Martie Haselton

Martie Haselton is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), within the College of Letters & Science. Her research focuses on evolutionary psychology, particularly how evolutionary mechanisms shape social and mating behaviors. She explores topics such as women’s fertility-related decision-making, ovulation cues detectable by others, and hormonal influences on behavior.

Dr. Haselton holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin (2006), an M.A. from the College of William & Mary (2001), and a B.A. from the University of San Diego (1998). Her work challenges assumptions about concealed ovulation in humans and examines implications for attraction dynamics, relationship stability, and maternal mental health.

Her research interests include intimate relationships, mating strategies, social endocrinology, and cognitive biases. Key projects include studies on ovulation cues (e.g., clothing choices, vocal pitch changes), postpartum hormonal effects on maternal well-being, and the evolutionary basis of political beliefs and social status signaling. Recent work also addresses pandemic-related behavioral adaptations and methodological innovations in psychological science.

Dr. Haselton’s lab at UCLA conducts interdisciplinary research, integrating behavioral experiments, hormonal analyses, and computational modeling. She collaborates with scholars in biology, computer science, and public health to advance evolutionary perspectives on human behavior.