Life Adversity and Prosociality
The experiencing of life adversity could lead to negative outcomes, such as distress, psychopathology, and even negative changes in one's worldviews. However, research suggests that adversity could also provide us with a window of opportunity to challenge any long-held assumptions we have on the world. Work from researchers, have found that these changes do not necessarily have to be negative or dysfunctional; therefore, could we expect personal growth instead? My past (and ongoing) research suggests that individuals are more likely to be compassionate towards the suffering of others after experiencing adversity. Currently, I am focusing on the mechanisms in which adversity leads to compassion and the functional purpose of it. |
Prosocial Interventions From a functionalist perspective, the ability to be prosocial is key to human flourishing. Therefore, I am interested in designing, validating, and implementing interventions to boost prosociality in individuals. My current work is focused on identifying the key components of an effective intervention with hopes of eventually building an intervention framework that is efficacious in the lab and scalable at an institutional level. I hope to expand these interventions to address issues related to social justice, public healthcare, and clinician-client relations . |
Contemplative Practices and Social Behavior Mindfulness meditation, a form of contemplative practice that stems from traditional Buddhism, is an increasingly popular activity for modern living. The general focus of mindfulness meditation involves the acceptance of one's emotions and thoughts in a non-judgmental manner, a sense of evenness -- to achieve equanimity. In past and present collaborative work with my colleagues, we examine the effects of such practices on social behaviors. |