Introduction from New SPSPotlight Co-Editor Lourdes Mestre

I'm delighted to join the SPSPotlight team this April as co-editor of the student newsletter for the Society of Personality and Social Psychology, working alongside Stephen Waldron, Garam Ann Lee, Fahima Mohideen, and the entire Student Committee. In this newsletter post, I'd like to briefly share my background, research interests, and why I'm so excited to be a part of the SPSP Student Committee. I've been reading the SPSPotlight student newsletter since my time as an undergraduate student, which helped navigate my research interests by learning from the most engaged graduate students in social psychology.

My background as a student is a bit untraditional, as I developed a keen interest in psychology at a later stage in life after a corporate career path. As an older adult, I became intrigued with why society acts or behaves in certain ways and the neural basis for those behaviors. I found the applied practice of positive psychology in 2016, which fascinated me during a time of difficult life trials and inspired me to return to college. I earned my Bachelor's in psychology last year and I'm currently a first-year graduate student.    

My research interests stem deeply in applied practices, social cognition, social learning, and the neurological basis of behavior. Last year, I began a study of pre-test anxiety and happiness among college students to create campus interventions that positively support this population. As a graduate student, I plan to study the prevalence of technology addiction across the lifespan and raise awareness of this social dilemma affecting everyone. 

I'm extremely grateful for this collaborative role within the Student Committee at SPSP. This experience will greatly enrich and expand upon my personal graduate research journey, and I hope it helps students globally through the monthly newsletter highlighting findings from the brilliant minds at SPSP.