I am a social and health psychologist who is interested in studying coping with adversity at the level of daily behaviors. Specifically, I seek to understand how people’s daily social interactions are related to their well-being and health.

In my research I particularly focus on automatic behaviors (e.g., sighing, swearing, laughing, we-talk) and their social context and role in the coping process. For example, how often and how do couples coping with cancer talk about cancer? What does sighing signal to the social network of a person who is coping with an illness? How can swearing affect support from others -- and, in turn, affect the person swearing?

A second goal in my research is to use findings from my observational studies to help develop interventions that people can naturally incorporate into their daily lives, thus taking a full-cycle approach.