Frances S Chen
Biographic Data
| ID | 769807 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Frances S Chen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Frances S |
| FAMILY NAME | Chen |
| SIGNATURE | CHEN F S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of British Columbia |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2322-1095 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 19 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Heterogeneity of Effects in a Prosociality‐Based Intervention to Reduce Loneliness and Increase Social Contact
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the effects of an act of kindness intervention on increasing daily social contact and reducing loneliness among community adults experiencing loneliness. It also explores heterogeneity in effects and potential moderators, including individual differences in baseline social health and intervention implementation. METHOD: In a randomized controlled trial, 208 adults were randomly assigned to perform daily acts of kin…
Better together
Establishing new social connections is critical during the transition to university, especially for students who have moved far from home. We examined how students’ one-on-one connections, along with the dynamics of their social groups, related to their adjustment across a school year. Participants were 717 first-year international undergraduates at a Canadian university who participated in a transition program involving assignment to orientation…
Public Health Guidelines for Social Connection
Research Review
BACKGROUND: Growing evidence suggests that the use of hormonal contraceptives (HCs) during adolescence may be linked to an increased risk for depression. This review examines major inconsistencies that have been reported regarding this relationship, and in particular, how the common practice of combining 'never users' and 'former users' of HCs in analyses obscures patterns that are detectable when these groups are analyzed separately. METHODS: A …
The role of testosterone in odor-based perceptions of social status
Awareness of the social status of conspecifics is crucial for members of social species, including humans. Given that testosterone is thought to promote status motivation in humans and may also alter body odor, the present study investigates whether perceptions of social status can be influenced by body odor cues associated with testosterone. Male scent donors ( N = 74) provided salivary testosterone samples and scent samples from worn T-shirts. …
Prosocial Behavior as an Antidote to Social Disconnection
How do we reinforce climate action
Humanity has a shrinking window to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, yet climate action is still lacking on both individual and policy levels. We argue that this is because behavioral interventions have largely neglected the basic principles of operant conditioning as one set of tools to promote collective climate action. In this perspective, we propose an operant conditioning framework that uses rewards and punishments to shape transp…
Directly-measured smartphone screen time predicts well-being and feelings of social connectedness
Previous findings on the relationship between smartphone use and well-being have been mixed. This may be partially due to a reliance on cross-sectional study designs and self-reported smartphone usage. In the current study, we collected screen time data by directly tracking participants' ( N = 325, ages 14−80 years, 58% women) smartphone usage over a period of 6 days. We combined this tracking with ecological momentary assessment, asking particip…
Are loneliness and social isolation equal threats to health and well-being? An outcome-wide longitudinal approach
The detrimental effects of loneliness and social isolation on health and well-being outcomes are well documented. In response, governments, corporations, and community-based organizations have begun leveraging tools to create interventions and policies aimed at reducing loneliness and social isolation at scale. However, these efforts are frequently hampered by a key knowledge gap: when attempting to improve specific health and well-being outcomes…
Self-affirmation reduces internalized heterosexism in sexual minority people
Association between adolescent oral contraceptive use and future major depressive disorder
BACKGROUND: Because of the widespread use of oral contraceptives (OCs) and the devastating effects of depression both on an individual and a societal level, it is crucial to understand the nature of the previously reported relationship between OC use and depression risk. Insight into the impact of analytical choices on the association is important when interpreting available evidence. Hence, we examined the association between adolescent OC use a…
Common variants of the oxytocin receptor gene do not predict the positive mood benefits of prosocial spending
Who benefits most from helping others? Previous research suggests that common polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) predict whether people behave generously and experience increases in positive mood in response to socially focused experiences in daily life. Building on these findings, we conducted an experiment with a large, ethnically homogenous sample (N = 437) to examine whether individual differences in three frequently studied s…
Vegetarian or meat? Food choice modeling of main dishes occurs outside of awareness
Olfactory cues from romantic partners and strangers influence women’s responses to stress
The scent of another person can activate memories, trigger emotions, and spark romantic attraction; however, almost nothing is known about whether and how human scents influence responses to stress. In the current study, 96 women were randomly assigned to smell one of three scents (their romantic partner's, a stranger's, or a neutral scent) and exposed to an acute stressor (Trier Social Stress Test). Perceived stress and cortisol were measured co…
An Oxytocin Receptor Gene Variant Predicts Attachment Anxiety in Females and Autism-Spectrum Traits in Males
A molecular genetic approach was used to investigate the relationship between common variants of the oxytocin receptor ( OXTR) gene and self-reported social functioning in healthy adults. Females with at least one copy of the A allele at OXTR rs2254298 reported greater attachment anxiety than females with two copies of the G allele. Males with at least one copy of the A allele at OXTR rs2254298 reported more autism-associated traits than males wi…
Tell me more
Cooperative Activities in Young Children and Chimpanzees
Human children 18–24 months of age and 3 young chimpanzees interacted in 4 cooperative activities with a human adult partner. The human children successfully participated in cooperative problem-solving activities and social games, whereas the chimpanzees were uninterested in the social games. As an experimental manipulation, in each task the adult partner stopped participating at a specific point during the activity. All children produced at leas…
Vegetarian or meat? Food choice modeling of main dishes occurs outside of awareness
Olfactory cues from romantic partners and strangers influence women’s responses to stress
The scent of another person can activate memories, trigger emotions, and spark romantic attraction; however, almost nothing is known about whether and how human scents influence responses to stress. In the current study, 96 women were randomly assigned to smell one of three scents (their romantic partner's, a stranger's, or a neutral scent) and exposed to an acute stressor (Trier Social Stress Test). Perceived stress and cortisol were measured co…
Tell me more
Directly-measured smartphone screen time predicts well-being and feelings of social connectedness
Previous findings on the relationship between smartphone use and well-being have been mixed. This may be partially due to a reliance on cross-sectional study designs and self-reported smartphone usage. In the current study, we collected screen time data by directly tracking participants' ( N = 325, ages 14−80 years, 58% women) smartphone usage over a period of 6 days. We combined this tracking with ecological momentary assessment, asking particip…
How do we reinforce climate action
Humanity has a shrinking window to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, yet climate action is still lacking on both individual and policy levels. We argue that this is because behavioral interventions have largely neglected the basic principles of operant conditioning as one set of tools to promote collective climate action. In this perspective, we propose an operant conditioning framework that uses rewards and punishments to shape transp…
Self-affirmation reduces internalized heterosexism in sexual minority people
Cooperative Activities in Young Children and Chimpanzees
Human children 18–24 months of age and 3 young chimpanzees interacted in 4 cooperative activities with a human adult partner. The human children successfully participated in cooperative problem-solving activities and social games, whereas the chimpanzees were uninterested in the social games. As an experimental manipulation, in each task the adult partner stopped participating at a specific point during the activity. All children produced at leas…
Tell me more
An Oxytocin Receptor Gene Variant Predicts Attachment Anxiety in Females and Autism-Spectrum Traits in Males
A molecular genetic approach was used to investigate the relationship between common variants of the oxytocin receptor ( OXTR) gene and self-reported social functioning in healthy adults. Females with at least one copy of the A allele at OXTR rs2254298 reported greater attachment anxiety than females with two copies of the G allele. Males with at least one copy of the A allele at OXTR rs2254298 reported more autism-associated traits than males wi…
Vegetarian or meat? Food choice modeling of main dishes occurs outside of awareness
Olfactory cues from romantic partners and strangers influence women’s responses to stress
The scent of another person can activate memories, trigger emotions, and spark romantic attraction; however, almost nothing is known about whether and how human scents influence responses to stress. In the current study, 96 women were randomly assigned to smell one of three scents (their romantic partner's, a stranger's, or a neutral scent) and exposed to an acute stressor (Trier Social Stress Test). Perceived stress and cortisol were measured co…
Common variants of the oxytocin receptor gene do not predict the positive mood benefits of prosocial spending
Who benefits most from helping others? Previous research suggests that common polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) predict whether people behave generously and experience increases in positive mood in response to socially focused experiences in daily life. Building on these findings, we conducted an experiment with a large, ethnically homogenous sample (N = 437) to examine whether individual differences in three frequently studied s…
Association between adolescent oral contraceptive use and future major depressive disorder
BACKGROUND: Because of the widespread use of oral contraceptives (OCs) and the devastating effects of depression both on an individual and a societal level, it is crucial to understand the nature of the previously reported relationship between OC use and depression risk. Insight into the impact of analytical choices on the association is important when interpreting available evidence. Hence, we examined the association between adolescent OC use a…
Are loneliness and social isolation equal threats to health and well-being? An outcome-wide longitudinal approach
The detrimental effects of loneliness and social isolation on health and well-being outcomes are well documented. In response, governments, corporations, and community-based organizations have begun leveraging tools to create interventions and policies aimed at reducing loneliness and social isolation at scale. However, these efforts are frequently hampered by a key knowledge gap: when attempting to improve specific health and well-being outcomes…
Self-affirmation reduces internalized heterosexism in sexual minority people
Prosocial Behavior as an Antidote to Social Disconnection
How do we reinforce climate action
Humanity has a shrinking window to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, yet climate action is still lacking on both individual and policy levels. We argue that this is because behavioral interventions have largely neglected the basic principles of operant conditioning as one set of tools to promote collective climate action. In this perspective, we propose an operant conditioning framework that uses rewards and punishments to shape transp…
Directly-measured smartphone screen time predicts well-being and feelings of social connectedness
Previous findings on the relationship between smartphone use and well-being have been mixed. This may be partially due to a reliance on cross-sectional study designs and self-reported smartphone usage. In the current study, we collected screen time data by directly tracking participants' ( N = 325, ages 14−80 years, 58% women) smartphone usage over a period of 6 days. We combined this tracking with ecological momentary assessment, asking particip…
Public Health Guidelines for Social Connection
Research Review
BACKGROUND: Growing evidence suggests that the use of hormonal contraceptives (HCs) during adolescence may be linked to an increased risk for depression. This review examines major inconsistencies that have been reported regarding this relationship, and in particular, how the common practice of combining 'never users' and 'former users' of HCs in analyses obscures patterns that are detectable when these groups are analyzed separately. METHODS: A …
The role of testosterone in odor-based perceptions of social status
Awareness of the social status of conspecifics is crucial for members of social species, including humans. Given that testosterone is thought to promote status motivation in humans and may also alter body odor, the present study investigates whether perceptions of social status can be influenced by body odor cues associated with testosterone. Male scent donors ( N = 74) provided salivary testosterone samples and scent samples from worn T-shirts. …
Heterogeneity of Effects in a Prosociality‐Based Intervention to Reduce Loneliness and Increase Social Contact
OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the effects of an act of kindness intervention on increasing daily social contact and reducing loneliness among community adults experiencing loneliness. It also explores heterogeneity in effects and potential moderators, including individual differences in baseline social health and intervention implementation. METHOD: In a randomized controlled trial, 208 adults were randomly assigned to perform daily acts of kin…
Better together
Establishing new social connections is critical during the transition to university, especially for students who have moved far from home. We examined how students’ one-on-one connections, along with the dynamics of their social groups, related to their adjustment across a school year. Participants were 717 first-year international undergraduates at a Canadian university who participated in a transition program involving assignment to orientation…
Psychology (14 works) · Social Psychology (11 works) · Developmental psychology (9 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Medicine (6 works) · Psychiatry (6 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (4 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (4 works) · Biology (3 works)