Affective Science & Health Laboratory

Brett is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and the director of the Affective Science & Health Laboratory. She completed her doctoral training in social-personality from the University of California, Berkeley after receiving her B.A. in psychology and M.A. in social-personality psychology from Boston College.

Brett’s research examines what people believe about emotions and how people manage their emotions. Her research uses multi-method and interdisciplinary approaches to consider the benefits and the costs of striving to feel good.

Email: Brett.Ford[at]utoronto.ca
Curriculum Vita

Yitong Zhao

Yitong is pursuing her doctoral degree in Social/Personality Psychology at the University of Toronto. She received her bachelor’s degree at East China Normal University, and recently earned her master’s degree at Wake Forest University. As a researcher, Yitong is primarily interested in emotion regulation, well-being, and social relationships. Specifically, she studies individuals’ regulation processes in pursuing personal and social goals, especially processes shaped by their beliefs, values, and dispositions, and situated in regulation contexts of varying characteristics. As a mentor, Yitong values communication, mutual respect, and mentees’ growth. In her free time, you can find Yitong hiking, listening to music, practicing yoga, or making coffee.

Email: yit.zhao[at]mail.utoronto.ca

Ashley Battaglini

Ashley obtained her Master’s and Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of British Columbia. She received her Bachelor of Science as a Psychology Specialist at the University of Toronto. Her research investigates the association of emotion regulation and well-being, with a focus on emotion regulation in response to stress and across contexts. Her Master’s thesis examined interpersonal emotion regulation (i.e., regulating emotions with the help of another person) and its association with affect in response to stress. Her dissertation examined intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation flexibility (i.e., the fit between emotion regulation strategies and contextual demands) and its association with affect in daily life. Overall, Ashley’s research program aims to advance understanding of how emotion regulation interacts with context to shape well-being. During her free time, Ashley enjoys spending time with her two cats, watching reality TV, and engaging in art, such as painting or crafts.

Email: ashley.battaglini[at]utoronto.ca

Hana Balshin

Hana is pursuing her PhD in Social & Personality Psychology at the University of Toronto. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Western Ontario. She also completed her master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University, where her thesis research analyzed the relationship between war and collective happiness cross-nationally. Her background in both psychology and international conflict resolution has led her to develop a particular interest in adaptive emotional responses under stress, emotional regulation in crisis contexts, and the factors that promote human resilience. Outside of academia, Hana loves being with her friends, being outdoors and by the beach, working out, and watching reality TV. 

Sehyun (Justin) Jeong

Sehyun (Justin) is a 4th year psychology specialist and philosophy major at the University of Toronto. His primary research interests are twofold: a) uncovering the development, mechanism, and antecedents of emotion regulation, and b) understanding the mechanism and architecture of reason, emotion, and the relationship between them. He is also fascinated by philosophy of science—specifically in psychological science (theoretical psychology). Currently at the Affective Science and Health Laboratory, he is working with supervisors Dr. Ford and Yitong Zhao to investigate how personality shapes interpersonal emotion regulation! Outside of the lab, he loves talking with friends for (too many) hours about science and philosophy, as well as growing spiritually with God.

Ashmita Mazumder

Ashmita is pursuing her doctoral degree in Social/Personality Psychology at the University of Toronto under the supervision of Dr. Suzanne Erb and Dr. Marc A. Fournier. She received her B.Sc. in Psychology with honours from the University of Toronto in 2022. Her research broadly focuses on everyday impulsivity and its influence on substance use behaviours. Ashmita is also interested in how impulsivity may shape emotion regulation and its downstream effects on behaviour, particularly in moments of stress. She is currently working with Dr. Ford on a project exploring the role of impulsivity in the link between emotion regulation and discrimination. In her free time, you can find Ashmita baking, crocheting, or reading.

Anil Topal

Anil is a doctoral student at the University of Toronto, supervised by Dr. Emily Impett. His research examines how contextual factors (e.g., neighborhood characteristics) and life events shape close relationship processes. He also investigates interdependent dynamics in couples following pregnancy loss. Within the Affective Science and Health Laboratory, Anil studies how individuals select and use interpersonal emotion regulation strategies.

Veerpal Bambrah

Wenyi Luo

Angela Wang

Jinglei Chen

Kalista Kyle

Arasteh Gatchpazian

Angela Smith

Tony Gutentag

Kaitlyn Werner