[1] Mesquita was born in Amsterdam in 1960 to Jewish Dutch parents who had survived the World War II in hiding.
In an extensive literature review that appeared in Psychological Bulletin,[9] she and Nico H. Frijda arrived at a synthesis of the research findings from different disciplines, which challenged the notion of universal basic emotions.
[11] Her current research focuses on unveiling the interpersonal processes that give rise to cross-culturally different emotions.
[14] Mesquita’s research interests include the consequences of emotional misfit of immigrant minorities for their belonging to and inclusion in majority culture.
[16] In 2020, Batja received an Advanced Grant, funded by the European Research Council under the H2020 programme, for the project called EmotionAcculturation.
[18] The project is responsible for investigating how emotions, as crucial interaction processes, reflect on immigrant minorities’ social inclusion and wellbeing.