Morgan Ellithorpe

Morgan Ellithorpe

Associate Professor
 

Office: 246 Pearson Hall

Education

  • Ph.D. – The Ohio State University
  • M.A. – The Ohio State University
  • B.S. – Cornell University

Biography

Morgan Ellithorpe is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Delaware, which she joined in 2020. Her research centers on media psychology, particularly how media use influences human health. She is especially interested in the ways people engage with media actively and strategically to maximize their mental and physical well-being, as well as the times when this strategy fails and results in negative outcomes of media use. She is also interested in aspects of media use that influence enjoyment of media and involvement with media characters. 

Ellithorpe's research has been published in outlets such as Journal of Communication, Communication Research, Obesity, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Journal of Sex Research, Social Science and Medicine, and Media Psychology. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health.​

Media mentions
  • Philly sports fans aren't sleeping much these days, just don't wake them

    November 01, 2022 | Written by Anitra Johnson of Delaware News Journal
    The Phillies' improbable run has been like a dream for fans, but staying up late to watch World Series games is likely causing challenges for their sleep schedule, especially those with preexisting issues, said Morgan Ellithorpe, assistant professor of communication. "After the game is over," Ellithorpe cautioned, "you still have to work through the arousal part of your body's reaction and find a way to wind down."
  • A good night's sleep

    February 25, 2022 | Written by Ann Manser
    Some media use at bedtime can be beneficial, UD researcher finds
  • Watching TV for up to an hour before bed can help you sleep better

    February 08, 2022 | Written by Amanda Killelea of Yahoo News
    Article spotlights a study led by Morgan Ellithorpe, communication, who said that as long as use didn't involve multitasking and was conducted in bed, it was also associated with more total sleep time. "Keep it a short, focused session and you are unlikely to experience any negative outcomes in your sleep that night.”