Kate Sweeny, PhD
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    • Kyla Rankin
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    • Publications: Navigating Uncertain Waiting Periods
    • Publications: Social Psychology and Healthcare
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Selected Publications on Navigating Uncertain Waiting Periods
(read more about the research here)


Sweeny, K., Rankin, K., Cheng, X., Hou, L., Long, F., Meng, Y., Azer, L., Zhou, R., & Zhang, W. (in press). Flow in the time of COVID-19: Findings from China. PLoS ONE. (preprint) (publication)

Harake, N., Sweeny, K., & Dunlop, W. L. (in press). Narrating the nadir: Examining personal and vicarious stories of cancer-related low points among survivors and romantic partners. Psychology & Health.

Baranski, E., Sweeny, K., Gardiner, G., Members of the International Situations Project, & Funder, D. C. (in press). International optimism: Dispositional optimism across 61 countries. Journal of Personality.

Dooley, M. D., Wilkinson, D., & Sweeny, K. (in press). Social support during stressful waiting periods: An inductive analysis. Qualitative Psychology. (PDF)

Howell, J. L., & Sweeny, K. (in press). Health behavior during periods of stressful uncertainty: Associations with emotions, cognitions, and expectation management. Psychology & Health.​ (PDF)

Rankin, K., & Sweeny, K. (in press). Divided we stand, united we worry: Predictors of worry in anticipation of political elections. Motivation & Emotion. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Dunlop, W. (in press). Salient selves in uncertain futures. Self & Identity. (PDF)


Rankin, K., Andrews, S. E., & Sweeny, K. (2020). Awe-full uncertainty: Easing discomfort during waiting periods. Journal of Positive Psychology, 15, 338-347. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., Howell, J. L., & Kwan, V. (in press). Losing control: Comparing the role of personality during two types of stressful life experiences. Personality and Individual Differences.​ (PDF)

Howell, J. L., & Sweeny, K. (2019). Fulfilling self-determination needs predicts better sleep and less worry during a stressful period of uncertainty. Stress & Health, 35, 277-288. (PDF)

Rankin, K., Sweeny, K., & Xu, S. (2019). Distorted time perception during stressful waiting periods. Stress & Health, 35, 549-559.​ (PDF)
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Rankin, K., Walsh, L., & Sweeny, K. (2019). A better distraction: Exploring the benefits of flow during uncertain waiting periods. Emotion, 19, 818-828. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., Kwan, V., & Falkenstein, A. (2019). The role of gender in worry and efforts to cope during stressful waiting periods. Sex Roles, 81, 765-778. (PDF)

Dooley, M. D., Sweeny, K., Howell, J. L., & Reynolds, C. (2018). Perceptions of romantic partners’ responsiveness during a period of stressful uncertainty. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. (PDF)

Sweeny, K. (2018). On the experience of awaiting uncertain news. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27, 281-285. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Howell, J. L. (2017). Bracing later and coping better: Benefits of mindfulness meditation during a stressful waiting period. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43, 1399-1414. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Falkenstein, A. (2016). Even optimists get the blues: Intra-individual consistency in the tendency to brace for the worst.  Journal of Personality. (PDF)
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Sweeny, K., & Dooley, M. D. (2017). The surprising upsides of worry. Social & Personality Psychology Compass, 11, e12311. doi: 10.1111/spc3.12311

Howell, J. L., & Sweeny, K. (2016). Is waiting bad for subjective health? Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 39, 652-664. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., Reynolds, C., Falkenstein, A., Andrews, S. E., & Dooley, M. (2016). Two definitions of waiting well. Emotion, 16, 129-143. (PDF)


Sweeny, K., Andrews, S. E., Nelson, S. K., & Robbins, M. L. (2015). Waiting for a baby: Navigating uncertainty while trying to conceive. Social Science & Medicine, 141, 123-132. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Falkenstein, A. (2015). Is waiting really the hardest part? Comparing the emotional experiences of awaiting and receiving bad news. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 41, 1551-1559. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Andrews, S. E. (2014). Mapping the individual differences in the experience of a waiting period.  Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 106, 1015-1030. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Dillard, A. (2014). The effects of expectation disconfirmation on appraisal, affect, and behavioral intentions. Risk Analysis, 34, 711-720. (PDF)

Krizan, Z., & Sweeny, K. (2013). Causes and consequences of expectation trajectories: “High” on optimism in a public referendum. Psychological Science, 24, 706-714. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Krizan, Z. (2013). Sobering up: A quantitative review of temporal declines in expectations. Psychological Bulletin, 139, 702-724. (PDF)

Cavanaugh, A. G., & Sweeny, K. (2012). Hanging in the balance: The role of self-construal abstractness in navigating self-relevant uncertainty. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 520-527. (PDF)

Sweeny, K. (2012). Waiting well: Tips for navigating painful uncertainty. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 6, 258-269. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Vohs, K. D. (2012). On near misses and completed tasks: The nature of relief. Psychological Science, 23, 464-468. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Cavanaugh, A. G. (2011). Waiting is the hardest part: A model of uncertainty navigation in the context of health. Health Psychology Review, 6,147-164. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Shepperd, J. A. (2010). The costs of optimism and the benefits of pessimism. Emotion, 10, 750-753. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., Shepperd, J. A., & Carroll, P. J. (2009). Expectations for others’ outcomes.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 160-171. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., & Shepperd, J. A. (2007). Do people brace sensibly? Risk judgments and risk prevalence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 1064-1075. (PDF)

Sweeny, K., Carroll, P. J., & Shepperd, J. A. (2006). Thinking about the future: Is optimism always best? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15, 302-306. (PDF)


Life Events Lab 2020