Steven Mesquiti

Department: Psychology
Faculty Adviser: Erik Nook
Year of Study: G1
Undergraduate School: Southwestern University (TX)
Undergraduate Major: Psychology

Personal Bio

I am currently a PhD Student in the Logic of Emotion Lab at Princeton University advised by Erik Nook. I am broadly interested in questions like: does the language that people use to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs grant us insights into shifts in their emotions, unique life experiences, and well-being?

Before Princeton, lab manager and research coordinator for the Communication Neuroscience lab housed in the Annenberg School Communication at the University of Pennsylvania for Dr. Emily Falk. I am also lucky that Emily loaned me out to collaborate with researchers Angela Duckworth, Lyle Ungar, and Mark Liberman on projects using computational linguistics and social science.

Prior to Penn, I was fortunate enough to play D3 college lacrosse at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX where I received a B.A. in Psychology and met some of my best friends.

After SU, I went on to earn my Master’s in Psychological Research from Texas State University, where I studied the implications that motivation had on student-athlete’s subjective well-being. In addition to my Master’s Program, I also worked in Dr. Jamie Pennebaker’s lab as a research assistant on LIWC-22 with Dr. Sarah Seraj. Working in Jamie’s lab also transformed the way I think about studying psychology and science more broadly. That is, what can subtle shifts in one’s language tell us about any individual’s psychology (e.g., motivation, thinking, focus, etc.)?

Fun Fact

After college, I studied to be a therapist for a year before switching to research.

Research Pitch

I find human language truly fascinating. When we speak, our words provide structure to the seemingly intangible relationship between the self and the world. When we write, we give shape to our innermost thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. As a PhD student, I seek to understand how we can use language as a tool to explore, predict, and ultimately change psychological states and traits. The overarching question I am interested in answering is: How do the ways people communicate their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs grant us additional insights into shifts in their personalities, unique life experiences, and changes in well-being? This question is buttressed by four core interests: well-being, language, population-level insights, and narrative interventions.

Upcoming Programs That I Am Attending:

Plans for Summer 2025

Interested in participating in Summer 2025 ReMatch+ program.