Dr. Kristen Lindquist, an Assistant Professor of Social Psychology, is a recipient of the UNC Junior Faculty Development award.
The Junior Faculty Development Award is paid from the IBM and R.J. Reynolds Industries Funds and awarded to assistant and associate professors.
Dr. Lindquist won for her project aiming to understand the cognitive and neural mechanisms that create healthy emotions. Emotions contribute directly to physical health by altering the rate of aging, influencing immune system functioning, and contributing to cardiovascular health. Age-related differences in emotion may alter basic physiological processes that create emotional experiences. In her proposed study, Dr. Lindquist will investigate the physiological reactivity and the ability to detect physiological changes in older adults by comparing their reactions to younger adults during stressful tasks.