Friday, December 18, 2015

URSP Student Cayla Milius Researches The Secret to Well-Being

Sophomore year of college is when I became interested in the topic of well-being. I have always had a passion for learning and experiencing new things and it seemed that the more I learned about well-being, the farther and father I traveled down the rabbit hole of positive psychology. When I met my mentor, Dr. Todd Kashdan, we decided to study the topics of meaning in life and happiness, and how the effected aspects of sexuality. By studying these topics, I am able to further my understanding of well-being through a scholar’s point of view.
           
After I graduate, I plan on attending graduate school to pursue my doctorate degree in clinical psychology. While pursuing my degree, I plan on continuing my research on well-being to include mindfulness, intimate relationships, meaning in life and happiness. After I complete my doctorate degree, I plan on having my own clinical practice, as well as continuing my research on positive psychology with the intention of having my findings available for all individuals to utilize and better their lives from.
           
Pertaining to my current research, on a weekly basis, I meet with my mentor to discuss any questions I have and the future steps that lie ahead. I also continue to look at past research to build upon my own topics and to fully understand the constructs that I am studying. Currently, I am learning the statistics necessary to analyze my existing data set. This includes reading literature on Multi-Level Modeling and meeting with my mentor and a graduate student within the lab to slowly build upon the knowledge I have about this statistical analysis.
           

One thing that I have discovered this week is the extreme importance of my word choices. Each word that I use to discuss and describe my research must be chosen with intention, thought, and precision in order to fully convey the information about my topics. Choose your words carefully and your audience will be captivated by your studies.