Rate My Professor David Lewis

David Lewis is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at Murdoch University, serving as Academic Chair for the Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) program. He is also recognized as a Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology. His research specializes in evolutionary psychology, exploring key areas such as emotions, jealousy, physical attractiveness, personality science, disgust sensitivity, pathogen avoidance, mating strategies, political ideology, sexual attraction, and behavioral responses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lewis integrates research and teaching seamlessly, employing research as a powerful teaching tool to empower undergraduate students as real-world scholars and applied scientists. Under his supervision, students have produced highly cited Scopus-indexed publications, first-authored papers in top-tier journals like Frontiers in Psychology, and earned prestigious awards including the Australian Psychological Society Prize.

Lewis has significantly impacted the field through prolific publications in leading journals. Among his most cited works are 'Evolutionary psychology: Controversies, questions, prospects, and limitations' (American Psychologist, 2010), 'Parasite stress and pathogen avoidance relate to distinct dimensions of political ideology across 30 nations' (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016), 'Sex differences in disgust: Why are women more easily disgusted than men?' (Emotion Review, 2018), 'Evolutionary psychology: A how-to guide' (American Psychologist, 2017), and 'Disgust and mating strategy' (Evolution and Human Behavior, 2015). Additional contributions include studies on friends with benefits, sexual exploitability, and food neophobia in relation to mating strategies. His laboratory investigates fear of missing out (FoMO) in social media use to address its adverse effects on mental health and psychological well-being, alongside broader sustainability concerns and evolutionary perspectives on healthy aging. In 2024, Dr. David Lewis was conferred as a Fellow of the Human Behaviour and Evolution Society, recognizing his contributions to human behavioral and evolutionary research. As chief investigator in projects like Evolutionary Perspectives on Healthy Aging and studies on unconscious bias, Lewis continues to advance understanding in social and evolutionary psychology.