Social Psychology of Health and Well-Being Lab
Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University
Principal investigator: Dr. Rotem Kahalon
At the Social Psychology of Health and Well-Being Lab at Bar-Ilan University, we investigate the psychological mechanisms that help maintain inequality, and how they contribute to disparities in health, mental health, and well-being.
We welcome people from various backgrounds: social psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, health studies, social work, etc.
Our Focus
Applying social psychology to study health and well-being-related outcomes, the lab focuses on two main lines of research:
- Understanding the effects of dehumanization and objectification on people’s health
- Understanding the subtle psychological processes that maintain inequality and finding ways to overcome them
We use diverse methodologies including experimental, descriptive, and 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
Receiving compliments can be distracting, and lead to a self-conscious state that’s cognitively draining.
Photo credit: Eva Bronzini. Pexels.
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.
As a social psychologist, I’m interested in how subtle, often unnoticeable, social psychological mechanisms help maintain intergroup inequality, and how they contribute to disparities in health, mental health, and well-being.
The lab is a place for people from different disciplines and backgrounds (e.g., psychologists, social workers, healthcare workers) who are interested in how psychology could be used to improve patients’ health and well-being.