PhD Student
aidan.smyth [at] mail.mcgill.ca
Aidan Smyth is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology at McGill University under the supervision of Dr. Bärbel Knäuper. To date, his research has mostly focused on mindfulness and self-regulation, though he has also investigated cognitive biases in the context of current and past romantic relationships. For his PhD research he is focusing on the construct of equanimity, which refers to a quality of mind that can be cultivated through various exercises (e.g., mindfulness meditation) and involves approaching both pleasant and unpleasant experiences with equal interest and mental equilibrium. Despite its deep roots in Buddhist traditions, the concept of equanimity has remained relatively obscure in modern psychological science and may have important implications for the prevention and treatment of psychopathology.
Education
2021–Present |Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
2018-2020 | Master of Arts in Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario.
2014-2016 | Master of Science in Applied Health Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario.
Publications
Smyth, A., & Milyavskaya, M. (2021). Mindfully motivated: Can a brief session of mindfulness meditation enhance motivation towards personal goals? European Journal of Social Psychology, 51(4-5), 758-772. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2770
Smyth, A., Werner, K. M., Milyavskaya, M., Holding, A., & Koestner, R. (2020). Do mindful people set better goals? Investigating the relation between trait mindfulness, self-concordance, and goal progress. Journal of Research in Personality, 104015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2020.104015
Smyth, A., Peetz, J., & Capaldi, A. A. (2020). Ex-appraisal bias: Negative illusions in appraising relationship quality retrospectively. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(5), 1673-1680. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0265407520907150
Smyth, A., Gammage, K., Lamarche, L., & Muir, C. (2020). Examining university men’s psychobiological and behavioral response-recovery profile from a social-evaluative body image threat. American Journal of Men’s Health. 14(2), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1557988320910831
Werner, K. M., Smyth, A., & Milyavskaya, M. (2019). Do narcissists benefit from materialistic pursuits? Examining the relation between narcissistic tendencies, extrinsic goals, and well-being. Collabra: Psychology, 5(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.253
Conference Presentations
Smyth, A. & Milyavskaya, M. (2020). Can mindfulness meditation enhance motivation towards personal goals? Poster presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s Annual Convention, February 2020, New Orleans, LA.
Smyth, A., Werner, K. M., & Milyavskaya, M. (2019). The role of mindfulness in self-concordant goal-setting: Can a brief mindfulness induction improve goal-setting? Poster presentation at the Self-Determination Theory Conference, May 2019, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Smyth, A., Werner, K. M., & Milyavskaya, M. (2019). Mindfulness, basic psychological need satisfaction, and intrinsic values. Poster presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s Annual Convention, February 2019, Portland, OR.
Funding
2021-2024 | SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship - $105,000
2021 | University Medal in Arts Carleton University
2019-2020 | Ontario Graduate Scholarship - $15,000
2019 | David and Rachel Epstein Foundation Scholarship, Carleton University - $1,000
2017 | Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Spirit of Sir Isaac Brock Medal, Brock University
2016 | President’s Surgite Award, Brock University - $1,000
2016 | Graduate Students’ Association Award, Brock University - $500
2015-2016 | SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Master’s Scholarship - $17,500
2015-2016 | Ontario Graduate Scholarship - $15,000 (declined)