In this episode of Safe to Love, Chelsea talks with April and Chad about the history of marriage, the cultural forces that shape intimacy, the impact of religion on relationships, and what her research shows about connection, safety, and healing within partnership.

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Chelsea Shields is a biological and cultural anthropologist who studies how culture, belief, and social connection shape the human body and our most intimate relationships. Raised in a traditional Mormon family, she became curious about how symbols, expectations, and suggestion create real physiological change. This focus led her to earn dual PhDs from Boston University in Biological and Cultural Anthropology. For over a decade, Chelsea led an international field school and conducted long term research with Asante Indigenous healers in Ghana, examining ritual, group entrainment, polyrhythmic drumming, and the link between social pain and social healing. Her work with mentors including Dr. Ted Kaptchuk at Harvard Medical School revealed new insights into social susceptibility and sociocultural placebo effects.

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