Ed O'Brien

Biography

Ed O'Brien is an experimental social psychologist. He studies social cognition with a focus on temporal contexts. One line of his research examines change perception and change management (e.g., When and why do people fail to see progress vs. decline - both in themselves and out in the world?). Another line of his research examines repeated exposure and hedonic adaptation (e.g., When and why do some experiences grow old while others don't?). O'Brien explores the psychological processes underlying such issues and their applications to resolving conflict and boosting well-being.

O’Brien has won numerous awards including the APS Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions, the SAGE Young Scholar Award, the ISCON Early Career Award, and the APS Rising Star Award. He was also named Top 40 Under 40 Most Outstanding Business School Professors by Poets & Quants. His research has been published in top academic journals (e.g., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Psychological Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) and is regularly featured in major media outlets (e.g., NPR, New York Times, Wall Street Journal).

O’Brien joined the Chicago Booth faculty in 2014. He received a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Michigan (2009-2014) as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. He received a B.S. in psychology from Saint Joseph’s University (2005-2009) summa cum laude with University Scholar distinction (top member of graduating class).

Academic Areas

• Behavioral Science