At the BRANCH Lab, we ask big questions about how culture, stress, and life changes affect body image, eating, and health in our increasingly globalized world. We have many exciting projects underway, and we welcome curious minds to get involved. Please visit our Opportunities page if you’d like to join us in answering these questions!
How do cultural and social factors shape body image and eating behaviors?
We examine how acculturative stress, identity, and sociocultural pressures on body image contribute to body attitudes and eating behaviors across cultural groups.
What are the pathways linking stress and emotion regulation to eating and health outcomes?
We examine how emotion regulation difficulties and internalized weight bias influence the development of eating pathology and psychosocial impairment, integrating psychosocial and biological perspectives.
How do developmental transitions create risk and resilience in health outcomes?
We study how life stages such as young adulthood and pregnancy shape vulnerabilities and protective factors related to body image, eating, and psychological adjustment.