Michael Spezio

Michael L. Spezio is Assistant Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Scripps College. His work focuses on the mental and neural processes involved in social decisions and actions, from judging emotion in a face to how people cast their votes in elections to how people act in morally relevant situations. A major theme of this research is the role of contemplative practice and spirituality in reshaping social judgments, specifically around compassion for and trust of others. Prof. Spezio’s work is interdisciplinary, and he publishes in the Journal of Neuroscience as well as in Modern Theology. His work is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, and the Fetzer Institute. He has a Visiting Faculty position in affective and social neuroscience at Caltech, and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).