Affective experiences, such as emotions, stress, pain, and mood, are an important, integral, and ubiquitous part of daily life.
The Affective Science and Psychophysiology Lab aims to understand these affective processes, ways to regulate them, and their impact on psychological and physical health.
Recent News & Publications
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New Paper: Scaling a brief digital well-being intervention (the Big Joy Project) and sociodemographic moderators: Single-group pre-post study
May 2025
The Big Joy Project study tested a brief, 7-day digital well-being intervention across a large global sample. Participants showed significant improvements in emotional well-being, positive emotions, and reduced stress. These benefits were stronger for individuals with lower education, greater financial strain, and lower social status. The study demonstrates that low-effort, scalable interventions can effectively promote well-being, especially among disadvantaged groups. -
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New Paper: Promoting prosociality via micro-acts of joy: A large-scale well-being intervention study
April 2025
We tested a global, week-long intervention, the Big Joy Project, that encouraged daily micro-acts rooted in well-being science. Across more than 18,000 participants from 172 countries, these brief activities significantly increased prosociality, with especially strong effects among men, individuals with lower subjective socioeconomic status, and participants from developing nations. While five of the seven micro-acts reliably enhanced prosocial behavior, responses varied by demographic group. These findings highlight the potential for scalable, culturally adaptable interventions to foster prosociality and well-being worldwide.
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New Paper: Negative lay perceptions of open-label placebo users may pose barriers to intervention adoption
April 2025
We found that belief in and responsiveness to open-label placebos (OLPs), or placebos given without deception, are associated with certain negative social perceptions. Patients who believed in or responded to OLPs were perceived as less competent but more warm, reflecting a form of intervention stigma. This stigma may discourage patients from using or disclosing OLP treatments. These findings suggest that social perceptions may present a barrier to the broader adoption of OLPs, despite their demonstrated effectiveness.
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Scientists observe surprising link between mindset and vaccine outcomes
PsyPost, April 2025
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Non-deceptive placebo pills reduce stress, anxiety, and depression—even remotely administered
PsyPost, January 2025
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Dr. Guevarra is accepting graduate students for the 2024-2025 cycle
Dr. Darwin Guevarra is reviewing graduate student applications for the 2024-2025 application cycle. Click the button below for details about what he looks for in a graduate student. If you have any questions, please feel free to email him at guevarda@miamioh.edu.
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New Paper: Remotely administered non‐deceptive placebos reduce COVID‐related stress, anxiety, and depression
August 2024
We found that non-deceptive placebos administered remotely reduced stress, anxiety, and depression in people experiencing prolonged stress from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over two weeks, participants reported improvements in mental health, highlighting the feasibility and effectiveness of this low-effort intervention.
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New Paper: Examining the association of vaccine-related mindsets and post-vaccination antibody response, side effects, and affective outcomes
July 2024
We found that vaccine mindsets are linked to less stress and sadness and more happiness. Positive vaccine, efficacy, and body-response mindset are linked to fewer side effects. Vaccine side effects mindset are associated with better immune response. These findings suggest that fostering positive vaccine mindsets not only enhances the vaccination experience but potentially boosts immune responses.
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New Chapter: Harnessing placebo effects to regulate emotions
January 2024
We provide a review on how placebo effects, both traditional and non-deceptive, can be used in emotion regulation. We discuss placebo effects and their mechanisms. We then review evidence of placebos regulating emotions. We discuss the ethical dilemma in using placebos to regulate emotions and highlight work on placebos without deception. Lastly, we discuss basic science and translational application questions and suggest directions for future research.
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How your mindset could affect your response to vaccines
Stanford Report, August 2024
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MSU study finds placebos reduce stress, anxiety and depression
MSU Today, Aug 2024
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Can Little Steps Lead to Big Joy?
Greater Good Magazine, Nov 2023
