Dariya Ovsyannikova is a fourth-year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, working towards her Honours Bachelors of Science in Mental health studies, with a minor in Studio Art. Dariya is interested in exploring the ways in which mental health disorders like anxiety, depression etc. preclude individuals from engaging in both effortful and routine tasks and is particularly drawn to exploring the kinds of therapeutic interventions that may offer these individuals a sense of control and confidence over their lives. Within Michael Inzlicht's Social Neuroscience lab, Dariya is excited in exploring the whether the quantity of social media consumed by young adults influences their level of empathetic regard, both online and in direct contact with others- does the distance between people on social media produce a diffusion of responsibility for individuals who project negative behavior or attitudes upon others? In the future, Dariya hopes to complete her Master's of Social Work and provide psychotherapeutic treatment options, including art therapy, to clinical populations in Toronto.

Aidan Campbell is interested in motivation. Recently, he has focused on exertion and how effort affects us and our perceptions of meaning. Specifically, does expending energy lead to more meaningful evaluations of our daily lives or particular behaviours? What are the effects of the absence of effort on human perceptions of meaning and happiness? Aidan hopes to investigate this relationship to better understands what contributes to meaningfulness and our overall well-being.

Greg Depow researches how people relate to and understand one another, as well as the decisions that lead people to help each other. His major interest is in how empathy manifests in everyday life. One could argue that empathy is a prerequisite for the kind of large-scale cooperation that is observed in humans. However, important questions remain about how often people have opportunities to empathize, how often they engage in empathy when faced with these opportunities, and how often they experience being the target of empathy. Furthermore, we have yet to determine the effects of empathizing on happiness, sense of purpose, prosocial behaviour, and future instances of empathizing. Greg uses experience sampling—which combines multiple and frequent survey assessments with smartphone technology—as one tool elucidate the nature of empathy in everyday life. Along with his project on empathy in everyday life, Greg also examines the degree to which people engage in costly effort to help others using tools borrowed from behavioural economics.

Victória Oldemburgo de Mello is interested in how moral judgments and political attitudes are influenced by external variables. How do we choose which moral values to prioritize? How do external variables influence the extent to which we cling to a certain set of moral values? Victoria is also interested in social networks and online behavior. Why are certain behaviors more common online than in person? How do online expressions of moral outrage influence our moral and political attitudes? She wants to investigate the effects of reinforcement of online behaviors in our in-person attitudes and behaviors.

Dasha Sandra is interested in how beliefs and expectations shape people's experience of their mental health. Mental health awareness is often discussed in the media, on the internet, and in daily conversations. Because people are more aware, they are more ready to seek treatment, even for milder difficulties or as a way to cope. But does interpreting difficult life experiences as an early sign of mental illness lead to negative expectations about one's general mental health and, paradoxically, cause more symptoms? Is this a sign of nocebo effects (symptoms caused by negative expectations)? If this is the case, can it be reversed through better messaging? Dasha explores these questions through lab and field studies, and hopes to develop interventions to improve the discussion around mental health.

Emily Zohar is interested in how psychology-informed interventions can counteract day-to-day shortcomings such as procrastination and forgetfulness. Questions she hopes to pursue include, why do individuals fail to perform tasks that they hope to complete? How can interventions be created to help individuals reach their goals? How can scheduling be used to increase goal progress and prevent irrational decision-making? Emily hopes to use this research to promote real-world positive behaviour change.