Elisa Baek
@elisabaek.bsky.social
Assistant Prof of Psych at USC | Director of SoCoLab (socolab.org) | social (dis)connection, social perception, mediated social cognition | dog mom 🐶 | Soli Deo gloria
From my brilliant collaborator and a wonderful friend! I would listen to Sara all day, what a treat!
Had an absolutely wonderful time chatting with @andyluttrell.bsky.social about tv, movies, sports, games (and of course brains) and what it’s all about.
A very casual hang if you’re new to this, but some really insightful questions get at the heart of why researching entertainment even matters
A very casual hang if you’re new to this, but some really insightful questions get at the heart of why researching entertainment even matters
Ep 110! The wonderful @saramgrady.bsky.social shares her perspective on the function of entertainment and why it's worth studying carefully.
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0oxX...
Web: opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/valu...
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0oxX...
Web: opinionsciencepodcast.com/episode/valu...
November 4, 2025 at 10:39 PM
From my brilliant collaborator and a wonderful friend! I would listen to Sara all day, what a treat!
Reposted by Elisa Baek
We say we want uplifting media, but our revealed preferences tell another story. We often pick darker, more intense content. This @npr.org piece covers our lab’s research on why, and includes great advice from @aeden.bsky.social on building intentional media habits.
Social media can push us to the dark side, with negative content. A new study finds watching inspiring videos for just 3 minutes a day is on par with meditation for boosting mood and reducing stress. n.pr/4quxZB8
Got 3 minutes? This habit may help boost hope and reduce stress
Social media can push us to the dark side, with negative content. A new study finds watching inspiring videos for just 3 minutes a day is on par with meditation for boosting mood and reducing stress.
n.pr
October 27, 2025 at 8:45 PM
We say we want uplifting media, but our revealed preferences tell another story. We often pick darker, more intense content. This @npr.org piece covers our lab’s research on why, and includes great advice from @aeden.bsky.social on building intentional media habits.
Reposted by Elisa Baek
My lab at USC is recruiting!
1) research coordinator: perfect for a recent graduate looking for research experience before applying to PhD programs: usccareers.usc.edu REQ20167829
2) PhD students: see FAQs on lab website dornsife.usc.edu/hklab/faq/
1) research coordinator: perfect for a recent graduate looking for research experience before applying to PhD programs: usccareers.usc.edu REQ20167829
2) PhD students: see FAQs on lab website dornsife.usc.edu/hklab/faq/
September 28, 2025 at 9:46 PM
My lab at USC is recruiting!
1) research coordinator: perfect for a recent graduate looking for research experience before applying to PhD programs: usccareers.usc.edu REQ20167829
2) PhD students: see FAQs on lab website dornsife.usc.edu/hklab/faq/
1) research coordinator: perfect for a recent graduate looking for research experience before applying to PhD programs: usccareers.usc.edu REQ20167829
2) PhD students: see FAQs on lab website dornsife.usc.edu/hklab/faq/
Reposted by Elisa Baek
I'm recruiting PhD students to join my new lab in Fall 2026! The Shared Minds Lab at @usc.edu will combine deep learning and ecological human neuroscience to better understand how we communicate our thoughts from one brain to another.
October 1, 2025 at 10:39 PM
I'm recruiting PhD students to join my new lab in Fall 2026! The Shared Minds Lab at @usc.edu will combine deep learning and ecological human neuroscience to better understand how we communicate our thoughts from one brain to another.
SoCoLab celebrates fall 🎃👻🍂
How did I get so lucky to end up with a group of such fabulous, kind, and funny human beings?
How did I get so lucky to end up with a group of such fabulous, kind, and funny human beings?
October 1, 2025 at 12:57 AM
SoCoLab celebrates fall 🎃👻🍂
How did I get so lucky to end up with a group of such fabulous, kind, and funny human beings?
How did I get so lucky to end up with a group of such fabulous, kind, and funny human beings?
Reposted by Elisa Baek
We're excited to announce that the #SANS2026 Presidential Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Steve Chang of Yale! (medicine.yale.edu/profile/stev...). He will deliver an address titled "Diverse Social Strategies and Neural Mechanisms underlying Mutual Cooperation"
September 30, 2025 at 4:52 PM
We're excited to announce that the #SANS2026 Presidential Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Steve Chang of Yale! (medicine.yale.edu/profile/stev...). He will deliver an address titled "Diverse Social Strategies and Neural Mechanisms underlying Mutual Cooperation"
Reposted by Elisa Baek
Symposium submissions are now open for #SANS2026 in San Diego! The deadline for these submissions is November 17th at 23:59 Pacific. Check out the submission guidelines here: socialaffectiveneuro.org/symposia-gui...
Symposia Guidelines - Social Affective Neuroscience Society
socialaffectiveneuro.org
September 23, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Symposium submissions are now open for #SANS2026 in San Diego! The deadline for these submissions is November 17th at 23:59 Pacific. Check out the submission guidelines here: socialaffectiveneuro.org/symposia-gui...
Reposted by Elisa Baek
📢 My lab at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine is considering graduate student applications this fall
We welcome applicants interested in using computational modeling & fMRI to study social connection
🗓️ Deadline: December 1, 2025
🔗 Learn more: sinclaboratory.com/apply
#comppsychiatry #socialneuro
We welcome applicants interested in using computational modeling & fMRI to study social connection
🗓️ Deadline: December 1, 2025
🔗 Learn more: sinclaboratory.com/apply
#comppsychiatry #socialneuro
September 22, 2025 at 6:17 PM
📢 My lab at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine is considering graduate student applications this fall
We welcome applicants interested in using computational modeling & fMRI to study social connection
🗓️ Deadline: December 1, 2025
🔗 Learn more: sinclaboratory.com/apply
#comppsychiatry #socialneuro
We welcome applicants interested in using computational modeling & fMRI to study social connection
🗓️ Deadline: December 1, 2025
🔗 Learn more: sinclaboratory.com/apply
#comppsychiatry #socialneuro
Having colleagues like @richardhuskey.bsky.social @soojongkim.bsky.social would be a dream!
We’re hiring @ucdavis.bsky.social Comm! TT Asst Prof in Mediated Interpersonal Communication. Our dept blends behavioral, biological & computational strengths at one of the most interdisciplinary campuses anywhere. Apps due Oct 15. Glad to chat recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07289
Department of Communication - Mediated Interpersonal Communication
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ucdavis.edu
September 4, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Having colleagues like @richardhuskey.bsky.social @soojongkim.bsky.social would be a dream!
Reposted by Elisa Baek
Excited to present our new work reading minds!
Ok, not *that* kind of mind reading, but we have created a deep learning method capable of using single neuron recordings from people watching episodes of TV that can predict when they recall specific memories from the episode. 1/6
Ok, not *that* kind of mind reading, but we have created a deep learning method capable of using single neuron recordings from people watching episodes of TV that can predict when they recall specific memories from the episode. 1/6
August 28, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Excited to present our new work reading minds!
Ok, not *that* kind of mind reading, but we have created a deep learning method capable of using single neuron recordings from people watching episodes of TV that can predict when they recall specific memories from the episode. 1/6
Ok, not *that* kind of mind reading, but we have created a deep learning method capable of using single neuron recordings from people watching episodes of TV that can predict when they recall specific memories from the episode. 1/6
Amazing opportunity for grad students looking for a postdoc! Excited to see all that @youngkihong.bsky.social’s new lab will venture into in the coming years 🎉
Job alert: I'm hiring a postdoc for my lab at CU Boulder starting Fall 2026!
We study person perception, stereotyping & prejudice, and intervention science using behavioral & neuroimaging methods.
Link: jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...
Review starts Nov 1 and continues until filled.
We study person perception, stereotyping & prejudice, and intervention science using behavioral & neuroimaging methods.
Link: jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...
Review starts Nov 1 and continues until filled.
Postdoctoral Associate
jobs.colorado.edu
August 28, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Amazing opportunity for grad students looking for a postdoc! Excited to see all that @youngkihong.bsky.social’s new lab will venture into in the coming years 🎉
Excited to share this work led by @avamadesousa.bsky.social! This paper is so significant to me, not only because it reveals important insights into the disruptions in emotion representations that characterize loneliness, but also because it is a clear example of the power of team science 🌟
So excited to share that my first first-author paper is out in
@commspsychol.nature.com
🎉
In a mini-meta analysis of seven studies, we looked at whether loneliness is related to altered expectations of one’s own and others' emotion transitions.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
(1/4)
@commspsychol.nature.com
🎉
In a mini-meta analysis of seven studies, we looked at whether loneliness is related to altered expectations of one’s own and others' emotion transitions.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
(1/4)
August 28, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Excited to share this work led by @avamadesousa.bsky.social! This paper is so significant to me, not only because it reveals important insights into the disruptions in emotion representations that characterize loneliness, but also because it is a clear example of the power of team science 🌟
SoCoLab, Year 3! It has been a rough start to the new year, but first lab meeting of the semester with the best team reminds me of what this is all about. It feels like just yesterday that the lab was just me and @begumbabur.bsky.social 🥲 …now we fill the conference room!
August 27, 2025 at 12:36 AM
SoCoLab, Year 3! It has been a rough start to the new year, but first lab meeting of the semester with the best team reminds me of what this is all about. It feels like just yesterday that the lab was just me and @begumbabur.bsky.social 🥲 …now we fill the conference room!
Reposted by Elisa Baek
what happens during "resting state"? @jinke.bsky.social asked this question by (literally) asking what participants what they were thinking during rest, finding that ongoing thoughts are reflected in FC patterns and predict behavior/traits!
excited to be part of this project!
excited to be part of this project!
New preprint! 🧠
Our mind wanders at rest. By periodically probing ongoing thoughts during resting-state fMRI, we show these thoughts are reflected in brain network dynamics and contribute to pervasive links between functional brain architecture and everyday behavior (1/10).
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Our mind wanders at rest. By periodically probing ongoing thoughts during resting-state fMRI, we show these thoughts are reflected in brain network dynamics and contribute to pervasive links between functional brain architecture and everyday behavior (1/10).
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Ongoing thoughts at rest reflect functional brain organization and behavior
Resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC)-brain connectivity observed when people rest with no external tasks-predicts individual differences in behavior. Yet, rest is not idle; it involves streams...
www.biorxiv.org
August 20, 2025 at 2:04 PM
what happens during "resting state"? @jinke.bsky.social asked this question by (literally) asking what participants what they were thinking during rest, finding that ongoing thoughts are reflected in FC patterns and predict behavior/traits!
excited to be part of this project!
excited to be part of this project!
Reposted by Elisa Baek
🧠Out now in @ohbmofficial.bsky.social ! 🧠
We scanned 32 first-time dads (~8 mos postpartum) while they watched videos of their baby, an unfamiliar baby, their romantic partner, and an unfamiliar woman…1/8
doi.org/10.1002/hbm....
We scanned 32 first-time dads (~8 mos postpartum) while they watched videos of their baby, an unfamiliar baby, their romantic partner, and an unfamiliar woman…1/8
doi.org/10.1002/hbm....
My Baby Versus the World: Fathers' Neural Processing of Own‐Infant, Unfamiliar‐Infant, and Romantic Partner Stimuli
First-time fathers processed own-infant stimuli in mentalizing, emotion regulation, and reward processing regions, and posterior midline responses tracked with bonding and parental stress. Whole-brai....
doi.org
August 18, 2025 at 10:27 PM
🧠Out now in @ohbmofficial.bsky.social ! 🧠
We scanned 32 first-time dads (~8 mos postpartum) while they watched videos of their baby, an unfamiliar baby, their romantic partner, and an unfamiliar woman…1/8
doi.org/10.1002/hbm....
We scanned 32 first-time dads (~8 mos postpartum) while they watched videos of their baby, an unfamiliar baby, their romantic partner, and an unfamiliar woman…1/8
doi.org/10.1002/hbm....
Reposted by Elisa Baek
New paper with @nathanieldaw.bsky.social in Nature Communications: an RL model that builds a successor map compositionally. The new model plans as well as the best models, and it links components of the map used for planning to neural codes in the medial entorhinal cortex.
rdcu.be/eAofi
rdcu.be/eAofi
Reconciling flexibility and efficiency: medial entorhinal cortex represents a compositional cognitive map
Nature Communications - How the brain creates compositional cognitive maps that support both flexible and efficient planning remains poorly understood. Here, authors propose a...
rdcu.be
August 12, 2025 at 5:18 PM
New paper with @nathanieldaw.bsky.social in Nature Communications: an RL model that builds a successor map compositionally. The new model plans as well as the best models, and it links components of the map used for planning to neural codes in the medial entorhinal cortex.
rdcu.be/eAofi
rdcu.be/eAofi
Reposted by Elisa Baek
I'm reviewing PhD applications this cycle to join my lab at
@uwpsych.bsky.social in Fall ‘26. Ideal for those interested in dev, decision-making, emotion regulation, fMRI, and quant/comp methods. We have cool stuff in the works and want more brilliant ppl in the fold!
psych.wisc.edu/joao-guassi-...
@uwpsych.bsky.social in Fall ‘26. Ideal for those interested in dev, decision-making, emotion regulation, fMRI, and quant/comp methods. We have cool stuff in the works and want more brilliant ppl in the fold!
psych.wisc.edu/joao-guassi-...
Joao Guassi Moreira – Information for Prospective Graduate Students
Dr. Joao Guassi Moreira – Information for Prospective Graduate Students Website: https://psych.wisc.edu/staff/guassi-moreira-joao/ Current research: Dr. Guassi Moreira’s Computational Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory (CDNLab) studies the neurodevelopment of affective and social phenomena between late childhood and emerging adulthood. Currently, CDNLab is particularly interested in the development of emotion regulation and decision-making, and the nexus between the two.…
psych.wisc.edu
August 4, 2025 at 8:47 PM
I'm reviewing PhD applications this cycle to join my lab at
@uwpsych.bsky.social in Fall ‘26. Ideal for those interested in dev, decision-making, emotion regulation, fMRI, and quant/comp methods. We have cool stuff in the works and want more brilliant ppl in the fold!
psych.wisc.edu/joao-guassi-...
@uwpsych.bsky.social in Fall ‘26. Ideal for those interested in dev, decision-making, emotion regulation, fMRI, and quant/comp methods. We have cool stuff in the works and want more brilliant ppl in the fold!
psych.wisc.edu/joao-guassi-...
Reposted by Elisa Baek
🥳Excited to share that our new paper is live at Psychological Science @psychscience.bsky.social! We show that Pavlovian learning can grow empathy for another person. 🧵👇
July 30, 2025 at 12:35 AM
🥳Excited to share that our new paper is live at Psychological Science @psychscience.bsky.social! We show that Pavlovian learning can grow empathy for another person. 🧵👇
🚨We are recruiting a lab manager who will spend 80% of their effort in my lab and 20% of their effort in @leorhackel.bsky.social's lab. Please share widely!
Apply at usccareers.usc.edu/job/los-ange... with:
completed questionnaire (socolab.org/lab-manager-application), CV & Cover Letter!
Apply at usccareers.usc.edu/job/los-ange... with:
completed questionnaire (socolab.org/lab-manager-application), CV & Cover Letter!
Home | Social Connection Lab
The Social Connection Lab ("SoCoLab") at USC investigates what helps people feel socially connected to one another.
socolab.org
July 28, 2025 at 7:42 PM
🚨We are recruiting a lab manager who will spend 80% of their effort in my lab and 20% of their effort in @leorhackel.bsky.social's lab. Please share widely!
Apply at usccareers.usc.edu/job/los-ange... with:
completed questionnaire (socolab.org/lab-manager-application), CV & Cover Letter!
Apply at usccareers.usc.edu/job/los-ange... with:
completed questionnaire (socolab.org/lab-manager-application), CV & Cover Letter!
Reposted by Elisa Baek
🚨New paper in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social 🚨
Why do some ideas spread widely, while others fail to catch on?
We review the “psychology of virality,” or the psychological & structural factors that shape information spread online and offline: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lRke4sIRv...
Why do some ideas spread widely, while others fail to catch on?
We review the “psychology of virality,” or the psychological & structural factors that shape information spread online and offline: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lRke4sIRv...
July 17, 2025 at 3:27 PM
🚨New paper in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social 🚨
Why do some ideas spread widely, while others fail to catch on?
We review the “psychology of virality,” or the psychological & structural factors that shape information spread online and offline: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lRke4sIRv...
Why do some ideas spread widely, while others fail to catch on?
We review the “psychology of virality,” or the psychological & structural factors that shape information spread online and offline: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lRke4sIRv...
Reposted by Elisa Baek
Excited to share that I’ll be joining the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at @colorado.edu as an Assistant Professor this fall! My lab will study social cognition, focusing on the cognitive and neural bases of stereotyping and bias interventions.
Home
colorado.edu
June 2, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Excited to share that I’ll be joining the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at @colorado.edu as an Assistant Professor this fall! My lab will study social cognition, focusing on the cognitive and neural bases of stereotyping and bias interventions.
Excited to ✨share✨ that our paper on ✨sharing✨ is published! Across 3 studies that build on one another, we show that perceived alignment with one's peers increases the likelihood of information sharing.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Perceived community alignment increases information sharing - Nature Communications
Information sharing is a ubiquitous and consequential behavior. Here, the authors use neuroimaging and behavioral studies to show that people are driven to share information that they believe will be ...
www.nature.com
July 3, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Excited to ✨share✨ that our paper on ✨sharing✨ is published! Across 3 studies that build on one another, we show that perceived alignment with one's peers increases the likelihood of information sharing.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Elisa Baek
Anyway, here's the link, if you can suppress your revulsion to my vocal intonation long enough to listen: www.wbur.org/onpoint/2025...
The new science of 'dad brain'
You’ve heard of 'mom brain.' But how do men’s brains change when they become fathers?
www.wbur.org
June 27, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Anyway, here's the link, if you can suppress your revulsion to my vocal intonation long enough to listen: www.wbur.org/onpoint/2025...
Reposted by Elisa Baek
My new op-ed in the @nytimes.
I argue that Iranians are caught in a state of “moral paralysis,” a psychological trap set by the Islamic Republic itself. It pits two of our most sacred values against each other: liberation vs. self-determination. (1/2) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/o...
I argue that Iranians are caught in a state of “moral paralysis,” a psychological trap set by the Islamic Republic itself. It pits two of our most sacred values against each other: liberation vs. self-determination. (1/2) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/o...
Opinion | The Moral Paralysis Facing Iranians Right Now
www.nytimes.com
June 28, 2025 at 2:42 PM
My new op-ed in the @nytimes.
I argue that Iranians are caught in a state of “moral paralysis,” a psychological trap set by the Islamic Republic itself. It pits two of our most sacred values against each other: liberation vs. self-determination. (1/2) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/o...
I argue that Iranians are caught in a state of “moral paralysis,” a psychological trap set by the Islamic Republic itself. It pits two of our most sacred values against each other: liberation vs. self-determination. (1/2) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/28/o...
Reposted by Elisa Baek
Does linguistic diversity when talking about emotions track wellbeing? In a new pre-print with @eriknook.bsky.social, we link emotion vocabularies to mental health in a large real-world psychotherapy dataset. Highlight: therapist emo vocab may help clients get better over time! shorturl.at/TKPN1
Large natural emotion vocabularies are linked with better mental health in psychotherapeutic conversations
Psychotherapy is the most ubiquitous form of mental health treatment and it unfolds predominantly through language. To better understand how this exchange of words bolsters mental health, we tested ho...
shorturl.at
June 26, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Does linguistic diversity when talking about emotions track wellbeing? In a new pre-print with @eriknook.bsky.social, we link emotion vocabularies to mental health in a large real-world psychotherapy dataset. Highlight: therapist emo vocab may help clients get better over time! shorturl.at/TKPN1