Research Interests
The ultimate goal of my research is to explain the development of adult psychopathology, with a focus on the role of emotional processes. My research is not limited to a single circumscribed etiological factor or experimental paradigm. This is important because of the overwhelming evidence that psychopathological conditions are complex and multidetermined. The vast majority of work in my lab has been guided by a framework for describing emotional disturbances that was proposed by my students and me (Berenbaum et al, 2003). Specifically, we proposed that there are three broad types of emotional disturbances (each of which includes several subtypes): (a) disturbances in emotional valence (e.g., excessive levels of unpleasant emotion); (b) disturbances in emotional intensity/variability/regulation; and (c) disturbances in emotional awareness. In recent years, my work has focused on the following phenomena: (a) emotional awareness and other meta-emotion factors; (b) emotional intensity and variability; (c) peculiarity; and (d) worry.
Research Description
The ultimate goal of my research is to explain the development of adult psychopathology, with a focus on the role of emotional processes. My research is not limited to a single circumscribed etiological factor or experimental paradigm. This is important because of the overwhelming evidence that psychopathological conditions are complex and multidetermined. The vast majority of work in my lab has been guided by a framework for describing emotional disturbances that was proposed by my students and me (Berenbaum et al, 2003). Specifically, we proposed that there are three broad types of emotional disturbances (each of which includes several subtypes): (a) disturbances in emotional valence (e.g., excessive levels of unpleasant emotion); (b) disturbances in emotional intensity/variability/regulation; and (c) disturbances in emotional awareness. In recent years, my work has focused on the following phenomena: (a) emotional awareness and other meta-emotion factors; (b) pleasurable emotions; (c) misophonia; and (d) worry.
Education
Ph.D. from Indiana University
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor, Psychology
Affiliate, Center for Social & Behavioral Science
For prospective students:
Professor Berenbaum is not planning to recruit any new doctoral students in the foreseeable future.
Recent Publications
DeHart, S., Thomas, J. G., & Berenbaum, H. (2025). Deprivation, contentment, and depression. Journal of Positive Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2025.2459422
Thomas, J. G., Bogdan, P. C., Katsumi, Y., Dolcos, F., & Berenbaum, H. (2025). Implicit Abandonment Distress: Testing the Dynamic Link Between Schema Activation and Physiological Arousal. Collabra: Psychology, 11(1), Article 129168. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.129168
Brennan, C. R., Lindberg, R. R., Kim, G., Castro, A. A., Khan, R. A., Berenbaum, H., & Husain, F. T. (2024). Misophonia and Hearing Comorbidities in a Collegiate Population. Ear and hearing, 45(2), 390-399. https://doi.org/10.1097/AUD.0000000000001435
Castro, A. A., DeHart, S., & Berenbaum, H. (2024). Pleasurable emotions and internalizing psychopathology: A multi-study examination of specificity and alternative explanations. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 63(4), 473-486. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12474
Chirica, M. G., Zhu, Y., Mu, W., Zhou, H., Gong, J., Chan, R. C. K., Kwapil, T. R., & Berenbaum, H. (2024). Exploring phenotypic overlap across schizotypy and autism spectrum conditions in American and Chinese young adults. Schizophrenia Research, 267, 359-366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2024.03.050