Thank you for visiting my website! I’m Olivia, a PhD candidate at UC San Diego, Rady School of Management. I study how we regulate our own and others' emotions. I design interventions to improve creativity, connection, and well-being.

Developing an Intervention to Improve Creative Performance by 16%. My dissertation examines how physiological stress (e.g., a racing heart) can improve creativity, while psychological stress (e.g., negative self-talk) harms it. I found that a reappraisal intervention, which reframes stress as beneficial, improves creative performance by 16%, whereas other stress management strategies were less effective because they reduced both helpful and harmful stress.

Strategies to Improve How Others Feel. Effectively managing others' emotions is a core skill in the workplace. Yet, scientific research on this is surprisingly limited. My work in Affective Science found that cognitively reframing a conversation partner’s situation—rather than simply listening—improves their well-being and is perceived as validating and supportive. This work challenges conventional wisdom on how we should respond to others’ emotions.

Protecting Oneself Against Others’ Negative Emotions in Conversations. People frequently encounter others’ distress at work, but how can they help others while protecting their own well-being.  My forthcoming Emotion publication shows that actively improving a colleague’s emotions not only benefits them but also reduces the helper’s own physiological stress. Over time, this social regulation strategy enhances long-term well-being.