Research

Eric S. Kim’s program of research aims to identify, understand, and intervene upon the dimensions of psychological well-being and social connection that reduce the risk of age-related conditions. This research also aims to understand the influence that the social environment has on the connection between psychological well-being/social connection and physical health. His research integrates perspectives from psychology, epidemiology, gerontology, biology, biostatistics, and translational science.

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Purpose

Optimism & Mastery

Well-being

Social Relationships

Other

Theoretical Framework

Theoretical Model

Dr Eric S. Kim’s work is mainly guided by two theoretical frameworks. First is a theoretical model which proposes that psychological well-being primarily functions through three mechanisms to enhance health:  
1) Promoting acquisition and maintenance of healthy lifestyles
2) Directly affecting relevant neurobiological processes
3) Promoting acquisition and maintenance of a broader set  of social and psychological influencers of health

Social Ecological Model

His social environment work is guided by the social ecological model which emerged from developments in: biology, psychology, sociology, and public health. In brief, the model asserts that the health of individuals is shaped by multiple contexts. A visual metaphor is a series of concentric circles that represent different levels of influence on people starting at the micro-context (the family & peer networks), extending out to the meso-level (neighborhoods and workplaces), and then further out to the macro-level context (economic structures and societal institutions). Although the exact content and contours of these levels differ depending on the field of research, they all agree that several levels of influence shape people’s health.

4 Core questions that drive our research

Population aging is one of the most important social trends of the 21st century. In both Canada and the U.S., the # of adults aged ≥65 is projected to increase by 45%-55% in the next 15 years. Thus, it is imperative to develop a science that informs a more comprehensive approach to healthy aging. Dr. Kim’s overarching goal is to substantially help improve the psychological well-being, social well-being, and physical health of our rapidly growing population. In pursuit of this goal, his program of research revolves around 4 interwoven questions. His research uses a variety of study designs and analytic tools including: population-based cohort studies, biostatistical causal inference methods, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, focus groups, and randomized controlled trials.

45-55%

In Canada and the United States, adults aged 65+ are projected to increase by 45%-55% over the next 15 years

QUESTION 1

How Might Our Mindsets and Relationships Influence our Health?

Are different dimensions of psychological well-being (e.g., sense of purpose in life, optimism) and social connection associated with reduced risk of age-related chronic conditions (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment)?

Question 2

What Hidden Pathways Help Explain How Our Mindsets and Relationships Impact Our Health?

What are the mechanistic biobehavioral pathways that explain how psychological well-being and social connection influences health: 1) health behaviors such as physical activity, sleep, and diet, 2) biological pathways such as DNA methylation and inflammation, 3) stress-buffering?

Question 3

How Might Our Mindsets and Relationships Strengthen Us from Life's Biggest Challenges?

Our health is influenced by the social milieu in which we live, including stressful experiences at the individual (e.g., major disease diagnosis), household (e.g., death of a spouse), neighborhood (e.g., low neighborhood cohesion), and societal levels (e.g., social and racial disparities, economic shocks like the 2008 recession). Yet inadequate attention has been given to psychosocial assets and social connection factors that may buffer against these social adversities. Are dimensions of psychological well-being and social connection pathways through which social conditions shape people’s health, and do they foster resilience against these forces?

Question 4

How Might We Implement Large-Scale Well-being Interventions?

From a translational science perspective, how might we partner with large non-profits and healthcare insurers to rigorously test and disseminate meaningful, durable, self-sustaining, population-level interventions aimed at improving psychological well-being and social connection and its potential downstream effects (e.g., lower physical and psychological morbidity, lower healthcare expenditures, and enhance prognosis if illness does strike)?

View Dr. Kim's latest publications

Explore Dr. Kim’s most recent research papers on psychological well-being, social connection, and their impact on physical health.

Optimism & Mastery

Mastering the canvas of life: Identifying the antecedents of sense of control using a lagged exposure-wide approach

ES Kim, Y Chen, JH Hong, ME Lachman, TJ VanderWeele

Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being

2025

Well-Being

Associations between positive affect and physical activity from young adulthood to midlife: A 25-year prospective study

F Qureshi, LD Kubzansky, Y Chen, J Soo, ES Kim, D Lloyd-Jones

Health Psychology

2024

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