About

Lisa C. Walsh, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Social/Personality Psychology
​Marriage and Close Relationships Lab
University of California, Los Angeles
  Email: lisawalsh08@gmail.com
  Twitter: lisawalsh08
  LinkedIn: lisawalsh08​
 Google Scholar: Lisa C. Walsh 
How can everyone live their own version of the good life? Philosophers, writers, and laypeople have attempted to answer this question for centuries. One emerging answer increasing backed by psychological science suggests that feelings of connectedness, which are prompted by strong interpersonal relationships and positive social behaviors, are the key to a happy and fulfilling life.

Accordingly, I research the who, what, where, when, why and how of happiness. I investigate the architecture of subjective well-being, including its outcomes (e.g., positive emotions, life satisfaction), mechanisms (e.g., social connection), moderators (e.g., gender, personality), and downstream consequences (e.g., career success, physical health). In broadest terms, my work aims to (1) identify links between interpersonal relationships (with romantic partners, friends, family) and well-being, and (2) understand the effects of positive social behaviors (e.g., expressing gratitude, doing acts of kindness) on well-being.

I completed my Ph.D. in the Positive Activities and Well-Being Lab at UC Riverside with Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky. I am currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with Dr. Victor Kaufman in the UCLA Marriage and Close Relationships Lab, which is directed by Dr. Benjamin Karney and Dr. Thomas Bradbury. 

Some of my most recent work explores:
  • How different types of relationships (with romantic partners, friends, and family) are uniquely and interactively associated with well-being
  • Are coupled people happier than single people?
  • Gratitude exchanges within a social context (the roles of actors, targets, and witnesses)​
  • Whether gratitude can motivate self-improvement efforts (e.g., working harder, becoming kinder)
  • The effects of doing kind acts on physical health (e.g., gene expression, telomeres)
  • How smartphones and social media impact psychosocial well-being​
  • How happiness precedes and leads to career success

I currently live in Mar Vista, California with my husband Tim Yeo.