Research
My research addresses how societies respond to diversity in the context of global challenges - such as stigma and inequality, loneliness, infectious diseases, women's health, migration, social conflict, political polarization, and climate change - and their effects on health and wellbeing (UN SDG3, SDG5, SDG10). I examine how social processes shape relations among people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds (in settings like healthcare and education) and contribute to social and health inequalities, across the lifespan and in different cultures.
1. Diversity and Health
Social stigma (e.g. relating to mental health, menstruation, infant-feeding, ethnic background)
Societal threats (e.g. climate change, political polarization, infectious diseases) and health / health behavior
Loneliness inequality
2. Diversity and Conflict
Bridging social divides: Theory-based interventions (e.g. virtual reality, mental imagery, mindfulness meditation, intergroup contact) to reduce social stigma, racial and gender biases in pain, political polarization, and social conflict.
Social relations: Factors that influence relations between majority and minority groups (e.g. empathy, alexithymia, personality, memory biases)
My work contributes towards the following global Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations:
