On Psych: Presented by the Ontario Psychological Association

S2 E6: Dr. Jiaying Zhao — Can Basic Personal Income Improve Mental Health?

August 26, 2022 Ontario Psychological Association Season 2 Episode 6
On Psych: Presented by the Ontario Psychological Association
S2 E6: Dr. Jiaying Zhao — Can Basic Personal Income Improve Mental Health?
Show Notes

Dr. Jonathan Douglas sits down with Dr. Jiaying Zhao on this episode of the On Psych Podcast to discuss how we might leverage basic personal income as a means of improving mental health.

About Our Guest

Dr. Jiaying Zhao is the Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Sustainability and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia. 

Dr. Zhao's work centers around the use of psychological principles to design behavioural solutions to address financial and environmental sustainability challenges. Specifically, Dr. Zhao examines the cognitive consequences of poverty and designs interventions to alleviate the psychological burdens of low-income individuals. In addition, Dr. Zhao develops behavioural interventions to encourage climate actions, recycling, composting, and biodiversity conservation. 

Dr. Zhao has served as a research advisor and consultant for a dozen government organizations, including Privy Council Office, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Policy Horizons Canada, Behavioural Insights Group in the Province of British Columbia, City of Vancouver, and the U.S. Social and Behavioral Sciences Team.