Richard Contrada Ph.D.

About

Richard Contrada, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. He is also a member of the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research. His primary research areas lie at the interface of psychology and health and include psychological stress, cognitive and emotional self-regulation, and health-related stigma.

Professor Contrada has published numerous scientific articles and chapters and has co-edited two books. His research has been funded by various agencies including the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Aging. He is currently an associate editor of Biological Psychology and has served in editorial capacities with many other scientific journals including Health Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and Psychosomatic Medicine.

Professor Contrada is an elected member or Fellow of several scientific organizations. In 2020 he received the Excellence in Health Psychology Mentoring Award from the Society for Health Psychology of the American Psychological Association. He is also a recipient of the Rutgers University Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching.

Books by Richard Contrada Ph.D.

Recent Posts

How to Think About Stress, Eating, and Obesity

Stress and body weight management are familiar to many of us as two major everyday concerns. Knowing all the ways they influence one another can help with both.

You Can Get Much More Out of Your Music

Expanding and varying the role of music in your life can be very rewarding. Sound good? Here are some simple suggestions and the benefits you stand to gain.

Is It Fiction or Science? Why the Difference Is Not Obvious

Truth can be stranger than fiction. Or more mundane. We should not base judgments of validity on novelty. This should be kept in mind with psychological research.

The Right Way to Complain

We can err by complaining, by not complaining, or by complaining in the wrong way. Here's how to up your complaint game.

Concussions Among College Students Warrant Greater Attention

Research highlights the prevalence of traumatic brain injury on campuses and the social-psychological factors underlying their occurrence and undertreatment.

Why "Biopsychosocial" Both Begins and Ends With "Bio"

A purely Biomedical model of health and disease may be inadequate, needing to be replaced by a Biopsychosocial model, but let's keep in mind that "Bio" appears in both.

The Hidden Harms of Health-Related Metaphors

A metaphor, like a picture, may be worth a thousand words. But when health problems are described using figurative language, we may well ask, "What's wrong with this metaphor?"

How to Assess Claims About Psychosocial Causes of Disease

Rain is forecast? Bring an umbrella. New film got rave reviews? Check it out. New finding links a lifestyle factor to disease? Ask questions.

How to Choose a Doctor With a Compatible Clinical Approach

A Personal Perspective: We want health problems to have clear diagnoses and treatments of choice but often they do not.

Understand Worry and Create a Brighter Future for Yourself

The unexamined life is not worth living, and the unlived life is not worth examining. Both living and examining life can benefit from reflecting on our possible selves.