Health and Relationships Lab

Hill Lab @ TCU

Dr. Sarah E. Hill’s Health and Relationships Lab 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 relationships and health. Research in our 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 email.

Thinking about joining our team?

Applications to our PhD program are due December 31st. You can find information on our PhD program below. Before applying to graduate school, consider reading the Hill Lab Handbook to get an idea of what it takes to be successful in a PhD program. If you are an undergraduate who would like to join our team of undergraduate research assistants (RAs), please contact our lab manager for an application at hill.lab@tcu.edu.

PhD Students