UC Berkeley

Universal Expression Researcher (Graduate Student)

Studied universal human expressions around the globe and decode the basic nonverbal language we all (appear to) use.

Yale University

Director of Wellbeing

Led a research team which inaugurated a new branch of psychological research focusing on contentment - the feeling of completeness regardless of external circumstances. Taught a course on Human Emotion.

XPRIZE

Consultant

Daniel worked at XPRIZE as a Consultant

The Contentment Foundation

Chief Equanimity Officer

We believe in a world where everyone has the tools to cultivate sustainable wellbeing from the inside out. We offer simple, powerful tools to help teachers, students and adults meaningfully navigate their inner selves; ultimately rediscovering that they’re already whole just as they are. We aim to help raise the overall psychological and emotional health of people worldwide by providing powerful self-awareness and emotional intelligence tools to schools globally.

Good Startups

Co-Founder

Good Startups provide entrepreneurs and their teams the tools to grow their self awareness, expand their leadership skills, and build thriving cultures where people love to come to work each day.

The voice conveys emotion in ten globalized cultures and one remote village in Bhutan

Emotion

With data from 10 different globalized cultures and 1 remote, isolated village in Bhutan, we examined universals and cultural variations in the recognition of 16 nonverbal emotional vocalizations. College students in 10 nations (Study 1) and villagers in remote Bhutan (Study 2) were asked to match emotional vocalizations to 1-sentence stories of the same valence. Guided by previous conceptualizations of recognition accuracy, across both studies, 7 of the 16 vocal burst stimuli were found to have strong or very strong recognition in all 11 cultures, 6 vocal bursts were found to have moderate recognition, and 4 were not universally recognized. All vocal burst stimuli varied significantly in terms of the degree to which they were recognized across the 11 cultures. Our discussion focuses on the implications of these results for current debates concerning the emotion conveyed in the voice.

The voice conveys emotion in ten globalized cultures and one remote village in Bhutan

Emotion

With data from 10 different globalized cultures and 1 remote, isolated village in Bhutan, we examined universals and cultural variations in the recognition of 16 nonverbal emotional vocalizations. College students in 10 nations (Study 1) and villagers in remote Bhutan (Study 2) were asked to match emotional vocalizations to 1-sentence stories of the same valence. Guided by previous conceptualizations of recognition accuracy, across both studies, 7 of the 16 vocal burst stimuli were found to have strong or very strong recognition in all 11 cultures, 6 vocal bursts were found to have moderate recognition, and 4 were not universally recognized. All vocal burst stimuli varied significantly in terms of the degree to which they were recognized across the 11 cultures. Our discussion focuses on the implications of these results for current debates concerning the emotion conveyed in the voice.

Expression of Emotion (pp. 467-482)

Handbook of Emotions, Guilford Press, Eds. Barrett, L.F., Lewis, M., Haviland-Jones, J.M

Recognized as the definitive reference, this handbook brings together leading experts from multiple psychological subdisciplines to examine one of today's most dynamic areas of research. Coverage encompasses the biological and neuroscientific underpinnings of emotions, as well as developmental, social and personality, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. The volume probes how people understand, experience, express, and perceive affective phenomena and explores connections to behavior and health across the lifespan. Concluding chapters present cutting-edge work on a range of specific emotions. Illustrations include 10 color plates.

The voice conveys emotion in ten globalized cultures and one remote village in Bhutan

Emotion

With data from 10 different globalized cultures and 1 remote, isolated village in Bhutan, we examined universals and cultural variations in the recognition of 16 nonverbal emotional vocalizations. College students in 10 nations (Study 1) and villagers in remote Bhutan (Study 2) were asked to match emotional vocalizations to 1-sentence stories of the same valence. Guided by previous conceptualizations of recognition accuracy, across both studies, 7 of the 16 vocal burst stimuli were found to have strong or very strong recognition in all 11 cultures, 6 vocal bursts were found to have moderate recognition, and 4 were not universally recognized. All vocal burst stimuli varied significantly in terms of the degree to which they were recognized across the 11 cultures. Our discussion focuses on the implications of these results for current debates concerning the emotion conveyed in the voice.

Expression of Emotion (pp. 467-482)

Handbook of Emotions, Guilford Press, Eds. Barrett, L.F., Lewis, M., Haviland-Jones, J.M

Recognized as the definitive reference, this handbook brings together leading experts from multiple psychological subdisciplines to examine one of today's most dynamic areas of research. Coverage encompasses the biological and neuroscientific underpinnings of emotions, as well as developmental, social and personality, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. The volume probes how people understand, experience, express, and perceive affective phenomena and explores connections to behavior and health across the lifespan. Concluding chapters present cutting-edge work on a range of specific emotions. Illustrations include 10 color plates.

The Science of Facial Expressions (Chapter 3)

Oxford Press

Every decade has seen work that extends or challenges previous—thinking on facial expression. The Science of Facial Expression provides an updated review of the current psychology of facial expression, summarizing current conclusions and conceptual frameworks from leading figures who have shaped their various subfields. It will be of interest to practitioners, students, and researchers of emotion in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, biology, anthropology, linguistics, affective computing, and homeland security.

The voice conveys emotion in ten globalized cultures and one remote village in Bhutan

Emotion

With data from 10 different globalized cultures and 1 remote, isolated village in Bhutan, we examined universals and cultural variations in the recognition of 16 nonverbal emotional vocalizations. College students in 10 nations (Study 1) and villagers in remote Bhutan (Study 2) were asked to match emotional vocalizations to 1-sentence stories of the same valence. Guided by previous conceptualizations of recognition accuracy, across both studies, 7 of the 16 vocal burst stimuli were found to have strong or very strong recognition in all 11 cultures, 6 vocal bursts were found to have moderate recognition, and 4 were not universally recognized. All vocal burst stimuli varied significantly in terms of the degree to which they were recognized across the 11 cultures. Our discussion focuses on the implications of these results for current debates concerning the emotion conveyed in the voice.

Expression of Emotion (pp. 467-482)

Handbook of Emotions, Guilford Press, Eds. Barrett, L.F., Lewis, M., Haviland-Jones, J.M

Recognized as the definitive reference, this handbook brings together leading experts from multiple psychological subdisciplines to examine one of today's most dynamic areas of research. Coverage encompasses the biological and neuroscientific underpinnings of emotions, as well as developmental, social and personality, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. The volume probes how people understand, experience, express, and perceive affective phenomena and explores connections to behavior and health across the lifespan. Concluding chapters present cutting-edge work on a range of specific emotions. Illustrations include 10 color plates.

The Science of Facial Expressions (Chapter 3)

Oxford Press

Every decade has seen work that extends or challenges previous—thinking on facial expression. The Science of Facial Expression provides an updated review of the current psychology of facial expression, summarizing current conclusions and conceptual frameworks from leading figures who have shaped their various subfields. It will be of interest to practitioners, students, and researchers of emotion in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, biology, anthropology, linguistics, affective computing, and homeland security.

Contentment: Perceived completeness across cultures and traditions

Review of General Psychology

Over the past 2 decades, a major focus in psychological research has been on pursuing happiness, positivity, and optimal human flourishing. Interestingly, little attention has been paid to contentment, which, according to over 4,000 years of spiritual, philosophical, and theoretical discourse, is an emotion that sits at the deepest core of human wellbeing and is foundational to the experience of fulfillment in life. This article synthesizes etymological, religious, philosophical, and psychological treatments of contentment from multiple languages and traditions. Derived from these perspectives, it also presents a prototype approach to contentment, its core affect features and cross-cultural variations. Finally, it presents theory-grounded hypotheses intended to initiate future research on the topic. We propose a primary appraisal theme that is at the root of all experiences of contentment: perceived completeness, which refers to the perception that the present situation is enough and entire.

The voice conveys emotion in ten globalized cultures and one remote village in Bhutan

Emotion

With data from 10 different globalized cultures and 1 remote, isolated village in Bhutan, we examined universals and cultural variations in the recognition of 16 nonverbal emotional vocalizations. College students in 10 nations (Study 1) and villagers in remote Bhutan (Study 2) were asked to match emotional vocalizations to 1-sentence stories of the same valence. Guided by previous conceptualizations of recognition accuracy, across both studies, 7 of the 16 vocal burst stimuli were found to have strong or very strong recognition in all 11 cultures, 6 vocal bursts were found to have moderate recognition, and 4 were not universally recognized. All vocal burst stimuli varied significantly in terms of the degree to which they were recognized across the 11 cultures. Our discussion focuses on the implications of these results for current debates concerning the emotion conveyed in the voice.

Expression of Emotion (pp. 467-482)

Handbook of Emotions, Guilford Press, Eds. Barrett, L.F., Lewis, M., Haviland-Jones, J.M

Recognized as the definitive reference, this handbook brings together leading experts from multiple psychological subdisciplines to examine one of today's most dynamic areas of research. Coverage encompasses the biological and neuroscientific underpinnings of emotions, as well as developmental, social and personality, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. The volume probes how people understand, experience, express, and perceive affective phenomena and explores connections to behavior and health across the lifespan. Concluding chapters present cutting-edge work on a range of specific emotions. Illustrations include 10 color plates.

The Science of Facial Expressions (Chapter 3)

Oxford Press

Every decade has seen work that extends or challenges previous—thinking on facial expression. The Science of Facial Expression provides an updated review of the current psychology of facial expression, summarizing current conclusions and conceptual frameworks from leading figures who have shaped their various subfields. It will be of interest to practitioners, students, and researchers of emotion in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, biology, anthropology, linguistics, affective computing, and homeland security.

Contentment: Perceived completeness across cultures and traditions

Review of General Psychology

Over the past 2 decades, a major focus in psychological research has been on pursuing happiness, positivity, and optimal human flourishing. Interestingly, little attention has been paid to contentment, which, according to over 4,000 years of spiritual, philosophical, and theoretical discourse, is an emotion that sits at the deepest core of human wellbeing and is foundational to the experience of fulfillment in life. This article synthesizes etymological, religious, philosophical, and psychological treatments of contentment from multiple languages and traditions. Derived from these perspectives, it also presents a prototype approach to contentment, its core affect features and cross-cultural variations. Finally, it presents theory-grounded hypotheses intended to initiate future research on the topic. We propose a primary appraisal theme that is at the root of all experiences of contentment: perceived completeness, which refers to the perception that the present situation is enough and entire.

Supporting improvements in classroom climate for students and teachers with the four pillars of wellbeing curriculum.

Psychological Science

Recent trends in classroom climate intervention research have expressed a need for evidence-based, whole-school approaches to well-being that cultivate safer, more effective learning environments. In a single-school pilot study, we used pre- and posttest methodologies to determine the extent to which the Four Pillars of Wellbeing curriculum enhanced the well-being and emotional climate of both teachers and students at Corbett Preparatory School, a Kindergarten through 8th grade private school in Tampa, Florida. Teacher well-being was assessed along 10 positive psychological outcomes, and student mood was assessed by tracking self-reported emotions over the course of 1 school year. After completing the evidence-based well-being intervention and tracking the school for 12 months, self-compassion, teaching efficacy, and feelings of contentment increased for teachers, and use of the program practices, correlated positively with subjective well-being, self-compassion, and negatively for stress. We also found that students’ self-reported moods shifted into lower arousal positive states, which are optimal for classroom emotion regulation, focus, attention, and learning.

The voice conveys emotion in ten globalized cultures and one remote village in Bhutan

Emotion

With data from 10 different globalized cultures and 1 remote, isolated village in Bhutan, we examined universals and cultural variations in the recognition of 16 nonverbal emotional vocalizations. College students in 10 nations (Study 1) and villagers in remote Bhutan (Study 2) were asked to match emotional vocalizations to 1-sentence stories of the same valence. Guided by previous conceptualizations of recognition accuracy, across both studies, 7 of the 16 vocal burst stimuli were found to have strong or very strong recognition in all 11 cultures, 6 vocal bursts were found to have moderate recognition, and 4 were not universally recognized. All vocal burst stimuli varied significantly in terms of the degree to which they were recognized across the 11 cultures. Our discussion focuses on the implications of these results for current debates concerning the emotion conveyed in the voice.

Expression of Emotion (pp. 467-482)

Handbook of Emotions, Guilford Press, Eds. Barrett, L.F., Lewis, M., Haviland-Jones, J.M

Recognized as the definitive reference, this handbook brings together leading experts from multiple psychological subdisciplines to examine one of today's most dynamic areas of research. Coverage encompasses the biological and neuroscientific underpinnings of emotions, as well as developmental, social and personality, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. The volume probes how people understand, experience, express, and perceive affective phenomena and explores connections to behavior and health across the lifespan. Concluding chapters present cutting-edge work on a range of specific emotions. Illustrations include 10 color plates.

The Science of Facial Expressions (Chapter 3)

Oxford Press

Every decade has seen work that extends or challenges previous—thinking on facial expression. The Science of Facial Expression provides an updated review of the current psychology of facial expression, summarizing current conclusions and conceptual frameworks from leading figures who have shaped their various subfields. It will be of interest to practitioners, students, and researchers of emotion in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, biology, anthropology, linguistics, affective computing, and homeland security.

Contentment: Perceived completeness across cultures and traditions

Review of General Psychology

Over the past 2 decades, a major focus in psychological research has been on pursuing happiness, positivity, and optimal human flourishing. Interestingly, little attention has been paid to contentment, which, according to over 4,000 years of spiritual, philosophical, and theoretical discourse, is an emotion that sits at the deepest core of human wellbeing and is foundational to the experience of fulfillment in life. This article synthesizes etymological, religious, philosophical, and psychological treatments of contentment from multiple languages and traditions. Derived from these perspectives, it also presents a prototype approach to contentment, its core affect features and cross-cultural variations. Finally, it presents theory-grounded hypotheses intended to initiate future research on the topic. We propose a primary appraisal theme that is at the root of all experiences of contentment: perceived completeness, which refers to the perception that the present situation is enough and entire.

Supporting improvements in classroom climate for students and teachers with the four pillars of wellbeing curriculum.

Psychological Science

Recent trends in classroom climate intervention research have expressed a need for evidence-based, whole-school approaches to well-being that cultivate safer, more effective learning environments. In a single-school pilot study, we used pre- and posttest methodologies to determine the extent to which the Four Pillars of Wellbeing curriculum enhanced the well-being and emotional climate of both teachers and students at Corbett Preparatory School, a Kindergarten through 8th grade private school in Tampa, Florida. Teacher well-being was assessed along 10 positive psychological outcomes, and student mood was assessed by tracking self-reported emotions over the course of 1 school year. After completing the evidence-based well-being intervention and tracking the school for 12 months, self-compassion, teaching efficacy, and feelings of contentment increased for teachers, and use of the program practices, correlated positively with subjective well-being, self-compassion, and negatively for stress. We also found that students’ self-reported moods shifted into lower arousal positive states, which are optimal for classroom emotion regulation, focus, attention, and learning.

What is meant by calling emotions basic - 3(4), 364-370

Emotion Review

Emotions are discrete, automatic responses to universally shared, culture-specific and individual-specific events. The emotion terms, such as anger, fear, etcetera, denote a family of related states sharing at least 12 characteristics, which distinguish one emotion family from another, as well as from other affective states. These affective responses are preprogrammed and involuntary, but are also shaped by life experiences.

The voice conveys emotion in ten globalized cultures and one remote village in Bhutan

Emotion

With data from 10 different globalized cultures and 1 remote, isolated village in Bhutan, we examined universals and cultural variations in the recognition of 16 nonverbal emotional vocalizations. College students in 10 nations (Study 1) and villagers in remote Bhutan (Study 2) were asked to match emotional vocalizations to 1-sentence stories of the same valence. Guided by previous conceptualizations of recognition accuracy, across both studies, 7 of the 16 vocal burst stimuli were found to have strong or very strong recognition in all 11 cultures, 6 vocal bursts were found to have moderate recognition, and 4 were not universally recognized. All vocal burst stimuli varied significantly in terms of the degree to which they were recognized across the 11 cultures. Our discussion focuses on the implications of these results for current debates concerning the emotion conveyed in the voice.

Expression of Emotion (pp. 467-482)

Handbook of Emotions, Guilford Press, Eds. Barrett, L.F., Lewis, M., Haviland-Jones, J.M

Recognized as the definitive reference, this handbook brings together leading experts from multiple psychological subdisciplines to examine one of today's most dynamic areas of research. Coverage encompasses the biological and neuroscientific underpinnings of emotions, as well as developmental, social and personality, cognitive, and clinical perspectives. The volume probes how people understand, experience, express, and perceive affective phenomena and explores connections to behavior and health across the lifespan. Concluding chapters present cutting-edge work on a range of specific emotions. Illustrations include 10 color plates.

The Science of Facial Expressions (Chapter 3)

Oxford Press

Every decade has seen work that extends or challenges previous—thinking on facial expression. The Science of Facial Expression provides an updated review of the current psychology of facial expression, summarizing current conclusions and conceptual frameworks from leading figures who have shaped their various subfields. It will be of interest to practitioners, students, and researchers of emotion in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, biology, anthropology, linguistics, affective computing, and homeland security.

Contentment: Perceived completeness across cultures and traditions

Review of General Psychology

Over the past 2 decades, a major focus in psychological research has been on pursuing happiness, positivity, and optimal human flourishing. Interestingly, little attention has been paid to contentment, which, according to over 4,000 years of spiritual, philosophical, and theoretical discourse, is an emotion that sits at the deepest core of human wellbeing and is foundational to the experience of fulfillment in life. This article synthesizes etymological, religious, philosophical, and psychological treatments of contentment from multiple languages and traditions. Derived from these perspectives, it also presents a prototype approach to contentment, its core affect features and cross-cultural variations. Finally, it presents theory-grounded hypotheses intended to initiate future research on the topic. We propose a primary appraisal theme that is at the root of all experiences of contentment: perceived completeness, which refers to the perception that the present situation is enough and entire.

Supporting improvements in classroom climate for students and teachers with the four pillars of wellbeing curriculum.

Psychological Science

Recent trends in classroom climate intervention research have expressed a need for evidence-based, whole-school approaches to well-being that cultivate safer, more effective learning environments. In a single-school pilot study, we used pre- and posttest methodologies to determine the extent to which the Four Pillars of Wellbeing curriculum enhanced the well-being and emotional climate of both teachers and students at Corbett Preparatory School, a Kindergarten through 8th grade private school in Tampa, Florida. Teacher well-being was assessed along 10 positive psychological outcomes, and student mood was assessed by tracking self-reported emotions over the course of 1 school year. After completing the evidence-based well-being intervention and tracking the school for 12 months, self-compassion, teaching efficacy, and feelings of contentment increased for teachers, and use of the program practices, correlated positively with subjective well-being, self-compassion, and negatively for stress. We also found that students’ self-reported moods shifted into lower arousal positive states, which are optimal for classroom emotion regulation, focus, attention, and learning.

What is meant by calling emotions basic - 3(4), 364-370

Emotion Review

Emotions are discrete, automatic responses to universally shared, culture-specific and individual-specific events. The emotion terms, such as anger, fear, etcetera, denote a family of related states sharing at least 12 characteristics, which distinguish one emotion family from another, as well as from other affective states. These affective responses are preprogrammed and involuntary, but are also shaped by life experiences.

The First Minute

Medical Encounter 26(4), 83-84