Science communication is an important part of my work. I believe it is crucial that the public understands neuroscience and psychology research as an ongoing endeavor, as full of nuance, and as involving many interacting factors. Also: the topics we study are simply cool!

Why Kids Can’t Quit Roblox
July 29, 2026. Interview in The Atlantic

The Neuroscience behind the ‘Parenting Paradox’ of Happiness.
February, 2026 Issue. Article in Scientific American

Can your mixed emotions make you a better thinker? New research says they can.
July 5, 2025. Interview in the Hindustan Times

The Rise of Youtube and How It’s Changed Our Lives.
April 10, 2025. Interview on The Pulse NPR as part of a 20th anniversary podcast
about the effect of Youtube on society

Containing multitudes: Why feeling mixed emotions can actually be healthy
March 23, 2025. Interview in Salon on how affective neuroscientists are grappling with the concept of mixed emotions

Nostalgia is a mixed bag
September 24, 2024. Interview on KCBS with Holly Quan on the importance of measuring mixed feelings in psychology and neuroscience research

Why do we feel mixed emotions?
September 20, 2024. My Op-Ed in US News World & Report and The Conversation

What exactly are mixed emotions? Dr. Anthony Vaccaro breaks it down
July 25, 2024. Interview on the Ross Kaminsky Show

Mixed emotions may not be mixed after all: Recent works find mixed emotions have distinct neural signatures
July 4, 2024. The British Psychological Society

Mixed emotions linked to unique brain activity
June 14, 2024. Earth.com

Opinion: Does social media rewire kids’ brains? Here’s what the science really says
April 26, 2024. My Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times

Schools in 41 states have spent millions on pouches to lock up kids' phones
December 26, 2023. NBC News

Banning cellphones in schools is not so simple
December 1, 2023. My Letter to the Editor in The Washington Post

Making empathy artificial
November 16, 2023.Interview in Communications of the ACM

A theory of my own mind
September 23, 2021. Aeon

It’s natural to feel happy and sad at the same time. Here’s when it can become a problem
August 4, 2021. The Washington Post