Social Psychology of Health and Well-Being Lab
Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University
Principal investigator: Dr. Rotem Kahalon
Our Focus
We adopt a social psychological lens to understand people’s health and mental health.
We use diverse methodologies including experimental, survey methods as well as analysis of archival data and intervention studies.
Ongoing projects:
An Israel Science Foundation (ISF)–funded longitudinal study examining the psychological outcomes of objectification and self-objectification during the transition to motherhood.
This line of research investigates the underrecognition of childbirth-related PTSD among the general population as well as among healthcare and mental health professionals, with the goal of developing research-based interventions to improve awareness and identification.
This project examines how sexual objectification and partner objectification relate to women’s engagement in health-related behaviors.
A longitudinal experimental study conducted in collaboration with Ziv Medical Center, targeting women at risk for childbirth-related PTSD and evaluating the effectiveness of an early intervention following birth. Supported by the Strauss Family Research Grant.
Part of a large international collaboration, supported by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF). The project takes a comprehensive approach to enhancing older adults’ preparedness for extreme heat.
Our Research in the Media
Unseen Trauma: Recognizing and Understanding Childbirth-Related PTSD
Photo credit: freepik www.freepik.com.
Lack of sample diversity: How biased is our research practice?
Photo credit: Annie Spratt, Unsplash
Self-objectification linked to increased sexual dysfunction among women
Photo credit: Ron Lach. Pexels.
I hold an MA in social and clinical psychology and a PhD in psychology from Tel Aviv University. I completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Zurich and later served as a Research Fellow at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada.
As a psychologist, I am fascinated by the subtle, often unnoticed psychological mechanisms that shape our health and mental health.
Much of my work examines how societal norms, stereotypes, and expectations become internalized and influence health-related experiences, decisions, and interactions. I am particularly interested in how beauty norms affect women’s and men’s health and well-being, and how stereotypes about social groups — including gender, racial, and ethnic stereotypes — shape medical decision-making and behavior toward patients.
The lab is a home for people from diverse disciplinary and professional backgrounds who are interested in the intersection of psychology, health, and medicine