Senior Research Associate (Psychology), Lancaster University
At the broadest level, my research is concerned with the cognitive and cultural factors that inform how human beings think about, create and communicate representations. In this regard, it cuts across both the humanities and the social sciences. Methodologically, I am very interested in how quantitative and experimental methods can be applied to qualitative cultural and linguistic data (and particularly to 'big' data). To date, I have published on a wide variety of subjects, including experimental psychology, literary studies, anthropology, cultural studies, mythology, social media and linguistics.
I have graduate degrees in discourse linguistics, literary studies and philosophy; I have also held competitively awarded fellowships in the form of a Junior Research Fellowship (Linacre College, Oxford) and a Marie Curie Fellowship (Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford).
Why do humans have an innate desire to get high?
Jun 10, 2016 15:08 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health
Its easy to explain the appeal of drugs like heroin and cocaine, which directly stimulate the brains reward centres. Whats less easy to explain is the appeal of psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin that produce...