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RESEARCH INTERESTS

Broadly speaking, my work explores the intersections between our brains and our bodies. These are two-way roads; our mental state can affect our physical health and infection and inflammation can affect our behavior and emotions. Because of this, it's no surprise that these connections are highly important for our health and well-being. 

Brain/body connections are relevant to a number of different behaviors, states, and physiological processes, including sleep, pain, and sickness behavior -- a set of changes in mood and behavior during infection found in humans and a wide variety of other animals. 

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Because humans are highly social creatures with complex and varied cultures -- and because culture can affect both our biology and the way that we interpret physical and emotional sensations -- I use an anthropological framework that focuses on human biological and cultural variation. I also use insights and methods from several complementary fields, including psychoneuroimmunology and behavioral endocrinology, in my research.

Published Papers
2024

Shattuck EC and Boyle CC. Introduction to the special issue: evolutionary and biopsychosocial perspectives on sickness communication. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 71–74. https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoae005

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Fernandez E, Perez B, Sun R, Kolaparthi K, Pham T, Iwuala E, Garza R, Shattuck EC, Wu W. Anger treatment via CBAT delivered remotely: outcomes on psychometric and self-monitored measures of anger. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy 31, e2907. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2907

 

Kopels MC, Shattuck EC, Rocha J, & Roulette CJ. Investigating the linkages between food insecurity, psychological distress, and poor sleep outcomes among U.S. college students. American Journal of Human Biology, 36(5), e24032. https://doi.org/10. 1002/ajhb.24032


2023

Makhanova A, Lambert WA, Blanchard R, Alcock J, Shattuck EC, Wilson MP. Pathogen disgust is association with interpersonal bias among healthcare professionals. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health 11, 438-447. https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoad036

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Slavich GM, Roos LG, Moriarity DP, Webb C, Shattuck EC, Mengelkoch S, Alley JC. Social safety theory: conceptual foundation and future directions. Health Psychology Review 17, 5-59. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2023.2171900 

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McKinnon, L**, Shattuck EC, Samson, DR. Sound reasons for unsound sleep: Comparative support for the sentinel hypothesis in industrial and nonindustrial groups. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, eoac039. https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoac039

 

Muehlenbein MP, Gassen J, Shattuck EC, Sparks C. Lower testosterone levels are associated with higher risk of death in men. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoac044

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Fernandez E, Pham T**, Kolaparthi K**, Sun R**, Perez B**, Iwuala E**, Wu W, Shattuck EC. Parameters of anger related to components of pain.  Scandinavian Journal of Pain 23, 284-290. https://doi.org/10.1515/sjpain-2022-0131

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Gibb JK**, Spake L, McKinnon L**, Shattuck EC, McKerracher L. Sexual minority status is associated with earlier recalled age of menarche: evidence from the 2005-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.  American Journal of Human Biology: e23835. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23825


2022

Ceballos NA, Westerberg C, Graham R, Shattuck EC, Perrotte J. Blackouts and hangover experiences among Hispanic and non-Hispanic White college students. Addictive Behaviors Reports 16:100466. doi: 10.1016/j.abrep.2022.100446

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Shattuck EC, Ramos Herrera IM, Sunil TS. Presenteeism among healthcare providers, staff, and students in Jalisco, Mexico: a descriptive study. Cureus 14: e28533. doi:10.7759/cureus.28533 

 

Shattuck EC, Sparks CS. Sleep duration is related to increased mortality risk through white blood cell counts in a large national sample. American Journal of Human Biology e23574. doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23574

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Fernandez, E, Wu W, Shattuck EC, Kolaparthi K**. Sensory and affective descriptors of pain as predictors of functional impairment and psychosocial disability. Journal of Pain. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2022.04.002


2021

Shattuck EC. Networks, cultures, and institutions: toward a social immunology. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity – Health 18:100367. doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100367

 

Shattuck EC, Perrotte JK, Daniels CL**, Xu X, Sunil TS. Signaling sickness: the role of sickness behavior and cultural context. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health:eoab017. doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoab017

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Perrotte JK, Shattuck EC, Daniels CL, Xu X, Sunil TS. A latent profile analysis of the link between sociocultural factors and health-related risk-taking among US adults. BMC Public Health 21:546. doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10608-z

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Gibb JK, Shattuck EC. Sexual orientation-based disparities in bone health: evidence of reduced bone mineral density and mineral content among sexual minority men but not women in multiple NHANES waves. American Journal of Human Biology. doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.23534 

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Stockmaier S, Stroeymeyt N, Shattuck EC, Hawley DM, Meyers LA, Bolnick DI. Infectious diseases and social distancing in nature. Science 371:eabc8881. doi.org/10.1126/science.abc8881


2020

Shattuck EC, Muehlenbein MP. Religiosity/spirituality and physiological markers of health. Journal of Religion and Health 59, 1035-1054.

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Shattuck EC, Perrotte JK, Daniels CL, Xu X, Sunil TS. The contribution of sociocultural factors in shaping self-reported sickness behavior. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 14:4. doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00004


2019

Shattuck EC. A biocultural approach to psychiatric illnesses. Psychopharmacology. doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-5178-7


2018

Shattuck EC. Ecological context and human variation: applying biological anthropology to psychoneuroimmunology. In Q. Yan (Ed.), Psychoneuroimmunology: Methods and Protocols, 2nd ed., Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 1781. Springer Science+Business Media. p. 55-76. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7828-1_4

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Longman D, Prall SP, Shattuck EC, Stephen ID, Stock JT, Wells JCK, Muehlenbein MP. Short-term resource allocation during extensive athletic competition. American Journal of Human Biology 2017:e23052. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23052

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2016

Shattuck EC and Muehlenbein MP. Towards an integrative picture of human sickness behavior. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 57:255-262. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2016.05.002

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Shattuck EC. The dilemma of immune stimulation and suppression during depression: one step closer to a solution? Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 54:15-16. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2016.02.004


2015

Shattuck EC and Muehlenbein MP. Human sickness behavior: ultimate and proximate explanations. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 157:1-18. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.22698

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Shattuck EC and Muehlenbein MP. Mood, behavior, testosterone, cortisol, and interleukin-6 in adults during immune activation: a pilot study to assess sickness behaviors in humans. American Journal of Human Biology 27:133-135. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.22608


2013

Denison AM, DeLeon-Carnes M, Blau DM, Shattuck EC, McDougal LK, Rasheed JK, Limbago BM, Zaki SR, and Paddock CD. Molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus and influenza virus coinfections in patients with fatal pneumonia. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 51:4223-4225. doi:10.1128/JCM.02503-13


2010

Reiber C, Shattuck EC, Fiore S, van Goozen P, Davis V, and Moore J. Change in human social behavior in response to a common vaccine. Annals of Epidemiology 20:729-733. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.06.014

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