Mapping the HEART across Cultures and the Lifespan
Our lab explores how love, emotional experiences, and social bonds shape well-being across cultures and throughout the lifespan. We combine cutting-edge experience sampling approaches—such as Ecological Momentary Assessment, the Day Reconstruction Method, and daily diaries—with innovative analytic frameworks that capture the complexity of human experience. These include dynamical systems modeling to trace emotional change, Bayesian psychometric approaches to uncover shared and individual belief systems, social network analysis to map relational contexts, and machine learning techniques to enhance prediction and intervention design. By integrating advanced measurement with sophisticated analyses, our lab examines indicators of well-being, particularly affective states and relational processes, from a multi-level, dynamic, and culturally grounded perspective.
CROSS-CULTURAL LOVE PROJECT
Love is a universal phenomenon that shapes our emotions, relationships, and wellbeing—but its meaning can differ across cultures. Funded by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, our multicultural research study examines what makes people feel loved in everyday life.
Lab Director
Saida Heshmati, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Psychology
Positive Developmental Psychology
Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences
Claremont Graduate University
International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) 2023 Early Career Researcher Award Recipient
Recent News & Updates! (Updated June 2026)
Recent News & Updates! (Updated June 2026)
News & Updates
🎉 👏 CONGRATULATIONS 👏 🎉
Congratulations to Dr. Saida Heshmati on being awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Psychology at Claremont Graduate University. This milestone recognizes her contributions to research, teaching, mentorship, and service, and we look forward to the continued growth and impact of the lab in the years ahead.
CONGRATULATIONS — JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION GRANT
Congratulations to Dr. Saida Heshmati (Project Leader) and Dr. Zita Oravecz (Project Co-Leader) for recently being awarded a John Templeton Grant (#63364). Their project is titled, “Embracing Love Across Cultures: Decoding Cultural Beliefs on Love and Their Impact on Wellbeing” and is a 5-year cross-cultural study that will last from 2024–2028.
Be on the lookout for detailed updates about this new project and our multi-year journey!
Meet the HEART Lab team
Learn more about our team of graduate students and faculty working on making a difference in people’s lives through research projects centered on love, positive development and well-being.
CURRENT PROJECTS
Find out about our current research projects, such as our love project, mindfulness project, and more!
Questions, Research Participation & Collaborations
Contact us for any further information about our projects, if you would like to participate in a research study, or if you would like to collaborate with us!
