How do the emotional ups and downs of daily life shape drinking behavior?
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, Project Multiverse examines how people experience and manage negative and positive emotions as they go about their daily lives, and how these emotional processes relate to health behaviors like alcohol use. Rather than relying solely on how people remember and report their experiences after the fact, this study captures emotions and drinking behavior as they happen in real time.
Why is this research important?
Understanding the day-to-day emotional context surrounding drinking can help researchers pinpoint the mechanisms that lead some people toward heavier or riskier alcohol use than others. By studying these patterns as they unfold, rather than retrospectively, we hope to build a more precise, individualized picture of how emotion regulation and alcohol use are connected — one that can eventually inform more effective interventions.
Study Design and Compensation
Participants begin with a two-hour online session covering background questionnaires and a brief interview, followed by three 10-day periods of short smartphone surveys (up to 30 days total, spaced roughly three months apart) asking about mood, daily activities, and alcohol use. Participants can earn up to $435 for their participation.