Before the application of research, before the patent, ethics review, donations or grants, there is a person with a desire to discover. They embark into the unknown, making inquiries, investigating what has been and inquiring into the possibilities by asking why not? Through their research, they uncover new truths that result in our lives, and our world, being changed for the better.
Faces of Research was created by UBC Arts as a series showcasing the Canada Research Chairs in the Faculty of Arts, including Dr. Jiaying Zhao, assistant professor in the department of psychology.
Scarcity is an urgent and pervasive problem in the world: globally, some 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty; 1.2 billion live without electricity; and more than 780 million lack access to clean water. Even in developed countries, there is scarcity. For example, many communities in Canada face water or food shortages, and one in four children in the United States lives in poverty. More generally, almost everyone has experienced a lack of time at some point.⠀
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According to research by Dr. Jiaying Zhao, Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Sustainability,
“Scarcity does not only signify a lack of resources—it also presents challenging psychological demands on a person.”
Zhao’s research has shown that scarcity can hinder cognitive function, which in itself may worsen the condition of scarcity.⠀
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Zhao and her research team are identifying how scarcity leads to neglect; what consequences arise from scarcity of environmental resources, such as food or water; how scarcity can result in failure to engage in environmental action; and how resource inequality induces the experience of scarcity.⠀
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This research will lay new theoretical, empirical and methodological ground for a science of scarcity. It will not only further our understanding of scarcity and its resulting cognitive and behavioural consequences, but also provide fundamental insights on human behaviour and decision-making that emerge from the psychology of scarcity.⠀
More importantly, Zhao’s research could lead to policy changes on social issues like poverty, sustainability and inequality. ⠀
This article was written by UBC Arts. Read the full Faces of Research feature.⠀⠀⠀
