Dr. Christine Harris

Biography

Dr. Christine R. Harris is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, San Diego. Her research interests are centered in the area of affective science, with a particular focus on the role of emotions in real-life decision making and interpersonal interactions. She investigates how individuals use emotional regulation strategies and the functional impact of specific emotions such as jealousy, envy, shame, guilt, and embarrassment on cognition, judgment, and behavior. Dr. Harris has explored various questions, including the influence of jealousy on motivations for extreme actions like homicide and the effects of envy on political orientation. Additionally, her work examines how emotions affect fundamental cognitive processes such as memory and attention and how attempts to regulate emotions can affect a wide range of interpersonal relationships, including the dynamics of forgiving others for insults and the avoidance of medical consultations due to feelings of shame and embarrassment. She is also interested in issues of research methodology and replicability in the field, as well as the evolutionary origins of emotions. Dr. Harris has held significant leadership roles in the academic community, including serving as Editor-in-Chief for the journal Emotion Review and as Past President of the International Society for Research on Emotion (ISRE).

Research Interests