Sarah Pressman

Dr. Sarah Pressman is an award winning Associate Professor of Psychological Science in the School of Social Ecology at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Pressman’s work seeks to understand how positive emotions are beneficial for objective physical health and longevity. Her experimental work focuses on the possible pathways by which positive psychosocial factors might “get under the skin” to influence biology, such as immune function, cardiovascular activity, neuroendocrine hormones, behavioral pathways, and even smiling. Dr. Pressman is especially interested in the role of positive psychosocial factors in protecting us from the harmful effects of stress and whether specific types of positive emotions can confer resilience and success in the face of adversity. Dr. Pressman’s research findings have been published in top psychology journals, and featured in media outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Colbert Report.

Dr. Pressman received her PhD in Social, Personality & Health Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University and completed a post doctoral fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh in Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine.