Lisa Neff

Professor

Human Development & Family Sciences
Human Ecology

lneff@austin.utexas.edu

SEA

2.438

Relationship Experiences Across the Lifespan Project (REAL)

Biography

From 2002 to 2004, Lisa Neff served as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida. In 2004, she became an assistant professor at the University of Toledo's Department of Psychology and stayed there until 2008, when she joined the faculty in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at UT Austin.

Research

Lisa Neff’s research focuses on how couples’ relationships develop and change over time. As examining the dynamics of change in couples’ relationships requires longitudinal, labor intensive research that utilizes multiple methods, my research typically involves collecting a mix of self-report, daily survey, observational, and physiological data from couples at multiple points over the course of several years. She has published numerous articles identifying risk factors for relationship decline, with a special emphasis on how stressful life circumstances may alter relationship functioning. More recently, she has begun examining whether the manner in which couples navigate their relationship difficulties may change as they grow older.

Grants

2015-2020 PI, (Co-PI Jennifer Beer) National Science Foundation (BCS-1451492), Understanding Age-related Changes in Relationship Maintenance Strategies. Award amount: $511,623

2013-2015 Co-PI (PI, Paul Eastwick), National Science Foundation (BCS-1147828), A Phylogenetic Evolutionary Psychological Approach to Human Mating. Award amount: $276,194.

2009-2013 PI, National Science Foundation (BCS-0921896). Marriage in Context: Linking External Stress to Relationship Maintenance Processes in Newlyweds. Award amount: $599,680.

Research Areas

Human Development

Fields of Interest

Adult Development
Behavior
Biobehavioral Processes and Health
Contexts of Human Development
Interpersonal Relationships

Centers and Institutes

Population Research Center
Center on Aging and Population Sciences
Texas Aging and Longevity Consortium

Education

Ph.D., University of Florida (2002)
M.A., Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (1998)
B.A., University of Dayton, Ohio (1996)

Publications

Joiner, R. J., Bradbury, T. N., Lavner, J. A., Meltzer, A. L. McNulty, J. K., Neff, L. A., Karney, B. R. (2023). Are changes in marital satisfaction sustained and steady, or sporadic and dramatic? American Psychologist. Advanced Online Publication
Blickman, R. S., Neff, L. A., & Beer, J. S. (2023). Is older indeed wiser? Identifying conflict communication patterns in older and younger dating couples. Communication Methods and Measures. Advanced Online Publication
Neff, L.A. & Buck, A. A. (2023). When rose-colored glasses turn cloudy: The influence of stressful life circumstances on perceptions of partner behavior in newlywed marriage. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 14(6), 675–685.
Randall, A. K., Donato, S., Neff, L. A., Totenhagen, C. J., Bodenmann, G., & Falconier, M. (2023). A scoping review on couples’ stress and coping literature: Recognizing the need for inclusivity. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(3), 812–855.
Neff, L. A., Gleason, M. E. J., Crockett, E. E., & Ciftci, O. (2022). Blame the pandemic: Buffering the association between stress and relationship quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 13(2), 522-532.
Ghodse-Elahi, Y., Neff, L. A., & Shrout, P. E. (2021). Modeling dyadic trajectories: Longitudinal changes in sexual satisfaction for newlywed couples. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(8), 3651–3662. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02075-9
McNulty, J. K., Meltzer, A. L., Neff, L. A., & Karney, B. R. (2021). How both partners' individual differences, behavior, and stress predict change in marital satisfaction: Extending the VSA model. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118 (27). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2101402118
Neff, L. A., Nguyen, T. T. T., & Williamson, H. C. (2021). Too stressed to help? The effects of stress on noticing partner needs and enacting support. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 47(11), 1565-1579.
Ng, Y. T., Huo, M., Gleason, M. E., Neff, L. A., Charles, S. T. & Fingerman, K. L. (2021). Friendships in old age: Daily encounters and emotional well-being. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 76, 551-562.
Farnish, K., & Neff, L. A. (2020). Shake it off: The role of optimistic expectations for conflict recovery. Personal Relationships, 27, 820-845.
Nguyen, T. T. T., Neff, L. A., & Williamson, H. C. (2020). The role of stress mindset in support provision. Personal Relationships, 27, 138-155.
Du, H., Bradbury, T.N., Lavner, J. A., Meltzer, A. L., McNulty, J. K., Neff, L. A., & Karney, B. R. (2020). A comparison of Bayesian synthesis approaches for comparing two group means. Research Synthesis Methods, 11, 36-65.
Walsh, C. M. & Neff, L. A. (2020). The importance of investing in your relationship: Emotional capital and responses to partner transgressions. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37, 581-601.
Nguyen, T. T., Neff, L. A., Williamson, H. C. (2020). The role of stress mindset in support provision. Personal Relationships, 27, 138-155.
Du, H., Bradbury, T.N., Lavner, J. A., Meltzer, A. L., McNulty, J. K., Neff, L. A., & Karney, B. R. (2020). A comparison of Bayesian synthesis approaches for comparing two group means. Research Synthesis Methods, 11, 36-65.
Walsh, C. M. & Neff, L. A. (2018). We’re better when we blend: The benefits of couples’ identity fusion. Self and Identity, 17, 587-603.
Hou, Y., Neff, L.A., & Kim S.Y. (2018). Language acculturation, acculturation-related stress, and marital quality in Chinese American couples. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 80, 555-568.
Keneski, E., Neff, L. A., & Loving, T.J. (2018). The importance of a few good friends: Perceived network support moderates the association between daily marital conflict and diurnal cortisol. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 9, 962-971.
Walsh, C. M., Neff, L.A., & Gleason, M. E. J. (2017). The role of emotional capital during the early years of marriage. Why everyday moments matter. Journal of Family Psychology, 31, 513-519.
Neff, L. A., & Karney, B. R. (2017). Acknowleding the elephant in the room: How stressful environmental contexts shape relationship dynamics. Current Opinions in Psychology, 13, 107-110.
Neff, L. A., & Morgan, T. A., (2014). The rising expectations of marriage: What we do and do not know. Psychological Inquiry, 25, 95-100.
Eastwick, P. W., Neff, L. A., Finkel. E. J., Luchies, L. B., & Hunt, L. L. (2014). Is a meta-analysis a foundation or just another brick?: A comment on Meltzer, McNulty, Jackson, & Karney (2014). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106, 429-434.
Neff, L. A., & Geers, A. L. (2013). Optimistic expectations in early marriage: A resource or vulnerability for adaptive relationship functioning? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105, 38-60.
Crockett, E., & Neff, L. A. (2013). When receiving help hurts: Gender differences in cortisol responses to spousal support. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4(2), 190-197.
Karney, B R., & Neff, L. A. (2013). Couples and stress: How demands outside a relationship affect intimacy within the relationship. In J. A. Simpson & L. Campbell (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Close Relationships (pp. 664-684). Oxford University Press.
Buck, A. A. & Neff, L. A. (2012). Stress spillover in early marriage: The role of self-regulatory depletion. Journal of Family Psychology, 26(5), 698-708.
Eastwick, P. W., & Neff, L. A. (2012). Do ideal partner preferences predict divorce? A tale of two metrics. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3, 667-674.
Neff, L .A., & Broady, E. (2011). Stress resilience in early marriage: Can practice make perfect? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(5), 1050-1067.

Awards

2012 Caryl E. Rusbult Early Career Award from the Relationship Researchers Interest Group of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology
2011 College of Natural Sciences Teaching Excellence Award, University of Texas
2004 International Association for Relationship Research Dissertation Award