Elizabeth N. Trinh

My research examines how people gain, limit, and lose access to connection at work. I study the psychological, social, and organizational forces that shape whether people initiate, sustain, and benefit from potentially valuable interactions. Across this work, I focus on two processes: the strategies people use to regulate themselves, which can reshape both their own resources and the relational environment others encounter, and the expectations people form about social experiences, which can lead them to avoid interactions that would have gone better than anticipated.

One stream of my research examines how efforts to manage the self affect relationships. My dissertation, “The Busy Bee Effect,” introduces the concept of self-imposed busyness, voluntarily continuing to work when rest is available, and shows that chosen busyness can foster feelings of productivity, self-worth, thriving, and resilience. At the same time, visible busyness can discourage others from approaching, even when interaction would be welcome. Related work examines how emotional disclosure, identity threats, and responses to self-doubt shape well-being, meaningfulness, and openness to others.

A second stream investigates why people misjudge everyday social interactions. My research shows that people underestimate how engaging seemingly boring conversations will be, exaggerate the lasting consequences of awkward moments, and worry that personal disclosures or accomplishments will be received less favorably than they actually are. I also examine how organizations can reduce these barriers by designing opportunities for connection into work itself, for example through brief person-revealing interactions that humanize frontline employees or structured social contact for remote workers. 

Across these projects, my broader aim is to understand when efforts to protect or sustain the self expand or restrict access to meaningful connection, and how organizations can create environments in which valuable relationships are more likely to develop.

Her research has appeared in leading journals, including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Academy of Management Annals, and Emotion. It has also been featured in global media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, TIME Magazine, NBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, NPR, and SiriusXM Radio.