Research

How does the mismatch between the world the human brain is built for and the world we live in today shape our health and behavior? My research investigates this question across multiple domains of life—from the partners we choose and the families we build, to the products we buy and the careers we pursue.

Scholarly Publication Highlights

Health and Wellbeing

Serendipity

Why we have everything but happiness

Stress and spending

Stress and enjoyment

Families

Daughters promote pair-bonding in fathers

Changes in gendered division of labor

Do mothers spend more on daughters while fathers spend more on sons?

Spending on daughters versus sons in economic recessions

Romantic Partners

Why women choose divorce

Pair-bonded relationships and romantic alternatives

Women’s behavior toward men changes across the ovulatory cycle

Ovulation leads women to perceive sexy cads as good dads

Estrogen and mating

Careers

Sex ratio and women’s career choice

Outdated gender norms and women’s workplace advancement

Status Competition

Money, status, and the ovulatory cycle

Boosting beauty in an economic decline

Ovulation, female competition, and product choice

Women’s conspicuous consumption

Women’s choice of dress

Women’s pursuit of attractiveness