I am an experienced researcher in psychology and neuroscience. I am interested in factors that influence our everyday well-being and resilience against adverse events, mental illness and neurological disorders throughout the lifespan.
That includes emotional experience and emotion regulation, the effects of social interaction through different modalities (including digital devices), and individual differences such as attitudes, close relationships, and purpose.

I am also a science communicator and write about topics related to psychology and neuroscience on Instagram and Substack. I believe that good science communication is more important than ever in a culture of digital communication that enables the rapid spread of misinformation.

If you want to talk to me about any of these topics or you’re interested in working with me, please get in touch!

Experience

2021-2025: Unpaid experience in project management, emotion regulation, and individual differences looking after the next generation of scientists (my twins). Science communication on Instagram and Substack.

2018-2021: Independent Research Group Leader, University of Zurich. Projects:

  • “Digital Lives of Older Adults”, investigating associations between social interaction modalities, and digital device use and well-being in healthy older adults using micro-longitudinal ecological momentary assessments.

  • “Swiss100”, Longitudinal multidisciplinary, multi-site study of Swiss centenarians investigating factors involved in well-being and late life trajectory.

2013-2017: Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Reading. Investigating the neural correlates of a cognitively mediated extinction task.

2010-2013: Research Assistant, University of Reading. Investigating the causal involvement of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in emotion regulation, and associations between emotion regulation and cognitive decline in older adults.

Academic Teaching Activity

University of Reading:

  • Statistics Workshops, Bachelor and Master level

  • Introduction to Neuroscience - Psychophysiology

  • Scientific Project Development and Implementation

University of Zurich

  • Concepts and Theories of Cognitive and Affective Development across the Lifespan

  • Social Aspects of Well-Being in Times of Digitalisation

  • The Scientific Process: From Research Question to Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Liechtenstein

  • Scientific Working and Writing for Doctoral Students

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

Macdonald, B., Becker, M., Röcke, C., Martin, M. (2024). Mobile Sensing in Aging Research. In M.R. Mehl, M. Eid, C. Wrzus, G.M. Harari, U.W. Ebner-Priemer (Eds.), “Mobile Sensing in Psychology: Methods and Applications” (pp. 617-635), Guilford Press.

Hülür, G., Luo, M., Macdonald, B. & Gruenjes, C. (2023). The perceived quality of social interactions differs by modality and purpose: An event-contingent experience sampling study with older adults. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075231215269 .

Tupitsa, E., Egbuniwe, I., Lloyd, W.K., Puertollano, M., Macdonald, B., Joanknecht, K., Sakaki, M. & van Reekum, C.M. (2023). Heart rate variability covaries with amygdala functional connectivity during voluntary emotion regulation. NeuroImage, 274, 120-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120136 .

Hülür, G., Luo, M., Macdonald, B. & Gruenjes, C. (2022). Perceived quality of daily social interactions: the role of interaction modality. Innovation in Aging, 6 (S1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igac059.013 .

Luo, M., Macdonald, B. & Hülür, G. (2022). Not “the more the merrier”: Diminishing returns to daily face-to-face social interaction frequency for well-being in older age. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 77(8), 1431-1441. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbac010 .

Macdonald, B., Luo, M. & Hülür, G. (2021). Daiy social interactions and well-being in older adults: The role of interaction modality. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(12), 3566-3589. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211052536 .

Macdonald, B. & Hülür, G. (2021). Well-being and loneliness in Swiss older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of social relationships. The Gerontologist,61(2), 240-250. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaa194 .

Macdonald, B. & Hülür, G. (2021). Digitalisation and the Social Lives of Older Adults – Study Protocol. JMIR Study Protocols, 9 (10), e20306. https://doi.org/10.2196/20306 .

Macdonald, B. & Hülür, G. (2021). Internet Adoption in Older Adults. Findings from the Health and Retirement Study. Cyberpsychology, Behaviour, and Social Networking, 24(2), 101-107. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2019.0736 .

Lloyd, W.K., Morriss, J., Macdonald, B., Joanknecht, K., Nihouarn, J., & van Reekum, C. (2021). Longitudinal change in executive function is associated with impaired top-down frontolimbic regulation during reappraisal in older adults. NeuroImage, 225, 117488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117488 .

Hülür, G. & Macdonald, B. (2020). Rethinking Social Relationships in Old Age- Digitalization and the Social Lives of Older Adults. American Psychologist, 75(4), 554-566, https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000604 .

Macdonald, B., Hoare, S. & Johnstone, I.T. (2020). Selective Extinction through Cognitive Evaluation: Linking emotion regulation and extinction. European Journal of Neuroscience, https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.14701.

Macdonald, B., Salomons, T., Meteyard, L., & Whalley, M. (2018). Prevalence of pain flashbacks in posttraumatic stress disorder arising from multiple or childhood traumatisation. Canadian Journal of Pain, 2(1), 48 – 56, https://doi.org/10.1080/24740527.2018.1435994.

Morriss, J., Macdonald, B. & van Reekum, C.M. (2016). What is going on around here? Intolerance of uncertainty predicts threat generalization.  PLoS ONE, 11(5): e0154494. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0154494.

Macdonald, B., Murray, L.B., Moutsiana, C., Fearon, P., Cooper, P.J., Halligan, S.L. & Johnstone, I.T. (2016). Altered engagement of autobiographical memory networks in adult offspring of postnatally depressed mothers. Biological Psychology, 118, 147-153, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.05.006.

Education

2007-2010: Bachelor of Science in Psychology at The University of Reading, UK

2010-2011: Master of Science in Cognitive Neuroscience at The University of Reading, UK

2009-2013: Research Assistant in Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience at The University of Reading, UK

2013-2017: PhD research sponsored by the Medical Research Council at The University of Reading, UK

2018-2021: Independent Research Group Leader at The University of Zurich, Switzerland