Research Focus
Dr. Hazan's general area of interest is human mating. Most of her research has been conducted within the framework of ethological attachment theory, which focuses on the predisposition of people of all ages to form strong interpersonal bonds. Her initial work helped establish the theory's usefulness for understanding and explaining individual differences in the way adults think, feel, and behave in their closest relationships. More recently, she has been investigating the processes by which such bonds develop. The studies employ a variety of methods, including questionnaires, daily logs, heart rate monitoring, stress tasks, anthropometric assessments, and behavioral observations. There is ample evidence that people who have close social ties are happier and healthier and also live longer than people who lack such ties. Thus research on the factors that foster or inhibit the development of social attachments is of potentially important practical as well as theoretical value.