Brian N. Chin
Applied social-health psychologist researching attachment, human-animal interaction, and emotion regulation.
About
I’m a social-health psychologist studying how attachment and everyday relationships—whether with people, pets, or institutions—shape stress and well-being.I direct the Social & Behavioral Health Lab, where I mentor student-led research on human-animal interaction, sleep, and emotion regulation. My work appears in peer-reviewed journals and public outlets like The Conversation.I am an award-winning teacher-scholar recognized by the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine, as well as Carnegie Mellon University and Trinity College.Selected Metrics (as of April 2025):
• 1,440+ citations | h-index: 13 | i10-index: 15 (Google Scholar)
• 75,000+ readers via The Conversation and affiliated outlets
• Articles republished and featured by Scientific American, TIME, Yahoo! News, Chicago Sun-Times, and others
Selected Publications
A sampling of recent peer-reviewed articles. Undergraduate student mentees are indicated with an asterisk (*). Full list available below in CV.
*Orlando, E. M. & Chin, B. N. (2025). Human-animal bonds and mental health: Examining the roles of bond strength, interactions, and attachment security. Human-Animal Interactions, 13(1), 0005.
Chin, B. N., *Singh, T., & *Carothers, A. (2024) Co-sleeping with pets, stress, and sleep in a nationally-representative sample of United States adults. Scientific Reports, 14, 5577.
*Kinsella, J. E. & Chin, B. N. (2024). Mechanisms linking social media use and sleep in emerging adults. Behavioral Sciences, 14(9), 794.
Chin, B. N., *Kim, L., Parsons, S., & Feeney, B. C. (2024). Attachment orientation and preferences for partner emotional responses in stressful and positive situations. Behavioral Sciences, 14(1), 77.
Chin, B. N., Kamarck, T. W., Kraut, R. E., Zhao, S., Hong, J. I., & *Ding, E. Y. (2023). Longitudinal associations of social support, everyday social interactions, and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(5), 1579-1600.
*Marcial-Modesto, D., Chin, B. N., Casserly, E. D., Parsons, S. M., & Feeney, B. C. (2023). Pet ownership and mental health in United States adults during COVID-19. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1217059.
Chin, B. N. & Feeney, B. C. (2022). Physiological bases of secure base support-provision in a longitudinal study of married older adult couples. Psychophysiology, e14044.
Public-Facing Writing
Chin, B. N. (2025, April 8). Social media before bedtime wreaks havoc on our sleep – a sleep researcher explains why screens alone aren’t the main culprit. The Conversation.
Chin, B. N. (2025, February 28). Just having a pet doesn't help mental health – but pet-owners with secure relationships with their pets are less depressed. The Conversation.
Chin, B. N. (2024, April 3). Could sharing a bedroom with your pets be keeping you from getting a good night’s sleep? The Conversation.
More About My Work