History

I earned my B.A. in Anthropology at the University of WI - Milwaukee. My undergraduate experience in anthropology gave me the impression that anthropologists explore the evolutionary bases of human behavior and cultural variation. Afterall, anthropologists study evolution, behavior, and culture, right? Well, as many of you who haven't been hiding under a rock for the last 30 years have already figured out, I was dead wrong.

I came to the University of Texas - Austin in 2000 to join the Anthropology Department. It didn't take long for me to realize that I had made a terrible mistake. The rock under which I had apparently spent my entire life lifted: a cultural anthropologist, I was decidedly not. The following fall, I left Anthropology to begin my graduate work in the area of Individual Differences and Evolutionary Psychology under Dr. David Buss. Things have been much better ever since.

Research

My overall research objective is to understand human social behaviors and the social and cognitive processes that guide them (e.g. emotions, decision-making heuristics, etc). In carrying out this objective, I take a theoretically-driven, multi-method approach with an emphasis on integrating knowledge across traditional topical and disciplinary boundaries.

When pursuing a research question, I combine the theoretical grounding made available by evolutionary theory and its focus on adaptive function with social psychological theory and its emphasis on interpersonal relationships, decision-making, and social interactions. I am interested in looking at research questions from a variety of angles and -- as such -- I actively seek collaborations with other scientists whose area of expertise is different than my own. Thus far, I have been involved with a number of exciting collaborations with scientists across disciplines. These collaborations include one with evolutionary psychologist David Buss (who also happens to be my advisor) on a series of projects exploring the nature of disatisfaction, envy, and Schadenfreude. My collaborators also include work with evolutionary biologists Mike Ryan and Kern Reeve. Mike and I are exploring the use of decision-making heuristics in mate choice using an animal model (sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna), while Kern and I are developing a model of the human mind as an inclusive fitness projector.

I have serveral research interests, although (thus far) the primary foci of my research program have been : 1) mate choice and 2) social competition for access to limited resources (e.g., mates, wealth, and status). For more specific information on my research interests and to see what I have published and presented, check out my CV.

I can be reached by email at: sehill@mail.utexas.edu