Sarahehillphd

About Sarah

I am a research psychologist and professor who studies health, relationships, and other forms of social behavior using the super-generative theoretical tools available from the evolutionary sciences. My research lab is located in the Department of Psychology at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. I am also a writer and a speaker with a passion for helping people learn about science and the ways it can help them feel happier, healthier, and better connected.

Born and raised in southeastern Wisconsin, I went on to earn my undergraduate degree in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee (pronounced Mwah-kee, in case you want to sound like a local). It was at UWM that I was first exposed to research in human behavioral ecology and evolutionary psychology. To make a long story short, it was love at first sight and off to graduate school I went. I earned my Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin working with Dr. David Buss. I have an almost endless number of research interests, but tend to gravitate toward questions about relationships and health. You can learn more about what we are working on now on my Research Page.

Research

My research laboratory is located in the Department of Psychology at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. Our research uses insights from the evolutionary sciences to address a range of research questions about human social behavior and health. Research in my lab is highly interdisciplinary, bringing together insights from evolutionary biology, neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, development, endocrinology, and social psychology (although not all at the same time). Here are some questions we are looking at right now:

• How does immune function impact decision-making and strategies of human mating?
• How does inflammation impact decision-making and life history trade-offs?
• How does early life poverty impact food regulation and weight gain?
• What are the various functions of disgust? And how does it interact with the immune system?
• How does competition for resources impact person-perception and mating strategies?
• How do hormonal contraceptives impact sensation-seeking, mate choice, and relationship integrity?
• How do women compete for romantic partners?

We are also interested in pretty much anything that has anything to do with life history theory, the effects of early life stress on developmental outcomes, the behavioral immune system, and human mating. For more specific information on current research and ongoing projects in the lab, please check out our recent papers or send us an [[1]].