Anastasia Ejova

My research interests are in three converging topic areas: functional somatic syndromes, gambling disorder, and the cognitive science of religion. With respect to somatic syndromes, I am investigating how neurophysiological recording tools (most notably, EEG and electrogastrography) might be used in studying immediate reactions to physical and psychological stress among people with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. Within the gambling field, I have been involved in projects on decision-making, impulsivity, online gambling, and the boundary between gambling and video-gaming. I also seek to apply what I'm learning through my research on decision-making and religion to developing a body of research on the extent to which concepts of luck are the same across cultures, borrowing from concepts of "randomness" on the one hand and "higher powers" on the other. My experience in studying functional somatic syndromes, which are often comorbid with anxiety, provides me with the tools for investigating which forms of gambling are particularly likely to be pursued for their ability to (temporarily) ease anxiety.