Maia Young

Maia Young is a Professor in the Organization and Management group at The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine (UCI). She joined UCI in 2017 after serving for 13 years at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Her academic training includes a PhD in Business Administration and a BA with honors in Psychology, both from Stanford University.

• PhD in Business Administration, Stanford University
• BA (with honors) in Psychology, Stanford University

Her research centers on the psychology of individual decision-making in organizational settings, with a focus on how emotions, culture, and religion influence choices. Key areas of interest include emotional effects on cognitive biases, leadership dynamics, and cross-cultural decision processes. She explores how specific emotions such as anger can attenuate confirmation bias by increasing the tendency to seek disconfirming information.

Her recent publications reflect a strong trajectory in understanding emotion-driven cognition in workplace contexts. The article "Mad enough to see the other side: Anger and the search for disconfirming information" (2011) exemplifies her work at the intersection of affective science and organizational behavior, demonstrating how anger motivates individuals to challenge prevailing opinions and engage in more balanced information processing.

While no formal awards are listed in the provided materials, her research has been published in top-tier journals including Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and American Psychologist, and has been featured in prominent media outlets such as The Economist, NPR’s Marketplace, Science Magazine, and Psychology Today, indicating significant scholarly impact.

As a faculty member, she contributes to doctoral education and research mentorship within the Merage School. Though specific advisees are not named, her role includes supervising students and contributing to the academic development of future scholars in management and organizational behavior. She has also been involved in research examining cultural and religious influences on decision-making, suggesting a broad interdisciplinary approach supported by institutional affiliations and collaborative networks.

She is affiliated with the Organization and Management area at UCI’s Merage School, where she continues to advance research on emotion, leadership, and judgment in organizations.