Assistant Professor
Ph.D., UCLA
Area: Social/Personality/Health

Contact information:
Email: creswell@cmu.edu
Psychology office: 342D Baker Hall
Psychology phone: 412-268-9182

Director,
Health and Human Performance Laboratory
Lab link: http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~creswell

Research Interests:

My research focuses broadly on how the mind and brain influence our physical health and performance. Much of my work examines basic questions about stress and coping, and in understanding how these factors can be modulated through stress reduction interventions. In one line of research, I am examining the stress pathways linking mindfulness meditation with improved health outcomes, and in understanding how the capacity to be mindful of one’s moment-to-moment experiences can improve adaptive responding. In a second line of research, I am examining how self-affirmation reduces stress and quiets ego-responding. In summary, these areas of work aim to explore the underlying psychological mechanisms by which people can adaptively cope with adversity and flourish in life’s pursuits.
 

Publications:

Creswell, J.D., Irwin, M.R., Burklund, L.J., Lieberman, M.D., Arevalo, J., Ma, J., Breen, E., & Cole, S. (in press). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training reduces loneliness and pro-inflammatory gene expression in older adults: a small randomized controlled trial. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity.

Westbrook, C., Creswell, J. D., Tabibnia, G., Julson, E., Kober, H., & Tindle, H., (in press). Mindful attention reduces neural and self-reported cut-induced cravings in smokers. Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience.

Creswell, J.D., Myers, H.F., Cole, S.W., & Irwin, M.R. (2009). Mindfulness meditation training effects on CD4+ T lymphocytes in HIV-1 infected adults: A small randomized controlled trial. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 23, 184-188. PDF

Creswell, J.D., Way, B.M., Eisenberger, N.I., & Lieberman, M.D. (2007). Neural correlates of dispositional mindfulness during affect labeling. Psychosomatic Medicine, 69, 560-565.

Brown, K.W., Ryan, R.M., Creswell, J.D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18, 211-237.

Creswell, J.D., Lam, S., Stanton, A.S., Taylor, S.E., Bower, J.E., & Sherman, D.K. (2007). Does self-affirmation, cognitive processing, or discovery of meaning explain the cancer-related health benefits of expressive writing? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 238-250.  

 

Assistant to Dr. Creswell:

Laura Pacilio

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Related Links:

Curriculum Vitae (pdf file)

Health and Human Performance Laboratory

CMU Directory Information

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