Sung‐Ha Lee
Yonsei University · Psychology
About the Lab
Professor Sung-Ha Lee's research lab focuses on the interdisciplinary investigation of biological, psychological, and social factors influencing mental health, well-being, and behavioral decision-making. Key research directions include the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying substance use disorders, the gut-brain axis in emotional regulation, genetic influences on addiction and mental health, and the social determinants of life satisfaction and loneliness in aging populations. The lab integrates computational modeling, molecular genetics, microbiome analysis, and large-scale survey data to uncover mechanisms linking biology, behavior, and well-being across the lifespan.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Selected Papers
15Substance dependent individuals (SDI) often exhibit decision-making deficits; however, it remains unclear whether the nature of the underlying decision-making processes is the same in users of different classes of drugs and whether these deficits persist after discontinuation of drug use. We used computational modeling to address these questions in a unique sample of relatively "pure" amphetamine-dependent (N = 38) and heroin-dependent individuals (N = 43) who were currently in protracted abstin
With increasing attention being paid to improving emotional well-being, recent evidence points to gut microbiota as a key player in regulating mental and physical health via bidirectional communication between the brain and gut. Here, we examine the association between emotional well-being and gut microbiome profiles (i.e., gut microbiome composition, diversity, and the moderating role of the enterotypes) among healthy Korean adults (n = 83, mean age = 48.9, SD = 13.2). The research was performe
These results indicate rs4887074 is associated with CHRNB4 expression, and along with two regulatory variants of CHRNA3 and CHRNA5, modulates the effect of rs16969968 on nicotine dependence risk. Assignable to individuals because of strong LD structures, 4-SNP haplotypes and diplotypes serve to assess the combined genetic influence of this multi-gene cluster on complex traits, accounting for complex LD relationships and tissue-specific genetic effects (CHRNA5/3) relevant to the traits analyzed.
Although both marital status and economic conditions significantly contribute to life satisfaction in later life, the effect of their interaction (or moderating) on life satisfaction has been understudied. Our goal was to examine whether marriage buffers the negative consequences of low income among elderly people. Using two large national survey datasets, the Korean Community Health Survey (n = 126,936) and the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) (n = 5687), we examined the relationship
The current finding highlights the role that individual variation in social orientation plays in modulating the risk of loneliness on adverse health outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Abstract The quest to unravel what contributes to happiness continues to captivate interest in both everyday experiences and academic discourse. Nonetheless, empirical research on the relative importance of possible candidates and their associations with two key aspects of well-being—eudaimonia (the good life) and hedonia (pleasure)—is limited. This study addresses this gap by exploring the relative strength of 32 predictors from multiple domains on psychological well-being (PWB) and subjective
Abstract Increasing evidence suggests a significant impact of higher psychological well‐being (PWB) on health outcomes; however, such associations have been studied exclusively in middle‐aged to older adults. This study examined the aging effect on PWB measures as well as the moderating effect of age on the link between PWB and inflammation, using salivary markers by comparing the younger adults ( n = 127; M age = 22.98 years) versus older adults ( n = 75; M age = 75.60 years). Older adults show
The current findings underscore the role of emotional support on reducing cumulative cortisol, thus providing potential resilience mechanisms for the psychobiological stress response.
Our findings indicate that emotional happiness may be associated with gut microbiome profiles at a particular time point, but they may not serve as predictive factors for each other over time. Future research is needed to establish causal relationships between them. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
OBJECTIVES: The adverse health effects of individual-level social isolation (e.g., perceived loneliness) have been well documented in older adults. However, little is known about the impact of collective-level social isolation on health outcomes. We sought to examine the association of group-level segregation with cardiovascular health (CVH) in older adults. METHODS: From the prospective Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project database, we identified 528 community-dwelling older adults who
Metastatic Cancer of Unknown Primary Site (CUP) accounts for approximately 3-5% of all malignant neoplasms. CUP represents a heterogeneous group of metastatic tumors for which no primary site can be detected following a thorough medical history, careful clinical examination, and extensive diagnostic work-up. Several authors have reported poor prognosis of this malignancy, because there is no consensus on diagnostic guidelines and optimal therapy. Historically, chemotherapy has been the cornersto
Research Areas
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