Social relationships play a key role in overall physiological and psychological well being. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for a better understanding of the physiological consequences of isolation and decreases in social connectedness. The prairie vole is an excellent model to study the biological consequences of differing social conditions because it is a small rodent that exhibits both pair bonding and biparental care. Here we will examine differences in oxytocin receptor density in prairie voles that were placed in different social groups. Oxytocin has been implicated in the importance of social interactions and social experience. Prairie voles were housed singly or in opposite-sex pairs and underwent metabolic testing. Following testing, the subjects were euthanized and tissue was collected for histological analysis. In the next few months, brain and adipose tissue will be sectioned and undergo autoradiography to determine oxytocin receptor density in several regions of interest. We anticipate finding differences in OTR density in certain brain regions and within adipose tissue that will reflect both metabolic changes and changed behavior.

Nonverbal communication plays an important role in interpersonal relationships and how we perceive others. One significant aspect of nonverbal communication is warmth which conveys emotions like friendliness, empathy, and pleasantness. The present research aims to identify the specific nonverbal behaviors that are perceived as warm and later apply these in the medical field. Through systematic observations, experiments, and surveys, we investigate how and what nonverbal cues contribute to the perception of warmth. The findings of this research will offer valuable insights into how people understand each other without language and give opportunities for improvement. Future research will aim to test the longitudinal effectiveness of a nonverbal communication training workshop. We expect to see positive effects on relationships between medical professionals and their patients when warm nonverbal behaviors are used. Overall, this study provides an exploration of nonverbal communication and warmth while highlighting ways for both to be used in a medical setting. By doing so, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of the fundamental dynamics that shape emotional experiences and social connections.

This 3-wave panel study examines the relationship between Separate Spheres Ideology (SSI), abortion attitudes, and attitudes toward reproductive health policies. Prior research on gender ideology has focused on prescriptive and descriptive stereotypes as measures, but this study aims to further test the validity of SSI as a measure of gender ideology. It was generally expected that those respondents who endorse SSI, who are committed to preserving the gendered-status quo in society, will be more likely to endorse the SCOTUS decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization and related policy attitudes when the Dobbs decision is depicted as a threat to the gendered status quo. So far the results have supported this hypothesis. The surveys were administered through Bovitz/Forthright, an online research panel. The analytic focus was to test the interaction between SSI at Time 1 and the experimental factors presented at Time 2. Wave 1 included baseline measures, such as SSI, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, political ideology, and political party, serving as control variables. In Wave 2, participants were randomly assigned to the control condition or one of two experimental conditions (Societal Impact or Basic Impact). Survey questions in Wave 2 measured various dependent variables, including attitudes toward abortion. Wave 3 also assessed attitudes toward Dobbs and other policy-related questions on abortion and reproductive health, but Wave 3 analyses are beyond the scope of this project. The study aims to examine the validity of SSI and its influence in a new, non-electoral context.

Loneliness appears to result in an array of negative health and mental health outcomes, including early death (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015). While discrimination directly and negatively affects social relationships, its role in contributing to loneliness is not well understood. Additionally, many groups that experience higher rates of discrimination, such as immigrant Latinx populations, also experience social disruption from immigration. Social support networks may protect against the negative health impacts of loneliness and may also improve discrimination-related mental health outcomes (Lee et al., 2019; Held et al., 2022). The current project examines these factors in connection with each other. Participants were 79 Latinx residents of a rural midwestern community. Participants completed a series of questionnaires, consisting of social support (MSPSS), depression (PHQ-9), post-traumatic stress disorder (PCL-5), loneliness (UCLA Loneliness scale), frequency of discrimination exposure (everyday discrimination scale) and a social network questionnaire. Analyses are ongoing and will examine the extent to which discrimination and years in the U.S. predict loneliness, social support, and the number of supportive social network ties a person reports. They will further examine how loneliness, social support, and supportive ties uniquely predict post-traumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms. Data will contribute to our understanding of how social networks and loneliness impact discrimination-related mental health outcomes. Further, this study will support mental health practitioners in assessing the needs of immigrant communities and will aid the development of adequate treatment interventions.