Research Interests

Hsin-Yu's transdisciplinary research interests lie at the intersection of cultural anthropology, sociology, social psychology, human behavior and development, and health and wellbeing. She is particularly interested in how people's perceptions of and attitudes toward skin color influence a wide range of daily behaviors and decision making. Exploring the complex sociocultural values and meanings of skin color and its ramifications from a cross-cultural comparative perspective, her research deepens our understanding of racism and colorism, lived experiences, gender and body image, and health outcomes.

Her other major research line examines college students' free-time use in relation to personal values, identity development, learning and engagement, and health-related lifestyle choices through an innovative research design employing a three-phase time diary. This theory-to-practice approach can be implemented in varied contexts to understand human behavior and promote self-awareness, with scalable and transferable implications for student affairs and outreach programs in higher education.