Dr. Lisa Dawn Hamilton, an associate psychology professor at Mount Allison University is sharing her academic research in a new medium. Hamilton, whose research focuses on sex, stress, and relationships, recently launched a new podcast, Do We Know Things?

“I started the podcast in part because there are so many stories, beliefs, and misconceptions about sex and sexuality,” says Hamilton. “I’m working to explore the things we think we know about sex by examining research surrounding common beliefs about sex and relationships and discussing it in an accessible format.”

Launched in November 2019, Do We Know Things? has seen 443 downloads in just a few weeks.

Hamilton teaches classes focusing on human sexuality and gender and also runs the Mount Allison Sexual Health (MASH) research lab. She says many of the topics for the podcast stemmed from students’ questions in class.

“There’s a lot of misinformation and many misconceptions around sex and sexuality. Part of this is, because we don’t generally talk about sexuality openly, people don’t verify everything they hear,” she says. “I hope to help open the discussion and answer some of the questions I’ve heard with informed research.”

Hamilton maintains the same academic standards as she would for peer-reviewed publications and research for this new medium. Each episode posts a full script as well as footnotes for additional research.

Hamilton is also incorporating the podcast into current class topics and her research program. The author and co-author of several published studies in peer-reviewed journals, Hamilton’s current research focuses on two main areas: stress and sexual desire, and psychological factors and attitudes around monogamy and non-monogamy.

“I’m looking at the relationship between stress and sexual desire,” explains Hamilton. “This study involves participants filling out text message surveys every day for a month to examine this correlation. Participants will also provide saliva samples to measure stress-related hormones.”

The second study looks at psychological factors around monogamous and non-monogamous relationships. Hamilton and her team, including several Mount Allison students, are seeking to learn more about attitudes and knowledge around these lifestyles, including consensual non-monogamy and the prejudices against individuals who practise it. Hamilton received a research development grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in 2015 to help fund this research.

All research is carried out through the MASH research lab, overseen by Hamilton, and ensures study participants’ confidentiality. Individuals interested in participating in studies can find more information at www.mashlab.ca/studies.

Do We Know Things? is available for download on most podcast platforms, including iTunes and SoundCloud with new episodes being released every two weeks. The podcast contains explicit language and topics that may not be suitable for younger listeners.