Sarah Hill
Professor, Psychology | Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX, UNITED STATES
Dr. Hill specializes in research on women's sexual psychology, sex hormones, and the birth control pill.
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Biography
Dr. Sarah E. Hill earned her PhD in evolutionary psychology at the University of Texas at Austin working under Dr. David Buss. She is currently a researcher and professor at TCU, lead research advisor at 28, and a thought leader in the area of women’s hormones and sexual psychology. Sarah’s groundbreaking research has resulted in more than 80 research publications. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Scientific American, The Economist, and on television shows like Good Morning and The Today Show. Most recently, Sarah has authored “This is your brain on birth control: the surprising science of women, hormones, and the law of unintended consequences”, which sheds critical new light on the psychological impact of women’s sex hormones and the birth control pill.
Areas of Expertise (6)
Women's Psychology
Sex Hormones
The Birth Control Pill
Interpersonal Relationships
Menstrual Cycle
Mind-Body Interactions
Education (1)
University of Texas, Austin: Ph.D. 2006
Affiliations (5)
- Association of Psychological Science
- Evolution and Human Behavior Society
- Society for Personality and Social Psychology
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology : Editorial Review Board
- Departmental Review Board : Chair
Links (6)
Languages (1)
- English
Media Appearances (4)
Would You Love the Same Man On and Off the Pill? | Dr. Sarah Hill | EP 403
The Dr. Jordan B. Peterson Podcast online
2023-12-07
Dr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down in-person with researcher, professor, and author, Dr. Sarah Hill. They break down sex-based differences in regret, competition, and academia; the balance between life exposure and safeguarding when raising a child; the practice of “mate-choice copying” among women; and why our hormones are a foundational part not just of our physical makeup, but also of who we are and who we have the potential to become.
Episode 213: Revolutionizing Birth Control
The Gabby Reece Show online
2023-08-07
Hi everyone. Welcome to the show. My guest today is Sarah Hill. She is a Ph.D. and the author of a groundbreaking book. I loved it. It’s “Your Brain on Birth Control: The Surprising Science of Women Hormones and the Law of Unintended Consequences.” Now, before all my men run away, if you have a daughter, if you have a female partner, or even if you have a mother, because you know, we’re always like, oh, my mom is crazy, let’s bridge the gaps. Let’s get information about birth control.
'Why I Gave up on Birth Control' | Opinion
Newsweek online
2022-10-03
I first went on the contraceptive pill when I was 17. I had a long-term boyfriend, and while we were using condoms, I decided I wanted a more reliable form of birth control. I knew a few of my friends were on hormonal contraceptives, but didn't really know much about them. It just seemed like everyone I knew was going on them and they made a lot of sense; I didn't spend a whole lot of time thinking about the potential side effects at the time.
Can birth control pills influence the female brain?
Today online
2019-09-25
In her book “This Is Your Brain on Birth Control,” researcher Sarah Hill challenges the estimated 46 million American women using a form of hormonal contraception to consider how it can affect the way they think, feel and act. Hill and Dr. Taraneh Shirazian, an OB-GYN from NYU Langone Health, join the 3rd hour of TODAY to discuss.
Event Appearances (12)
Nothing in Health Psychology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution | Invited Colloquium Speaker
(2023) Rice University Houston, TX
Sex Hormones, The Female Brain, And The Birth Control Pill | Invited Public Address
(2023) The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues | Dickenson College Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Success in science is a path paved with self-doubt and failure | Keynote Address
(2023) Annual meeting of the FOSSIL Society Fayetteville, Arkansas
Design and Disorder: The Evolutionary Foundations of the Mental Health Crisis Among Women | Opening Keynote Address
(2023) Metagenics Institute Congress: The Well Woman Sydney, Australia
Sex Hormones, The Female Brain, And The Birth Control Pill | Closing Keynote Address
(2023) Metagenics Institute Congress: The Well Woman Sydney, Australia
Pitching and Writing a Popular Science Book: Communicating Science without Getting in the Weeds | Presented Talk
(2023) Annual Meeting for Human Behavior and Evolutionary Society Palm Springs, CA
Sex Hormones, The Female Brain, And The Birth Control Pill
(2023) Women’s Health Summit Continuing Education Forum | PESI Healthcare Online
Birth Control as a Grand Challenge | Invited Keynote Address
(2023) Annual Meeting of the Grand Challenges Initiative | Chapman University Orange, CA
Sex Hormones, The Female Brain, And The Birth Control Pill | Invited Speaker
Chapman University Brain Institute and Department of Psychology Distinguished Speaker Series |Chapman University Orange, CA
Sex Hormones, The Female Brain, And The Birth Control Pill | Invited Speaker
(2023) Mind the Gap: Hormonal Contraceptives and Brain Health Conference Online
A successful research career is paved with self-doubt and failure | Invited Keynote Address
(2023) Ph.D. Day, Graduate School of Health and Interdisciplinary Studies | Aarhus University Aarhus, Denmark
Sex Hormones, The Female Brain, And The Birth Control Pill | Invited Talk
(2023) Department of Translational Neuropsychiatry | Aarhus University Aarhus, Denmark
Articles (4)
Hormonal contraceptive use is associated with differences in women’s inflammatory and psychological reactivity to an acute social stressor
Brain Behavior and Immunity2024 Women using hormonal contraceptives (HCs) exhibit numerous signs of chronic inflammation, including elevated C-reactive protein levels and greater risk of developing mood and autoimmune disorders. However, users and non-users of HCs often have similar circulating proinflammatory cytokine levels, making the mechanism of association unclear.
A multi-site study of the relationship between photoperiod and ovulation rate using Natural Cycles data
Scientific Reports2023 Many species exhibit seasonal patterns of breeding. Although humans can shield themselves from many season-related stressors, they appear to exhibit seasonal patterns of investment in reproductive function nonetheless, with levels of sex steroid hormones being highest during the spring and summer months.
Moving beyond the mean: Promising research pathways to support a precision medicine approach to hormonal contraception
Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology2023 Women’s psychological and behavioral responses to hormonal contraceptive (HC) treatment can be highly variable. One of the great challenges to researchers seeking to improve the experiences of women who use HCs is to identify the sources of this variability to minimize unpleasant psychobehavioral side-effects. In the following, we provide recommendations for programs of research aimed at identifying sources of heterogeneity in women’s experiences with HC.
Early life adversity, inflammation, and immune function: An initial test of adaptive response models of immunological programming
Development and Psychopathology2022 Much research indicates that exposure to early life adversity (ELA) predicts chronic inflammatory activity, increasing one’s risk of developing diseases of aging later in life. Despite its costs, researchers have proposed that chronic inflammation may be favored in this context because it would help promote immunological vigilance in environments with an elevated risk of infection and injury.
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