Dr. Burleson's research focuses on how emotion, stress, and physical contact (touch) can affect psychological and physiological functioning. Current studies include the contribution of emotion regulation processes to stress responses and the stress-reducing effects of physical contact. Recent publications include a study on sexual behavior and mood in mid-aged women (in Archives of Sexual Behavior), a study on the characteristics of lonely individuals and their evolutionary relevance (in the Journal of Research in Personality), and a report on stress effects in the cardiovascular and neuroendocrine systems (in Psychophysiology). She specializes in teaching physiological psychology, biology of human sexuality, biological bases of behavior, and psychopharmacology.