Professor Thomas Webb
BA, MSc, PhD
Department of Psychology
Professor
Full contact details
Department of Psychology
Floor G
Cathedral Court
1 Vicar Lane
Sheffield
S1 2LT
- Research interests
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Research interests
I am a social psychologist, interested in self-regulation and behaviour change. Specifically, I am interested in how people achieve their goals and make changes to their behaviour.
The usual answer is that people need to be motivated. However, even medium-to-large changes in people's intentions seem to have only a small-to-medium effect on their behavior. In short, motivation is not enough and the road to hell is likely paved with good intentions.
As a result, much of my research to date has investigated how the effects of motivation can be boosted by strategies such as monitoring progress, responding with self-compassion to lapses, or forming specific plans - known as "implementation intentions" - that link good opportunities to act with suitable responses to those opportunities.
Current research
I work with a number of organisations on promoting behaviour change in various contexts
For example, I am interested in strategies for reducing single use plastics as part of a large multidisciplinary project that brings together scientists from across the University (read more here) and I lead the behavioural component of the Healthy Lifespan Institute, which seeks to help everyone to live healthier, independent lives for longer.
I'm also developing an action control perspective on emotion regulation (see here) and (i) investigating why people struggle to regulate their emotions and (ii) what influences the strategies that people choose to regulate their own and others emotions.
Finally, I have am working on a project with Dr Fuschia Sirois, funded by the ESRC, to investigate how to overcome the barriers to being self-compassionate.
To hear me speculate about why the owners of pets may not protect them against fleas, click here. Click on the following links to hear me talk about my research on when people take action, self-monitoring, and how to feel happier at the weekend.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- Reducing plastic waste: a meta-analysis of influences on behaviour and interventions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 380.
- This has already been used! A paradigm to measure the point at which people become unwilling to use reusable containers. Journal of Cleaner Production, 363.
- Do people choose the same strategies to regulate other people’s emotions as they choose to regulate their own?. Emotion, 22(8), 1723-1738.
- Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 60.
- Identifying the determinants of emotion regulation choice: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Cognition and Emotion, 35(6), 1056-1084.
- Many happy returns: combining insights from the environmental and behavioural sciences to understand what is required to make reusable packaging mainstream. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27, 1688-1702.
- Understanding the effects of time perspective: A meta-analysis testing a self-regulatory framework. Psychological Bulletin, 147(3), 233-267.
- Assessing and promoting the use of implementation intentions in clinical practice. Social Science & Medicine, 265.
- The effect of an online self-help cognitive behavioural intervention for insomnia on negative affect and paranoia: a randomised controlled trial. Health Psychology Bulletin, 4(1), 39-52.
- A meta-analysis of the effects of training clinicians in exposure therapy on knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Clinical Psychology Review, 80.
- The Role of Compensatory Beliefs in Rationalizing Environmentally Detrimental Behaviors. Environment and Behavior.
- Feeling bad about progress does not lead people want to change their health behaviour. Psychology and Health.
- Which Factors Are Associated with Monitoring Goal Progress?. Frontiers in Psychology. View this article in WRRO
- Using Public Transport Can Make Up for Flying Abroad on Holiday. Environment and Behavior, 47(2), 184-204.
- Antecedents and consequences of monitoring domestic electricity consumption. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 228-238.
- 'I deserve a treat!': justifications for indulgence undermine the translation of intentions into action.. Br J Soc Psychol, 53(3), 501-520.
- 'The Ostrich Problem': Motivated avoidance or rejection of information about goal progress. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(11), 794-807. View this article in WRRO
- Effective regulation of affect: An action control perspective on emotion regulation. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 143-186.
- Dealing With Feeling: A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Strategies Derived From the Process Model of Emotion Regulation. PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN, 138(4), 775-808.
- Advice-taking as an unobtrusive measure of prejudice.. Behav Res Methods, 43(4), 953-963.
All publications
Journal articles
- Reducing plastic waste: a meta-analysis of influences on behaviour and interventions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 380.
- Can behavior change techniques be delivered via short text messages?. Translational Behavioral Medicine. View this article in WRRO
- This has already been used! A paradigm to measure the point at which people become unwilling to use reusable containers. Journal of Cleaner Production, 363.
- Do people choose the same strategies to regulate other people’s emotions as they choose to regulate their own?. Emotion, 22(8), 1723-1738.
- Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 60.
- Identifying the determinants of emotion regulation choice: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Cognition and Emotion, 35(6), 1056-1084.
- What is the best way to promote cycling? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 81, 144-157. View this article in WRRO
- Many happy returns: combining insights from the environmental and behavioural sciences to understand what is required to make reusable packaging mainstream. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 27, 1688-1702.
- Understanding the effects of time perspective: A meta-analysis testing a self-regulatory framework. Psychological Bulletin, 147(3), 233-267.
- The effect of direct and extended contact on attitudes towards social robots. Heliyon, 7(3).
- The relationship between individual differences in spontaneous self-affirmation and affect associated with self-weighing. Journal of Research in Personality, 89.
- Assessing and promoting the use of implementation intentions in clinical practice. Social Science & Medicine, 265.
- The effect of an online self-help cognitive behavioural intervention for insomnia on negative affect and paranoia: a randomised controlled trial. Health Psychology Bulletin, 4(1), 39-52.
- A meta-analysis of the effects of training clinicians in exposure therapy on knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Clinical Psychology Review, 80.
- Understanding obesity among companion dogs: New measures of owner’s beliefs and behaviour and associations with body condition scores. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 180. View this article in WRRO
- Diversity may help the uninterested: Evidence that exposure to counter-stereotypes promotes cognitive reflection for people low (but not high) in need for cognition. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 22(8), 1079-1093.
- Self‐regulatory consequences of observing others making goal progress : a longitudinal field study in weight loss groups. British Journal of Health Psychology, 24(4), 970-981.
- Does the structure (tunneled vs. free-roam) and content (if-then plans vs. choosing strategies) of a brief online alcohol intervention effect engagement and effectiveness? A randomized controlled trial. Translational Behavioral Medicine. View this article in WRRO
- The impact of post-migration stressors on refugees' emotional distress and health: A longitudinal analysis. European Journal of Social Psychology. View this article in WRRO
- Using the theory of planned behaviour and implementation intentions to reduce binge drinking in new university students. Psychology and Health. View this article in WRRO
- Athletes’ retirement from elite sport: A qualitative study of parents and partners’ experiences. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 40, 51-60. View this article in WRRO
- Using research on self-regulation to understand and tackle the challenges that owners face helping their (overweight) dogs lose weight. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 159, 227-231. View this article in WRRO
- How effective are interventions designed to help owners to change their behaviour so as to manage the weight of their companion dogs? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 159, 40-50. View this article in WRRO
- A cluster randomized controlled trial of a theory-based sleep hygiene intervention for adolescents. Sleep. View this article in WRRO
- The Relationship Between a Balanced Time Perspective and Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose Among People With Type 1 Diabetes. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 53(2), 196-209. View this article in WRRO
- Athletes' experiences of social support during their transition out of elite sport: An interpretive phenomenological analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 36, 71-80. View this article in WRRO
- A randomized controlled trial of a brief online intervention to reduce alcohol consumption in new university students: Combining self‐affirmation, theory of planned behaviour messages, and implementation intentions. British Journal of Health Psychology, 23(1), 108-127. View this article in WRRO
- A structural equation model of the relationship between insomnia, negative affect, and paranoid thinking.. PLoS One, 12(10).
- Monitoring personal finances: Evidence that goal progress and regulatory focus influence when people check their balance. Journal of Economic Psychology, 62, 33-49. View this article in WRRO
- Does improving sleep lead to better mental health? A protocol for a meta-analytic review of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Open, 7(9), e016873-e016873.
- Using Temporal Self-Regulation Theory to understand healthy and unhealthy eating intentions and behaviour. Appetite, 116, 357-364. View this article in WRRO
- The relationship between time perspective and self-regulatory processes, abilities and outcomes: a protocol for a meta-analytical review. BMJ Open, 7(6).
- The Role of Compensatory Beliefs in Rationalizing Environmentally Detrimental Behaviors. Environment and Behavior.
- Promoting medication adherence among patients with bipolar disorder: a multicenter randomized controlled trial of a multifaceted intervention.. Psychological Medicine. View this article in WRRO
- Using Persuasive Technology to Increase Physical Activity in People With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by Encouraging Regular Walking: A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring Opinions and Preferences. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(4). View this article in WRRO
- Feeling bad about progress does not lead people want to change their health behaviour. Psychology and Health.
- Young people's beliefs about the risk of bowel cancer and its link with physical activity. British Journal of Health Psychology. View this article in WRRO
- Which Factors Are Associated with Monitoring Goal Progress?. Frontiers in Psychology. View this article in WRRO
- Situation selection is a particularly effective emotion regulation strategy for people who need help regulating their emotions. Cognition and Emotion.
- Why Do People Act Like the Proverbial Ostrich? Investigating the Reasons That People Provide for Not Monitoring Their Goal Progress. Frontiers in Psychology, 8.
- Can a Multifaceted Intervention Including Motivational Interviewing Improve Medication Adherence, Quality of Life, and Mortality Rates in Older Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery? A Multicenter, Randomized Controlled Trial with 18-Month Follow-Up. Drugs & Aging, 34(2), 143-156. View this article in WRRO
- Visualizing actions from a third-person perspective: effects on health behavior and the moderating role of behavior difficulty. Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
- The Intention–Behavior Gap. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 10(9), 503-518.
- Does self-control improve with practice? Evidence from a six-week training program.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145(8), 1075-1091.
- Which Combinations of Techniques and Modes of Delivery in Internet-Based Interventions Effectively Change Health Behavior? A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 18(6).
- What is the psychological impact of self-weighing? A meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review, 10(2), 187-203.
- Does forming implementation intentions help people with mental health problems to achieve goals? A meta-analysis of experimental studies with clinical and analogue samples. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 55(1), 69-90.
- Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 142(2), 198-229. View this article in WRRO
- The Effects of Two Planning Interventions on the Oral Health Behavior of Iranian Adolescents: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 50(3), 409-418.
- Attitudes and Preferences towards Self-help Treatments for Depression in Comparison to Psychotherapy and Antidepressant Medication. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 44(2), 129-139.
- A theory-based online health behaviour intervention for new university students (U@Uni:LifeGuide): Results from a repeat randomized controlled trial. Trials, 16. View this article in WRRO
- Using theory to develop and test interventions to promote changes in health behaviour: evidence, issues, and recommendations. Current Opinion in Psychology, 5, 1-5.
- A Meta-Analytic Review of Stand-Alone Interventions to Improve Body Image. PLoS ONE, 10(9). View this article in WRRO
- Self-help interventions for psychosis: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 39, 96-112.
- Implicit emotion regulation: feeling better without knowing why. Current Opinion in Psychology, 3, 6-10.
- The Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation by Implementation Intentions. PLOS ONE, 10(3), e0119500-e0119500.
- What information do consumers consider, and how do they look for it, when shopping for groceries online?. Appetite, 89, 265-273.
- Foundations and Extensions for the Extended Model: More on Implicit and Explicit Forms of Emotion Regulation. Psychological Inquiry, 26(1), 123-129. View this article in WRRO
- Automatic control of negative emotions: Evidence that structured practice increases the efficiency of emotion regulation. Cognition and Emotion, 29(2), 319-331.
- Development of theory-based health messages: three-phase programme of formative research. Health Promotion International, 30(3), 756-768. View this article in WRRO
- Using Public Transport Can Make Up for Flying Abroad on Holiday. Environment and Behavior, 47(2), 184-204.
- Antecedents and consequences of monitoring domestic electricity consumption. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 228-238.
- The neural correlates of regulating another person's emotions: an exploratory fMRI study.. Front Hum Neurosci, 8, 376.
- A theory-based online health behaviour intervention for new university students (U@Uni): results from a randomised controlled trial.. BMC Public Health, 14, 563.
- The impact of perspective in visualizing health-related behaviors: First-person perspective increases motivation to adopt health-related behaviors. Journal of Applied Social Psychology.
- Starting to develop self-help for social anxiety associated with vitiligo: using clinical significance to measure the potential effectiveness of enhanced psychological self-help. British Journal of Dermatology, 171(2), 332-337. View this article in WRRO
- Teaching & learning guide for 'the ostrich problem': Motivated avoidance or rejection of information about goal progress. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8(1), 41-44.
- 'I deserve a treat!': justifications for indulgence undermine the translation of intentions into action.. Br J Soc Psychol, 53(3), 501-520.
- What do people living in deprived communities in the UK think about household energy efficiency interventions?. Energy Policy.
- The impact of household energy efficiency measures on health: A meta-analysis. Energy Policy.
- 'The Ostrich Problem': Motivated avoidance or rejection of information about goal progress. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(11), 794-807. View this article in WRRO
- Meta-analytic estimates predict the effectiveness of emotion regulation strategies in the "real world": Reply to Augustine and Hemenover (2013). Psychological Bulletin, 139(3), 730-734.
- A theory-based online health behavior intervention for new university students: study protocol.. BMC Public Health, 13, 107.
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Supporting People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Narrative Review. Behavior Modification, 37(3), 431-453.
- Achieving the same for less: improving mood depletes blood glucose for people with poor (but not good) emotion control.. Cogn Emot, 27(1), 133-140.
- Evaluative conditioning makes slim models less desirable as standards for comparison and increases body satisfaction. Health Psychology, 32(4), 433-438.
- Strategic Control Over the Unhelpful Effects of Primed Social Categories and Goals. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PSYCHOLOGIE-JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY, 220(3), 187-193.
- Effective regulation of affect: An action control perspective on emotion regulation. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 143-186.
- A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of psychological interventions for adults with skin conditions.. Br J Dermatol, 167(5), 970-979.
- Dealing With Feeling: A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Strategies Derived From the Process Model of Emotion Regulation. PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN, 138(4), 775-808.
- Gaining control over responses to implicit attitude tests: Implementation intentions engender fast responses on attitude-incongruent trials.. Br J Soc Psychol, 51(1), 13-32.
- Advice-taking as an unobtrusive measure of prejudice.. Behav Res Methods, 43(4), 953-963.
- Self-regulation of priming effects on behavior. Psychological Science, 22(7), 901-907.
- Making self-help more helpful: a randomized controlled trial of the impact of augmenting self-help materials with implementation intentions on promoting the effective self-management of anxiety symptoms.. J Consult Clin Psychol, 79(1), 123-128.
- Using implementation intentions to overcome the effect of mood on risky behaviour.. Br J Soc Psychol.
- Using theories of behaviour change to inform interventions for addictive behaviours.. Addiction, 105(11), 1879-1892.
- Using implementation intentions to overcome the effects of social anxiety on attention and appraisals of performance.. Pers Soc Psychol Bull, 36(5), 612-627.
- Using the internet to promote health behavior change: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of theoretical basis, use of behavior change techniques, and mode of delivery on efficacy.. J Med Internet Res, 12(1), e4.
- The importance of making explicit links between theoretical constructs and behaviour change techniques. Addiction, 105(11), 1897-1898.
- A viable, integrative framework for contemporary research in health psychology: Commentary on Hall and Fong's Temporal Self-regulation theory. Health Psychology Review, 4(2), 79-82.
- Planning to break unwanted habits: habit strength moderates implementation intention effects on behaviour change.. Br J Soc Psychol, 48(Pt 3), 507-523.
- Commentary on Shahab & McEwen (2009): Understanding and preventing attrition in online smoking cessation interventions: a self-regulatory perspective.. Addiction, 104(11), 1805-1806.
- Communicating Stereotype-Relevant Information: Is Factual Information Subject to the Same Communication Biases as Fictional Information?. PERS SOC PSYCHOL B, 35(7), 836-852.
- Mechanisms of implementation intention effects: the role of goal intentions, self-efficacy, and accessibility of plan components.. Br J Soc Psychol, 47(Pt 3), 373-395.
- View this article in WRRO
- Implementation Intentions: Strategic Automatization of Goal Striving, 119-145.
- What factors predict scientists' intentions to participate in public engagement of science activities?. SCI COMMUN, 29(2), 242-263.
- Helping students turn up for class: Does personality moderate the effectiveness of an implementation intention intervention?. LEARN INDIVID DIFFER, 17(4), 316-327.
- How do implementation intentions promote goal attainment? A test of component processes. J EXP SOC PSYCHOL, 43(2), 295-302.
- Does changing behavioral intentions engender bahaviour change? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. PSYCHOL BULL, 132(2), 249-268.
- The interplay between goal intentions and implementation intentions.. Pers Soc Psychol Bull, 31(1), 87-98.
- The goal-dependent automaticity of drinking habits.. Br J Soc Psychol, 44(Pt 1), 47-63.
- Integrating concepts from goal theories to understand the achievement of personal goals. EUR J SOC PSYCHOL, 35(1), 69-96.
- Identifying good opportunities to act: Implementation intentions and cue discrimination. EUR J SOC PSYCHOL, 34(4), 407-419.
- Coping among african-american, hispanic, and non-hispanic white women recently treated for early stage breast cancer. Psychology & Health, 19(2), 157-166.
- Economic evaluation of specialist cancer and palliative nursing: a literature review. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 9(10), 424-427. View this article in WRRO
- Economic evaluation of specialist cancer and palliative nursing: Macmillan Evalution Study findings. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 9(10), 429-438. View this article in WRRO
- Exploring nursing outcomes for patients with advanced cancer following intervention by Macmillan specialist palliative care nurses.. J Adv Nurs, 41(6), 561-574. View this article in WRRO
- Can implementation intentions help to overcome ego-depletion?. J EXP SOC PSYCHOL, 39(3), 279-286.
- Clinical nurse specialists in palliative care. Part 3. Issues for the Macmillan Nurse role.. Palliat Med, 16(5), 386-394. View this article in WRRO
- Clinical nurse specialists in palliative care. Part 2. Explaining diversity in the organization and costs of Macmillan nursing services.. Palliat Med, 16(5), 375-385. View this article in WRRO
- Clinical nurse specialists in palliative care. Part 1. A description of the MacMillan Nurse caseload.. Palliat Med, 16(4), 285-296. View this article in WRRO
- A cost–outcome evaluation of UK generic Macmillan nursing services: methodological challenges. Palliative Medicine, 13(6), 511-512.
- Using social cognition models to understand why people, such as perfectionists, struggle to respond with self‐compassion. British Journal of Social Psychology.
- A cluster randomised controlled trial of an intervention based on the Health Action Process Approach for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in Iranian adolescents. Psychology & Health, 1-20.
- The neural basis of monitoring goal progress. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8.
- A systematic review of attitudes, anxiety, acceptance, and trust towards social robots. International Journal of Social Robotics. View this article in WRRO
Chapters
- Self-Regulatory Fatigue, Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 2006-2008). Springer International Publishing
- Self-Regulatory Capacity, Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 2003-2005). Springer International Publishing
- Self-Monitoring, Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 1994-1996). Springer International Publishing
- Self-Regulation of Affect–Health Behavior Relations Oxford University Press
- Self-Monitoring, Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine (pp. 1748-1750). Springer New York
- From Goals to Action, Goal-Directed Behavior (pp. 175-202).
- Goal-Directed Behavior Psychology Press
Conference proceedings papers
- Waste Plastics in Clinical Environments: A Multi-disciplinary Challenge. Creative Circular Economy Approaches to Eliminate Plastics Waste (pp 86-91). https://www.ukcpn.co.uk/news/plastics-research-and-innovation-fund-conference-academic-papers/?utm_c, 8 June 2020 - 9 June 2020.
- What comes to mind when people are asked questions about robots?. Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems: 19th Annual Conference, TAROS 2018, Bristol, UK July 25-27, 2018, Proceedings, Vol. 10965 LNAI (pp 453-454), 25 July 2018 - 27 July 2018. View this article in WRRO
- Attitudes towards social robots: A protocol for a systematic review. Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems: 19th Annual Conference, TAROS 2018, Bristol, UK July 25-27, 2018, Proceedings, Vol. 10965 LNAI (pp 484-485), 25 July 2018 - 27 July 2018. View this article in WRRO
- View this article in WRRO
Reports
- View this article in WRRO
Theses / Dissertations
Dictionary/encyclopaedia entries
- Self-Regulatory Fatigue. In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine Springer New York.
- Self-Regulatory Capacity. In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine Springer New York.
- Self-Monitoring. In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine Springer New York.
- Self-Regulatory Capacity. In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine Springer New York.
- Self-Regulatory Fatigue. In Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine Springer New York.
Preprints
- Self-regulatory consequences of observing others making goal progress: A longitudinal field study in weight loss groups, Center for Open Science.
- Diversity May Help the Uninterested: Evidence that Exposure to Counter-stereotypes Promotes Cognitive Reflection for People Low (But not High) in Need for Cognition, Center for Open Science.
- Improving Sleep Quality Leads to Better Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials, Center for Open Science.
- Reducing plastic waste: a meta-analysis of influences on behaviour and interventions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 380.
- Research group
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Current postdoctoral researchers
- Harriet Baird
- Marios Biskas
- Keelan Meade
Current postgraduate students
- Ahmad Assinnari
- Onur Cem Dogru
- Poppy James
- Meghann Matthews
- Stanislava Naneva
- Laurynas Rutkauskas
- Marina Sarda
- Teaching activities
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I am module organiser for PSY350: Self-regulation, Chair of the Department Ethics Subcommittee and also oversee research participation.
I am also external examiner for the undergraduate BSc Psychology programme at the University of Exeter.
- Professional activities and memberships
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I am currently Associate Editor for Psychological Bulletin and am on the Editorial Boards of:
- Cognition & Emotion
- British Journal of Health Psychology
- Health Psychology Review
- Motivation and Emotion
I was formerly Associate Editor at the British Journal of Social Psychology (2018-2019), the European Journal of Social Psychology (2010-2014) and Frontiers in Personality and Social Psychology (2016-2017).