Research

Climate Change

While individual behaviour change is important, broader systemic changes are necessary to effectively mitigate climate change. I study the factors that drive people to prioritise either individual-level behaviour changes or broader systemic changes in their approach to mitigating climate change. Our research shows that when people perceive their country to be wealthy, they are more likely to support systemic change over policies aimed at individual-level behaviour change. We also found that the perception of economic inequality in one’s society increases public support for systemic change, as it fuels a desire for more drastic changes.

Biodiversity

My research also focuses on concern for biodiversity. While biodiversity and climate change are commonly linked in public discourse, they are distinct issues with unique contributing factors. For example, habitat destruction and invasive species predominantly affect biodiversity rather than climate change. By examining the factors shaping public attitudes towards biodiversity, my research aims to inform more effective strategies for biodiversity conservation.

Beauty & Morality

I study the role of aesthetic judgments in moral standing attributions. I found in my research that people attribute more moral standing to beautiful (compared to ugly) people, animals, landscapes and buildings through perceptions of purity. We also showed that people attribute more moral standing to beautiful than to ugly animals, independent of the animals’ perceived mental capacities, dispositions to cause harm, familiarity, edibility and similarity to humans. Related to this, I am interested in the psychological function of ugliness judgments. My research suggests that ugliness may have the function to alert us to cues of pathogen threat. As such, ugliness judgments may be the aesthetic dimension of the human disease-avoidance system.