2026 Richard J. Davidson: Psychology Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Best Scientists	186	486	448	318	288	698	148198
Neuroscience	189	43	37	30	24	676	156132
Psychology	190	13	12	4	4	639	155551

Research.com Recognitions

2026 - Research.com Neuroscience in United States Leader Award
2026 - Research.com Psychology in United States Leader Award
2025 - Research.com Best Scientists Award
2025 - Research.com Neuroscience in United States Leader Award
2025 - Research.com Psychology in United States Leader Award
2023 - Research.com Psychology in United States Leader Award
2022 - Research.com Psychology in United States Leader Award
2017 - Member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
2003 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2000 - APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Psychology, American Psychological Association
2000 - Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA)
1997 - William James Fellow Award, Association for Psychological Science (APA)
1992 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Overview

Richard J. Davidson is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on the fields of psychology and neuroscience, with significant contributions to clinical psychology, cognitive neuroscience, experimental and cognitive psychology, social psychology, and applied psychology.

The main topics investigated in their work include mindfulness and compassion interventions, functional brain connectivity studies, mental health research topics, psychological well-being and life satisfaction, stress responses and cortisol, anxiety, depression, psychometrics, treatment, cognitive processes, as well as COVID-19 and mental health.

Frequent coauthors who have collaborated extensively with Davidson are:

Daniel W. Grupe
Simon B. Goldberg
Matthew J. Hirshberg
Melissa A. Rosenkranz
Seth G. Disner

Davidson's publications appear frequently in several notable venues, including:

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Biological Psychiatry
Mindfulness
PLoS ONE
Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging

Significant recent papers authored or coauthored by Davidson include:

The Empirical Status of Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Systematic Review of 44 Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials, 2021, Perspectives on Psychological Science
The plasticity of well-being: A training-based framework for the cultivation of human flourishing, 2020, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Emotional Well-Being: What It Is and Why It Matters, 2022, Affective Science
Prevalence of meditation-related adverse effects in a population-based sample in the United States, 2021, Psychotherapy Research
Testing the Efficacy of a Multicomponent, Self-Guided, Smartphone-Based Meditation App: Three-Armed Randomized Controlled Trial, 2020, JMIR Mental Health

Davidson has received multiple awards and honors throughout their career, including:

Member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), 2017
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2003
Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), 2000
APA Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Psychology, 2000
William James Fellow Award, Association for Psychological Science (APA), 1997
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 1992

Best Publications

Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation.

Richard J. Davidson;Jon Kabat-Zinn;Jessica Schumacher;Melissa Rosenkranz

5539
Citations
Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation

Antoine Lutz;Heleen A. Slagter;John D. Dunne;Richard J. Davidson

3661
Citations
The nature of emotion: Fundamental questions.

Paul Ekman;Richard J. Davidson

3179
Citations
Dysfunction in the Neural Circuitry of Emotion Regulation--A Possible Prelude to Violence

Richard J. Davidson;Katherine M. Putnam;Christine L. Larson

2993
Citations
Handbook of affective sciences.

Richard J. Davidson;Klaus Rainer Scherer;H. Hill Goldsmith

2670
Citations
The functional neuroanatomy of emotion and affective style.

Richard J. Davidson;William Irwin

2583
Citations
Approach-Withdrawal and Cerebral Asymmetry: Emotional Expression and Brain Physiology I

Richard J. Davidson;Paul Ekman;Clifford D. Saron;Joseph A. Senulis

2571
Citations
Placebo-induced changes in FMRI in the anticipation and experience of pain.

Tor D. Wager;James K. Rilling;Edward E. Smith;Alex Sokolik

2485
Citations
The integration of negative affect, pain and cognitive control in the cingulate cortex

Alexander J. Shackman;Timothy V. Salomons;Heleen A. Slagter;Andrew S. Fox

2373
Citations
Emotion, plasticity, context, and regulation: perspectives from affective neuroscience.

Richard J. Davidson;Daren C. Jackson;Ned H. Kalin

2291
Citations
Affective Style and Affective Disorders: Perspectives from Affective Neuroscience

Richard J. Davidson

2257
Citations
Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice

Antoine Lutz;Lawrence L. Greischar;Nancy B. Rawlings;Matthieu Ricard

2143
Citations
Gaze fixation and the neural circuitry of face processing in autism

Kim M Dalton;Brendon M Nacewicz;Tom Johnstone;Hillary S Schaefer

2101
Citations
The Duchenne smile: emotional expression and brain physiology. II.

Paul Ekman;Richard J. Davidson;Wallace V. Friesen

2071
Citations
Anterior cerebral asymmetry and the nature of emotion

Richard J. Davidson

1974
Citations
Low-anxious, high-anxious, and repressive coping styles: psychometric patterns and behavioral and physiological responses to stress.

Daniel A. Weinberger;Gary E. Schwartz;Richard J. Davidson

1837
Citations
Prefrontal Brain Asymmetry: A Biological Substrate of the Behavioral Approach and Inhibition Systems

Steven K. Sutton;Richard J. Davidson

1805
Citations
Depression: perspectives from affective neuroscience.

Richard J. Davidson;Diego Pizzagalli;Jack B. Nitschke;Katherine Putnam

1665
Citations
Lending a Hand Social Regulation of the Neural Response to Threat

James A. Coan;Hillary S. Schaefer;Richard J. Davidson

1629
Citations
Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise

Antoine Lutz;Julie Brefczynski-Lewis;Tom Johnstone;Richard J. Davidson

1616
Citations

Frequent Co-Authors

Ned H. Kalin University of Wisconsin–Madison

Andrew L. Alexander University of Wisconsin–Madison

Antoine Lutz Inserm

Moo K. Chung University of Wisconsin–Madison

Andrew S. Fox University of California, Davis

H. Hill Goldsmith University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tom Johnstone Swinburne University of Technology

Terrence R. Oakes University of Wisconsin–Madison

Jack B. Nitschke University of Wisconsin–Madison

Steven E. Shelton University of Wisconsin–Madison

External Links

Wikipedia of Richard J. Davidson Personal website of Richard J. Davidson

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