Paige Leggett

Biography

I am a Senior Research Officer at the University of Essex, where I contribute to research examining the role of emotions in decision-making, risky behaviours, and interpersonal outcomes. My current work supports the Leverhulme Trust-funded project “Betting on Boredom: Identifying the Detrimental Pathways of a Neglected Emotion,” led by Dr Wijnand Van Tilburg, which investigates the relationship between boredom and gambling behaviour. I completed my PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Essex in April 2026. My doctoral research, titled “The Relational Cost of Being Invalidated: Childhood Emotional Environments and Adult Interpersonal Wellbeing,” examined the associations between childhood emotional invalidation and emotional and interpersonal processes in adulthood, with a particular focus on close relationships. My wider research interests include emotion, relationship wellbeing, and the psychological mechanisms underlying social and interpersonal behaviour.

Qualifications

• PhD in Social Psychology University of Essex, (2026)

• MSc Research Methods in Psychology Anglia Ruskin University, (2020)

• BSc Psychology University of Essex, (2019)

Appointments

University of Essex

• Senior Research Officer, University of Essex (6/2026 - present)

• Graduate Laboratory Assistant, University of Essex (9/2023 - 1/2026)

Other academic

• Research Tutor, Anna Freud Centre (10/2025 - present)