University of Redlands
Dr. Lisa Olson is currently researching the connections between mind and body. This interdisciplinary investigation involves psychology, religion, neuroscience and physiology, and she works in partnership with the meditation curriculum offered at the University. She tests students before and after learning meditation techniques compared to a control group, measuring aspects such as the stress response, tendency to drink alcohol, and how students handle anger. She studies relationships between psychological traits such as compassion or mindfulness and biological traits such as blood pressure. Physiological measurements include cardiac and respiratory parameters, activity of the nervous system, and hormones secreted in saliva.
Students are active co-researchers with Dr. Olson and their work has often led to publication in scientific journals such as those listed below (*denotes a University of Redlands undergraduate student co-author):
*Grimley S.J., Ko C.M, Morrell H.E.R, Grace F., *Bañuelos M.S., *Bautista B.R, *Chavez G.N., *Dalrymple E.R, *Green M., *Gurning J., *Heuerman A.C., *Huerta M., *Marks M., *Ov J., *Overton-Harris P., and Olson L.E. 2018. The need for a neutral speaking period in psychosocial stress testing. Journal of Psychophysiology (in press).
Ko C.M., Grace F., *Chavez G.N., *Grimley S.J., *Dalrymple E.R., and Olson L.E. 2018. Effect of seminar on compassion on student self-compassion, mindfulness and well-being: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of American College Health (in press).
*Ellingwood L., *Espinoza M-A., *Acevedo M., and Olson L.E. 2018. College student drinkers have higher self-compassion scores than nondrinkers. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (in press).
*Bañuelos M.S., *Musleh A., and Olson L.E. 2017. Measuring salivary alpha-amylase in the undergraduate neuroscience laboratory. Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education 16(1), A23-A27.
