main) {
+                    if (pkg.main === '.' || pkg.main === './') {
+                        pkg.main = 'index';
+                    }
                     var m = loadAsFileSync(path.resolve(x, pkg.main));
                     if (m) return m;
                     var n = loadAsDirectorySync(path.resolve(x, pkg.main));
                     if (n) return n;
                 }
-            } catch (e) {}
+            } catch (e) { }
         }
-
         return loadAsFileSync(path.join(x, '/index'));
     }
 
diff --git a/test/resolver.js b/test/resolver.js
index adde5444..b77a9a5a 100644
--- a/test/resolver.js
+++ b/test/resolver.js
@@ -325,3 +325,25 @@ test('async: #121 - treating an existing file as a dir when no basedir', functio
 
     t.end();
 });
+
+test('sync dot main', function (t) {
+    var start = Date.now();
+    t.plan(3);
+    resolve('./resolver/dot_main', function (err, ret) {
+        t.notOk(err);
+        t.equal(ret, path.join(__dirname, 'resolver/dot_main/index.js'));
+        t.ok(Date.now() - start < 50, 'resolve.sync timedout');
+        t.end();
+    });
+});
+
+test('sync dot slash main', function (t) {
+    var start = Date.now();
+    t.plan(3);
+    resolve('./resolver/dot_slash_main', function (err, ret) {
+        t.notOk(err);
+        t.equal(ret, path.join(__dirname, 'resolver/dot_slash_main/index.js'));
+        t.ok(Date.now() - start < 50, 'resolve.sync timedout');
+        t.end();
+    });
+});
diff --git a/test/resolver/dot_main/index.js b/test/resolver/dot_main/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bc1fb0a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/resolver/dot_main/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+// this is the actual main file 'index.js', not 'wrong.js' like the package.json would indicate
+module.exports = 1;
diff --git a/test/resolver/dot_main/package.json b/test/resolver/dot_main/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d7f4fc80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/resolver/dot_main/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    "main": "."
+}
diff --git a/test/resolver/dot_slash_main/index.js b/test/resolver/dot_slash_main/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bc1fb0a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/resolver/dot_slash_main/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+// this is the actual main file 'index.js', not 'wrong.js' like the package.json would indicate
+module.exports = 1;
diff --git a/test/resolver/dot_slash_main/package.json b/test/resolver/dot_slash_main/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f51287b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/resolver/dot_slash_main/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    "main": "./"
+}
diff --git a/test/resolver_sync.js b/test/resolver_sync.js
index 2bc36102..6b57dfa2 100644
--- a/test/resolver_sync.js
+++ b/test/resolver_sync.js
@@ -251,3 +251,17 @@ test('sync: #121 - treating an existing file as a dir when no basedir', function
 
     t.end();
 });
+
+test('sync dot main', function (t) {
+    var start = Date.now();
+    t.equal(resolve.sync('./resolver/dot_main'), path.join(__dirname, 'resolver/dot_main/index.js'));
+    t.ok(Date.now() - start < 50, 'resolve.sync timedout');
+    t.end();
+});
+
+test('sync dot slash main', function (t) {
+    var start = Date.now();
+    t.equal(resolve.sync('./resolver/dot_slash_main'), path.join(__dirname, 'resolver/dot_slash_main/index.js'));
+    t.ok(Date.now() - start < 50, 'resolve.sync timedout');
+    t.end();
+});