About

Teresa Lynch is an Assistant Professor at the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Indiana University, Bloomington, obtained in 2017 and 2013 respectively, and a B.A. from Armstrong State University, Savannah, earned in 2008. Her research focuses on interactions between people and media content and technologies, with an overarching interest in how social context influences emotion, cognition, and behavior. She approaches her work through interdisciplinary perspectives, including communication science, evolutionary biology, psychology, and gender studies. Lynch employs both quantitative methods, such as content analysis, surveys, and experiments, and qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews. Her primary research context is video games, where she investigates phenomena related to sex and gender, examining the messages video games share about these topics, how players process this information, and whether these messages influence individual and group behaviors. Additionally, she explores how people engage with emotional content in video games and how the addition of control in digital environments influences emotional processes.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Social psychology
• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Art
• Human–computer interaction
• Law
• Medicine
• Literature
• Multimedia
• Developmental psychology
• Engineering ethics
• History
• Gastroenterology
• Visual arts
• Epistemology
• Internal medicine
• Cognitive psychology
• Gender studies
• Public relations

Selected publications

• The Heart of the Matter: A Case of Massive Pedal Edema Erroneously Attributed to Liver Cirrhosis

  Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives · 2025-07-03

  articleOpen access

  Liver cirrhosis is commonly diagnosed with etiologies such as viral hepatitis, alcohol-related liver disease, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). However, less common causes should be considered, especially in atypical presentations or suboptimal treatment responses. A 67-year-old man presented with massive bilateral pedal edema unresponsive to furosemide. He had well-controlled diabetes and hypertension but no history of alcohol use. Laboratory tests showed normal renal function, mild transaminitis, and mild thrombocytopenia. Imaging revealed liver morphology suggestive of cirrhosis, which prompted the presumptive diagnosis of metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Despite diuretic therapy, the patient's edema worsened, necessitating repeated hospital admissions for intravenous diuresis. Measurement of transhepatic pressures showed findings consistent with portal hypertension, but the degree of edema was disproportionate to the hepatic venous pressure gradient. Liver biopsy showed sinusoidal congestion suggesting cardiac causes of portal hypertension. Subsequent cardiac evaluation, including left and right heart catheterization and cardiac MRI, revealed constrictive pericarditis. The patient then underwent pericardiectomy, leading to substantial improvement in symptoms allowing cessation of diuretic therapy. The overlap of symptoms between cardiopulmonary and hepatic diseases can complicate diagnosis. Cardiac cirrhosis, though often asymptomatic, should be considered in patients with unexplained peripheral edema. Diagnostic challenges include normal echocardiograms and the need for advanced imaging. Careful evaluation and consideration of atypical presentations are crucial, with gastroenterologists playing a vital role in identifying cardiac conditions masquerading as primary liver disease.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• 13 Media and Embodiment

  2025-11-25

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• What Can Cognitive Load and Processing Fluency Tell Us About Difficult Processing?

  Media Psychology · 2025-10-30

  article

  This experiment investigated the impacts of difficult processing in the context of a health narrative by integrating two distinct literatures: cognitive load and processing fluency. Difficult processing was manipulated via an auditory cue induction of reactive cognitive control (a manipulation of cognitive load) and language difficulty (a manipulation of processing fluency). We examined whether cognitive load can impact persuasion-relevant outcomes, and similarly whether processing fluency can impact memory. Results revealed that the processing fluency manipulation impacted memory, suggesting subjective difficulty was indicative of resource availability, as well as narrative persuasion. Additionally, the processing fluency and cognitive load manipulations interacted such that when the language was difficult, the presence of auditory cues enhanced memory. Our results show that cognitive load and processing fluency interact to shape message processing and effects.

  PublisherDOI

• Empowered by the Experience: Playing as Female Characters in Video Games

  Media and Communication · 2024-11-13 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Research on female video game characters often investigates negative outcomes of playing as stereotyped characters. Yet, video games increasingly offer people opportunities to play as capable, prominent female characters that may be meaningful and promote positive outcomes (e.g., feelings of empowerment). This manuscript shares the results of a mixed methods survey of individuals (<em>N</em> = 751) recruited via online forums who recalled their experiences playing as female game characters. We analyzed qualitative response data using a traditional, top-down approach to identify themes. We focus our analysis and discussion on the results of a human-derived analysis, which indicated both positive and negative dimensions of experiences that participants found meaningful. Participants reported that taking on the role of a female character was often very important to them, but the reason for this significance varied across players. Often, these reasons involved their own gender identities and the context in which the gameplay occurred (e.g., online multiplayer). We consider findings as evidence of eudaimonic media effects.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evidence of Ambivalent Sexism in Female Video Game Character Designs

  Mass Communication & Society · 2024-02-21 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This report shares the results of a systematic, quantitative analysis of themes resonant with ambivalent sexism in playable female video game characters.Applying principles of ambivalent sexism's underlying concepts of paternalism, compulsory heterosexuality, and gender differentiation, we developed a coding scheme for assessing themes in character personalities, stories, and other aspects of their characterizations.We sampled games developed in Japan and the United States released between 1983 and 2017 (N = 398) and derived data from primary texts (i.e.video game content) and paratexts (i.e.character wiki entries).Our results provide evidence of sexist portrayals for playable characters.Evidence of sexist portrayals emerged with meaningful associations observed among theoretically relevant concepts (i.e.capability, sexualization, development location).We discuss our findings with respect to ambivalent sexism theory and the sociocultural contexts of video game development in Japan and the United States.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Examining How Sex Appeal Cues and Strength Cues Influence Impressions of Female Video Game Characters

  Communication Research · 2024-09-10 · 4 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Sexualization is a prominently studied dimension of how media content contributes to problematic outcomes for women (e.g., self-objectification). In video game contexts, scholars have debated whether portrayals of powerful characters may disrupt undesirable outcomes of sexual objectification. In two studies, we experimentally manipulated sex appeal cues and strength cues in female characters. Participants reported their impressions in terms of key person perception outcomes and liking of the characters. We also aimed to understand how interactivity shapes impression formation by comparing viewing (Study 1) to playing (Study 2) contexts. Results indicated that sex appeal cues and strength cues interacted to shape character impressions but did so differently depending on the type of interaction participants had with the character. In both studies, sexual appeal cues produced greater disliking of the characters. Our discussion considers the findings with respect to character design in video games and other media entertainment.

  PublisherDOI

• (Men)tal health: Perceptions of depression in men and women

  SSM - Mental Health · 2023-11-23 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Despite evidence indicating that depression is prevalent in men, gender stereotypes persist that position the disorder as feminine. This misperception may contribute to men's underdiagnosis with and undertreatment for depression. We applied the shifting standards model (SSM) to advance predictions about gender differences in the evaluation of individuals described as experiencing depression. These predictions took the form of objective and subjective evaluations, as well as minimum and confirmatory standards. We randomly assigned participants (N = 430) in a 3 (target gender: man, woman, control) x 2 (judgment standards: minimum, confirmatory) between-subjects experiment. Participants read a vignette describing a woman, man, or individual of unspecified gender and provided the evidence they would need to suspect or confirm depression in the target individual consistent with minimum and confirmatory judgment standards. Results from the pilot and main studies indicate more gender similarities than differences. We discuss the findings with respect to the SSM and how the increase in mental health salience during the COVID-19 pandemic may have mitigated gender stereotypical views of depression.

  PublisherDOI

• Threat and Enhancement: Strength of Gamer Identity Moderates Affective Response to Messages about Gaming

  2023-03-11 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Advancing hypotheses derived from social identity theory, we investigated the influence of gamer identity affiliation on affective responses to identity threats and enhancements. Participants viewed a message that either devalued (i.e., threatened) or elevated (i.e., enhanced) the status of gamers when associating them with a mass shooting event. Relative to a control condition that neither threatened nor enhanced identity, our data demonstrated that gamer identity affiliation moderated affect. Specifically, greater gamer affiliation increased negative affect experienced after a threatening message. By contrast, greater gamer affiliation increased positive affect and reduced negative affect experienced after an enhancement message. Analyses of participants’ emotional reactions to the messages revealed that individuals with stronger gamer identity affiliation reported relatively more homogeneous emotions relative to individuals less affiliated with gamer identity. We discuss these response patterns with respect to how emotions may shape intergroup interaction in online communication.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Effects of Side-Taking on Narrative Entertainment and the Perceptions of Events and Characters

  Media Psychology · 2023-09-12 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Media psychologists commonly study how narrative elements (e.g. characters) influence entertainment and perceptions. Research on the sequencing and structure of these elements (i.e. metanarrative; the shape of the story) is less common. In both areas, morality tends to ground theorizing (e.g. disposition theory). To extend knowledge in these domains, we conceptualize and observe the effects of side-taking (i.e. choosing a side during conflict), a core concept in narratives and moral psychology. Dynamic coordination theory explains that side-taking is fundamental to morality because it signals moral judgment/condemnation. In a preregistered experiment (N = 577), we observed how the direction (i.e. siding with/against the protagonists or taking no side) and timing of side-taking (i.e. early, middle, or late in the story) influenced variables at multiple levels of analysis (i.e. micro-to-macro). Although timing did not produce effects, we found robust evidence that the direction of side-taking affected variables at all levels of analysis.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Threat and Enhancement

  Journal of Media Psychology Theories Methods and Applications · 2023-05-16 · 3 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract: Advancing hypotheses derived from social identity theory, we investigated the influence of gamer identity affiliation on affective responses to identity threats and enhancements. Participants viewed a message that either devalued (i.e., threatened) or elevated (i.e., enhanced) the status of gamers when associating them with a mass shooting event. Relative to a control condition that neither threatened nor enhanced identity, our data demonstrated that gamer identity affiliation moderated affect. Specifically, greater gamer affiliation increased negative affect experienced after a threatening message. By contrast, greater gamer affiliation increased positive affect and reduced negative affect experienced after an enhancement message. Analyses of participants’ emotional reactions to the messages revealed that individuals with stronger gamer identity affiliation reported relatively more homogeneous emotions relative to individuals less affiliated with gamer identity. We discuss these response patterns with respect to how emotions may shape intergroup interaction in online communication.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Nooreen Hussain

  14 shared

• Saqib Walayat

  Peoria campus of the University of Illinois System

  12 shared

• Lorraine Leeson

  9 shared

• Haaris Sheikh

  8 shared

• Nicholas L. Matthews

  The Ohio State University

  6 shared

• Nicole Martins

  Indiana University Bloomington

  6 shared

• Jemina Napier

  Heriot-Watt University

  6 shared

• J. Nalinee Upalakalin

  OSF Saint Francis Medical Center

  6 shared

Education

• Mass Communication, Media School

  Indiana University

  2017

• M.A. (Telecommunications), Telecommunications

  Indiana University

  2013

• B.A. (Music), Music

  Armstrong Atlantic State University

  2008