1. What is your research based upon?

My research aims to understand the psychological and neurobiological mechanisms that underpin
how we experience our own emotions and evaluate the emotions of others. I combine
experimental psychology, functional neuroimaging (fMRI), and computational tools to examine
how different aspects of affective information are encoded, manipulated, and integrated in the
brain. I also investigate individual differences in such processes on both behavioral and neural
levels, and their implications for mental health. Overall, my research is based on the idea that our
emotions are produced from our brain, and understanding the neural basis of emotion could better
inform clinical studies of mood and anxiety disorders.

2. You mentioned that your work involves looking at the effects of stress on the neurobiology of
emotion. May you expand on this?

One line of my research examines long-lasting impacts of early life stress, or childhood adversity,
on trait anger or aggressive behavior in young adulthood. As expected, greater amount of early
life stress is linked with increased propensity to feel and express anger and display aggressive
behavior. Interestingly, some biomarkers in the form of brain activity and connectivity seems to
influence this link, such that having stronger connections between a brain region called the
amygdala and the prefrontal cortex protects you from the negative effects of early life stress.

3. What parts of the brain are activated when a person is stressed or feeling other strong emotion?
How will the person react?

The answer isn’t limited to one or two discrete brain regions, but one important area of the brain
that is worth mentioning is the amygdala. This is a small, almond-shaped structure that is located
within the temporal lobe of your brain. The amygdala is implicated in many different aspects of
emotion, particularly fear. The amygdala tells the rest of the brain to prepare for and learn about
what’s going to happen next, that’s usually associated with threat. Another important brain region
is the hypothalamus, which is a part of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA
axis responds to stress through hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, and readies the body for
a more prolonged struggle that is likely going to occur.

4. In your opinion, is stress nonessential or a necessity in life?

Like it or not, stress is serves a purpose that is essential for survival. Just like pain or fear, it tells
us to prepare or avoid certain negative situations for the preservation of our health. If you don’t
have the ability to feel pain or fear, you won’t be able to learn to not touch a steaming hot kettle,
or run away from a hungry tiger. If you don’t have the ability to feel stressed at a negative life
event, then your body won’t be prepared for the upcoming repercussions. The key is the degree of
stress – brief, mild amount of stress has little impact on your well being (it may even be
beneficial), but prolonged, severe amount of stress can have detrimental effects on both physical
and mental health.

5. Lastly, what advice can you give to teenagers, especially the seniors in high school who are
stressed about AP classes, college applications, and adulthood?

The stress that you feel now, especially the seniors, is a normal reaction to uncertainty about the
future. It is a time of big change, and the feeling of stress only comes natural as a response. And
while you might think you are alone in this time of stress, I can assure you that’s not the case.
College seniors go through a very similar experience as they prepare themselves for the next steps
of their lives. Remember, stress isn’t evil per se; mild stress will even help you be better prepared
for what’s to come. Just make sure to manage your stress levels by doing what works best for
you, such as exercising, watching a good movie, or just hanging out with friends every now and
then.