Health Motivation Lab
Health Motivation Lab
We study the psychology of health behavior change and develop evidence-based interventions to promote long-term health and well-being.
About the Lab
The Health Motivation Lab, directed by Dr. Dylan K. Richards, is based in the Department of Psychology at the University of Georgia. We study what motivates people to change their health behaviors and how that knowledge can be used to improve people’s health and well-being.
Much of our work has focused on why people quit drinking or cut back and adopt responsible drinking habits, such as using a designated driver. More recently, we have expanded our research to include other health behaviors, such as tobacco use, diet, and exercise, as well as how these behaviors relate to chronic disease risk. We are particularly interested in natural behavior change, such as Dry January and New Year’s resolutions, which provide opportunities to study and promote health behavior change. We also study multiple health behavior change, examining how people change two or more health behaviors at the same time. Finally, we investigate how health behaviors relate to chronic disease risk, especially heart disease and cancer.
Our research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, and American Psychological Association.
Research Areas
Self-Determined Motivation
We study the transition from external to internal motives as the driver of long-term health behavior change.
Psychological Needs
We study support for autonomy, competence, and relatedness as essential conditions for initiating and maintaining health behavior change.
Responsible Drinking
We study why people quit drinking or cut back and adopt responsible drinking habits, such as using a designated driver and setting limits on how much they drink.
Multiple Health Behavior Change
We study how people change alcohol and tobacco use, diet, physical activity, and other health behaviors simultaneously.
Natural Change
We study natural change efforts such as Dry January and New Year’s resolutions to understand how a “fresh start” might result in health behavior change and provide an opportune time to improve people’s health.
Chronic Disease
We study how health behaviors—especially alcohol use—relate to chronic disease risk, including heart disease and cancer.
Latest News
Dr. Richards to Present at 2026 SDT Conference in Geneva
July 2026Dr. Richards will be giving a talk at the 2026 Self-Determination Theory Conference in Geneva, Switzterland on our American Cancer Society funded study on using the theory to understand multiple health behavior change in the new year.
Lab Website Launch
March 2026The Health Motivation Lab website is now live.
Sophia Dunn Presents at Obesity Research Symposium
February 2026Sophia Dunn presented our findings from a scoping review of the research on New Year’s resolutions for health behavior change at UGA’s 6th Annual Obesity Research Initiative Symposium.