Vincent Lai

Staff Writer, Rice University

Writer Bio

Vincent is a graduate student at Rice University in Houston, Texas, pursuing a Ph.D. in Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine and Industrial & Organizational Psychology. He previously graduated from Rice as a member of the Class of 2021, earning his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Vincent joined ICJS in Winter 2020 and currently oversees ICJS’s marketing team and psychology newsroom. He enjoys contributing to making scientific research more accessible and encouraging others to explore and pursue their scientific interests. Currently, Vincent works in the Biobehavioral Mechanisms Explaining Disparities (BMED) lab at Rice, where he studies the impacts of stress on health across the lifespan and how experiencing the fear of missing out impacts well-being. In his free time, Vincent loves going for runs, spending time with loved ones, and curling up with a good movie or video game.

Research Interests

Health Psychology

Health Psychology focuses on how biological, behavioral, and social factors impact health and disease. I am interested in psychological interventions aimed at improving quality of life and well-being and the mechanisms through which they affect physical and mental health. Previously, I oversaw a research team investigating the potential benefits of a music creativity engagement intervention on well-being and cognition in older adults.

Social Psychology

Social Psychology focuses on how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others. I am interested in how different people experience social stressors and what factors influence their ability to respond to and cope with them. The goal of my research program is to understand how the fear of missing out, or FoMO, physical and psychological well-being both within and beyond the context of social media usage.

Psychoneuroimmunology

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) focuses on understanding how psychological processes interact with the nervous and immune systems of the human body. My research looks at how stress impacts physical and psychological well-being across the lifespan. To do this, my lab utilizes numerous methods, including administering self-report and neurocognitive assessments, assessing immunological biomarkers of inflammation and disease, and brain imaging techniques.