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 positive social behaviors and satisfying close relationships, 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, culture), and downstream consequences (e.g., career success, physical health). In broadest terms, my work aims to (1) understand the effects of positive social behaviors (e.g., expressing gratitude, doing acts of kindness) on well-being, and (2) investigate links between interpersonal relationships (with romantic partners, friends, family) and well-being. Considering the rise of digital communication, I also examine the effects of technology (e.g., smartphones, social media, AI) on social interactions, close relationships, and 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 smartphones and social media impact well-being​
  • Gratitude exchanges within a social context (the roles of actors, targets, and witnesses)​
  • Are coupled people happier than single people?
  • How different types of relationships (with romantic partners, friends, and family) are uniquely and interactively associated with well-being
  • The effects of doing kind acts on physical health (e.g., gene expression, telomeres)
  • How happiness precedes and leads to career success

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