The Affect & Adaptation Lab (A² Lab) engages in interdisciplinary and international collaborations that explore how affective, cognitive, and physiological mechanisms contribute to wellbeing, health, and resilience across the lifespan.
Our research integrates approaches from neuropsychology, health psychology, and affective science, often combining laboratory methods with applied interventions.
Below are some of our current collaborative projects. Each project is open to student involvement at different levels, from literature review and data analysis to independent research proposals.
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Nature Relatedness and Wellbeing​

Collaborator: Dr. Biassoni (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy)
Focus: Exploring how connectedness to nature influences emotion regulation, stress recovery, and psychological wellbeing through both experimental and cross-sectional approaches.
Current Stage: Initial – Conceptual development of two new experimental studies is underway, while the collaborative group has completed a systematic review and a cross-sectional study, both nearing submission.
Opportunities: Students may contribute to literature review updates, data organization and interpretation, or assist in the design of the upcoming experimental phases.​

Self-Compassion, Emotion Regulation, and Cognitive Reserve​

Collaborator: Dr. Balzarotti (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy)
Focus: Investigating how self-compassion and emotion regulation strategies interact with cognitive reserve to promote wellbeing and resilience, especially in adulthood and aging.
Current Stage: Advanced – Manuscript in preparation; additional datasets under analysis.
Opportunities: Data analysis (SPSS, JASP, or R), writing sections for the literature review, and contributing to follow-up study design.​

Artificial Intelligence and Health Decision-Making​

Collaborator: Dr. Fabio (University of Messina, Italy)
Focus: Examining how the use of AI-based tools for health information or advice affects cognitive processes, perceived control, and health-related decisions.
Current Stage: Initial – Developing experimental design and preparing IRB submission.
Opportunities: Experimental design input, Qualtrics survey programming, literature search on AI, trust, and decision-making.​

​Hormones, tDCS, and Cognitive–Emotional Functioning

Collaborator: Dr. Iannello (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy)
Focus: This project explores how hormonal fluctuations and non-invasive brain stimulation (tDCS) interact to influence cognitive and emotional functioning in women. The overarching goal is to understand how neuroendocrine and neuromodulatory factors jointly shape emotion regulation, executive control, and stress adaptation across different life stages.
Study 1: Investigates the relationship between hormonal variations across the menstrual cycle and changes in cognitive–emotional performance in young adult women.
Study 2: Examines pre-menopausal women, focusing on how hormonal transitions affect emotional and cognitive flexibility.
Current Stage: Initial – Protocols for both studies are finalized; materials are being prepared for IRB submission.
Opportunities: Students may contribute to literature reviews on hormones, emotion regulation, and tDCS; assist in experimental design and task development; or support IRB documentation and data preparation for future data collection phases.

​Cognitive Reserve and Wellbeing Across the Lifespan

Collaborator: Dr. Caravita (Universitas Mercatorum, Italy & University of Stavanger, Norway)
Focus: Studying cognitive reserve and its role in adaptation, emotion regulation, and wellbeing across different developmental stages, including the use of mobile apps to promote wellbeing.
Current Stage: Advanced – Multiple datasets collected; manuscript in progress.
Opportunities: Data analysis, cross-cultural comparisons, and app-based intervention planning.

​Attachment, Compassion, and Posttraumatic Growth in Nurses

Collaborator: Dr. Fioretti (University of Salerno, Italy)
Focus: This mixed-methods study explores how attachment styles influence posttraumatic growth, compassion satisfaction, and wellbeing among hospital nurses working in emotionally demanding environments. Combining quantitative measures (e.g., Adult Attachment Scale, ProQOL, PTGI) with qualitative narrative data, the project aims to identify protective psychological mechanisms that promote resilience and professional fulfillment in healthcare providers.
Current Stage: Medium – IRB approved; data collection in progress.
Opportunities: Students can assist with data management, thematic analysis of narrative responses, or literature synthesis on attachment theory, trauma-informed care, and occupational wellbeing.