We are very proud to announce that our student Olivia Demichelis’ thesis has been conferred – well done on this massive achievement! Olivia’s PhD project focused on understanding the relationships between sleep and psychological function.
Her latest paper published in Aggression and Violent Behavior used meta-analytic techniques to answer whether objective indicators of sleep and subjective perceptions of sleep equally contribute to increased aggression. Results indicated that while objective sleep quality and aggression are linked, our subjective perceptions of sleep are more important for understanding this relationship. Such novel insights hold important practical implications for how behavioral, or sleep, interventions and research should be conducted.
In light of this exciting news we turned the spotlight on Olivia to learn a little more about her:
What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?
I love to start with a swim at the beach! Then taking my dog for walks in new places and watching him as he sniffs all the new smells. Finally, I love being in my garden, growing different produce and learning about all the different native bushtucker species Australia has.
If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I wish I could eat my Nonna’s gnocchi forever. She used to get up at 4am to handmake all the gnocchi balls for dinner. Then she would pair it with this amazing minced sauce. I’ve not yet found anywhere that can make gnocchi as well as she could.
Tea or coffee? Why?
Definitely tea! Whilst I love a coffee in the morning, there is little better than sitting at home on a rainy day with a warm cup of tea and some biscuits to dunk into it. Tea and biccies are a go to snack food for me!
Cats or dogs? Why?
Dogs for sure. They are just so genuinely pure, kind, and full of love. For me, it is impossible to be around a dog and not be so happy and content with life. They are such truly beautiful animals and I think we could learn a lot from them.
If you could do anything for work, besides what you're doing now, what would you do?
This is tough and honestly, there’s a lot I would do. One thing that came to mind though was goat shepherding in the Netherlands. It’s a bit random but I think it is something I would truly enjoy.
To learn more about Olivia Demichelis and her work on the relationships between sleep with stress, aggression, and episodic foresight, please visit her page.