Dr. Sutin Lab

Using the Five-Factor Model of personality as an organizing framework, my research addresses how personality traits are associated with physical and mental health across adulthood and how personality shapes the psychological understanding of personally-meaningful experiences. Broadly, my research objectives are (1) to identify links between personality and inflammatory, cardiovascular, metabolic, and other markers of physical health, (2) to identify how personality traits relate to mental health, life events, and autobiographical memory, and (3) to identify the processes through which traits are associated with these outcomes across the adult lifespan. Using correlational, longitudinal, and experimental methodologies, my research takes a comprehensive approach to these objectives by addressing the physiological, behavioral, and social mechanisms that link personality traits and other psychological processes to morbidity and mortality.