Elizabeth Blevins, Ph.D.
Research
My research examines how cultural differences in views of emotion influence how we perceive and interact with others. In incorporate methods from cultural psychology, affective neuroscience, and behavioral economics. Through my interdisciplinary work, I aim to help educators, employers, and clinicians foster better trust and communication in multicultural settings.
Honors & Awards
2019-21 Ric Weiland Fellowship in Humanities and Sciences
2020 Centennial Teaching Award
2016-19 Melvin and Joan Lane Fellowship in Science and Engineering
Selected Publications
*Bencharit, L. Z., *Blevins, E., Qu, Y., Tse, D. C. K., Fung, H. H., & Tsai, J. L. (2025). People choose leaders who match their affective ideals during growth more than crisis across cultures. Invited revision.
* denotes co-first authors
Blevins, E., & Tsai, J. L. (2024). How ideal affect shapes judgments of and responses to smiles. In S. D. Pressman & A. C. Parks (Eds.), More Activities for Teaching Positive Psychology: A Guide for Instructors. American Psychological Association.
†Blevins E., Ko, M., Park, B., Qu, Y., Knutson, B., & Tsai, J. L. (2023). Cultural variation in neural responses to social but not monetary reward outcomes. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 18(1), nsad068.
† identified as one of the 30 most relevant publications in the field in 2023
Tsai, J. L., Blevins, E., Bencharit, L. Z., Chim, L., Fung, H. H., & Yeung, D. Y. (2018). Cultural variation in social judgments of smiles: The role of ideal affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116(6), 966-988.
Selected Presentations
†Blevins, E., Bencharit, L. Z., Qu, Y., Tse, D. C. K., Fung, H. H., & Tsai, J. L. (2025, March 20-22). People choose leaders whose expressions match cultural ideals during growth more than crisis [Poster presentation]. Positive Emotions Pre-Conference, Society for Affective Science Annual Conference, Portland, OR.
† received badge denoting exceptional quality
Blevins E., Knutson, B., & Tsai, J. L. (2024, May 23-26). Cultural shaping of neural responses to monetary and social rewards [Symposium presentation]. Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA.
Blevins E., & Tsai, J. L. (2024, March 1-3). Cultural similarities (and differences) in perceptions of neutral faces [Symposium presentation]. Society for Affective Science Annual Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Blevins E., & Tsai, J. L. (2023, March 9-11). People choose leaders who fit their ideal affect during growth more than crisis across cultures [Symposium presentation]. International Convention of Psychological Science, Brussels, Belgium.