He studies a variety of topics across psychology and medicine:

Placebos:

Leveraging factors known to boost placebo effects may produce viable treatments for disorders (CBC, YouTube). People can experience alterations in consciousness after consuming a placebo psychedelic drug (PDF, Vice, YouTube) and can feel that they are losing control over their thoughts when placed in an elaborate “placebo machine”.

Sleep:

Light exposure at the right times can reduce jet lag (Scientific American, NBC) and may also reduce fatigue and work errors in night shift workers.

Creativity:

Simply naming unrelated words can measure verbal creativity (Divergent Association Task, CNN).

Magic:

Principles of performance magic can be used to improve deception in studies (PDF), influence decisions without awareness (CBC), or make people more open to opposing political views (Fast Company, YouTube).

Smartphones:

Smartphone addiction is increasing across the world, but a simple ten-step behavioural intervention can reduce it.

Upcoming talks:

• 30 Sep 2021, 7pm Eastern: Making more than minimum wage in grad school (virtual presentation) hosted by the Canadian Positive Psychology Association, registration required.

Jay is writing a book called Million Dollar PhD on effective graduate funding in Canada. He also works as a consultant to apply behavioural research for companies such as Goldman Sachs and the National Institute of Sports.