Elizabethtown College Psychology student Darrel Mingle ’27 is contributing to relatively new psychological research on human romantic relationships and subsequent behavior as part of Etown’s Summer Creative Arts and Research Program (SCARP).
Mingle is working with faculty mentor and Associate Professor of Psychology and Department Chair Evan Smith, to examine the frequency and characteristics of individuals’ romantic pursuits and relationships, contributing to larger conversations on the newly coined psychological concept of emophilia. Expanding upon his initial research query, Mingle hopes to examine the correlation between neurodivergence and an individual’s romantic relationship frequency.
Title of Research:
Emophilia, Relationships, and Emotional Regulation
Student Researcher
Darrel Mingle ’27 (Psychology and Political Science major, Human Services minor)
Faculty Mentor
Evan Smith, Associate Professor of Psychology and Department Chair
What are you researching?
Mingle: Emophilia is a relatively new concept in psychology that describes the tendency of individuals to develop romantic relationships quickly and frequently. This study aims to explore the interconnecting relationship between emophilia, neurodivergence and emotional dysregulation. This study also aims to explore a possible relationship between emophilia and how open a person is to having sexual relationships without commitment, which is measured using the sociosexuality scale.
Why did you choose this topic?
Mingle: I’ve always been interested in studying human relationships and sexuality, and finding a relatively new construct that hasn’t had much research done on it was very intriguing. Also, as a person with ADHD, I wanted to study how neurodivergence and its symptoms could affect a person’s relationships.
What is the most interesting aspect of this research?
Mingle: Learning more about emophilia and contributing to this very niche topic with a small body of work, which hopefully gets more attention, has been the most interesting aspect thus far.
What are you hoping to accomplish through this research project?
Mingle: Through this project, I hope to expand the research on this topic and contribute to the scientific data. I also hope to learn more about human relationships and how neurodivergence can affect the ability to form relationships. This project also provides me with research experience as I move toward grad school and into my post-grad career.
Talk about working with your mentor. How have they helped you throughout this experience?
Mingle: Dr. Smith has been an amazing mentor. He is super understanding and helpful. I was very nervous about starting a research project, but he has been a great source of comfort and assurance through this entire process.
Hear from the faculty mentor- Dr. Evan Smith
Darrel brings so much energy and enthusiasm to everything he does! He is an aspiring relationship therapist, and I love how passionate he is about better understanding all of the complex dynamics that impact romantic relationships. Darrel is also just a really fun person to be around and a real delight to work with. I had always enjoyed having him as a student in class, but it’s been terrific to work with him more individually.
