Publications
Complete CV <pdf>
2024
2023
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2009 - 2011
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., & Coffey, J. K. (2024). Gratitude improves parents' well-being and family functioning. Emotion, 24(2), 357-369. <pdf> <OSF>
- Coffey, J. K., & Nelson-Coffey, S. K. (in press). Well-being benefits of prosocial versus self-focused behaviors. Chapter to appear in S. Pressman & A. C. Parks (Eds.), Activities for Teaching Positive Psychology, Second Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
2023
- Coffey, J. K., Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Parsley, H., & Pluess, M. W. (2023). Positive emotion expression at age 11 is associated with multiple well-being outcomes 39 years later. Current Psychology, 42, 21954-21966. <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., & Schmitt, J. (2023). Eudaimonia and flourishing. Chapter in H. S. Friedman & C. H. Markey (Editors in Chief), Encyclopedia of Mental Health (3rd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 821-827). <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Layous, K., Coffey, J. K., & Mayes, L. C. (2023). The effects of social belonging and kindness on stress and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal experiment. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, e12798. <pdf> <supplement> <OSF>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Johnson, C. E., & Coffey, J. K. (2023). Safe haven gratitude improves emotions, well-being, and parenting outcomes among parents with high levels of attachment insecurity. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 18(1), 75-85. <pdf> <supplement> <OSF>
- Waters, L., Cameron, K., Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Crone, D. L., Kern, M., Lomas, T., Oades, L., Owen, R., Pawelski, J. O., Rashid, T., Warren, M. A., White, M., & Williams, P., (2022). Collective wellbeing and posttraumatic growth during COVID-19: How positive psychology can help families, schools, workplaces, and marginalized communities. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 17(6), 761-789. <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., & Cavanaugh, L. (2022). Baby fever: Situational cues shift the desire to have children via empathic emotions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 28(2), 438-450. <pdf> <OSF: Study 1, Study 2, Study 3, Study 4>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Bohlmeijer, E., & Schotanus-Dijkstra, M. (2021). Practicing other-focused kindness and self-kindness among those at risk for mental disorders: Results of a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 741546. <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., O'Brien, M., Braunstein, B., Mickelson, K. D., & Ha, T. (2021). Health behavior adherence and emotional adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic in a US nationally representative sample: The roles of prosocial motivation and gratitude. Social Science & Medicine, 284, 114243. <pdf>
- Layous, K., & Nelson-Coffey, S. K. (2021). The effect of perceived social support on personal resources following minor adversity: An experimental investigation of belonging affirmation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 47(7), 1152-1168. <pdf> <supplement> <OSF>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Killingsworth, M. A., Layous, K., Cole, S. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019). Parenthood is associated with greater happiness for fathers than mothers. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45, 1378-1390. <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Ruberton, P. M., Chancellor, J., Cornick, J., Blascovich, J., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019). The proximal experience of awe. PLoS ONE, 14, e0216780. <pdf> <supplement> <OSF>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K. & Stewart, D. (2019). Well-being in parenting. In M. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting (3rd ed.). <pdf>
- River, L. M., Borelli, J. L., & Nelson-Coffey, S. K. (2019). Tolerance of infant distress among working parents: Examining the roles of attachment anxiety and avoidance. Parenting: Science and Practice, 19, 137-159. <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K. (2018). Married... with children: The science of well-being in marriage and family life. In E. Diener, S. Oishi, & L. Tay (Eds.), Handbook of well-being. Noba Scholar Handbook series: Subjective well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF publishers. doi:nobascholar.com <pdf>
- Wang, R. A. H., Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Layous, K., Jacobs Bao, K., Davis, O. S. P., & Haworth, C. M. A. (2017). Moderators of well-being interventions: Why do some people respond more positively than others? PLOS ONE, 12, e01987601. <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Borelli, J. L., & River, L. M. (2017). Attachment avoidance, but not anxiety, minimizes the joys of caregiving. Attachment & Human Development, 19, 504-531. <pdf>
- Borelli, J. L., Nelson-Coffey, S. K., River, L. M., Birken, S. A., & Moss-Racusin, C. (2017). Bringing work home: Gender and parenting correlates of work-family guilt among parents of toddlers. Journal of Child and Family Studies,26, 1734-1745. <pdf>
- Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Fritz, M., Lyubomirsky, S., & Cole, S. W. (2017). Kindness in the blood: A randomized controlled trial of the gene regulatory impact of prosocial behavior. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 81, 8-13. <pdf>
- Layous, K., Nelson, S. K., Kurtz, J. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2017). What triggers prosocial effort? A positive feedback loop between positive activities, kindness, and well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 12, 385-398. <pdf>
- Borelli, J. L., Nelson, S. K., River, L. M., Birken, S. A., & Moss-Racusin, C. (2017). Gender differences in guilt about working in parents of young children. Sex Roles, 76, 356-368. <pdf>
- Nelson, S. K., Robbins, M. L., Andrews, S. E., & Sweeny, K. (2017). Disrupted transition to parenthood: Gender moderates the association between miscarriage and uncertainty about conception. Sex Roles, 76, 380-392. <pdf>
2016
- River, L. M., Borelli, J. L., & Nelson-Coffey, S. K. (2016). Examining parents' attachment styles and anxiety symptoms as predictors of caregiving experiences. Infant Mental Health Journal, 37, 1-14. <pdf>
- Nelson, S. K., Layous, K., Cole, S. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2016). Do unto others or treat yourself? The effects of prosocial and self-focused behaviors on psychological flourishing. Emotion, 16, 850-861. <pdf> <supplement>
- Haworth, C. M. A., Nelson, S. K., Layous, K., Carter, K., Jacobs Bao, K., Lyubomirsky, S., & Plomin, R. (2016). Stability and change in genetic and environmental influences on well-being in response to an intervention. PLOS ONE, e0155538. <pdf>
- Howell, K. H., Coffey, J. K., Fosco, G. M., Kracke, K., Nelson, S. K., Rothman, E. F., & Grych, J. H. (2016). Seven reasons to invest in well-being. Psychology of Violence, 6, 8-14. <pdf>
- Nelson, S. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2016). Gratitude. In Friedman, H. S. (Editor in Chief), Encyclopedia of Mental Health (2nd edition, Vol. 2, pp. 277-280). Waltham, MA: Academic Press. <pdf>
2015
- Nelson, S. K., Della Porta, M. D., Jacobs Bao, K., Lee, H.C., Choi, I., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2015). "It's up to you": Experimentally manipulated autonomy support for prosocial behavior improves well-being in two cultures over six weeks. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 10, 463-476. <pdf>
- Layous, K., Nelson, S. K., & Legg, A. M. (2015). Measuring well-being in the scholarship of teaching and learning. In R. S. Jhangiani, J. D. Troisi, B. Fleck, A. M. Legg, & H. Hussey (Eds.)., A compendium of scales for use in the scholarship of teaching and learning (pp. 136-151). <pdf>
- Sweeny, K., Andrews, S. E., Nelson, S. K., & Robbins, M. L. (2015). Waiting for a baby: Navigating uncertainty in recollections of trying to conceive. Social Science & Medicine, 141, 123-132. <pdf>
- Lyubomirsky, S., Layous, K., Chancellor, J., & Nelson, S. K. (2015). Thinking about rumination: The scholarly contributions and intellectual legacy of Susan Nolen-Hoeksema. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 11, 1-22. <pdf>
- Nelson, S. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2015). Juggling family and career: Parents' pathways to a balanced and happy life. To appear in K. Page, R. Burke, & C. Cooper (Eds.), Flourishing in life, work, and careers: Individual wellbeing and career experiences (pp. 100-118). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. <pdf>
- Nelson, S. K., Kurtz, J. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2015). What psychological science knows about achieving happiness. In S. J. Lynn, W. O’Donohue, & S. Lilienfeld (Eds.), Health, happiness, and well-being: Better living through psychological science (pp. 250-271). New York: Sage. <pdf>
2014
- Nelson, S. K., Fuller, J. A. K., Choi, I., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Beyond self-protection: Self-affirmation benefits hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40, 998-1011. <pdf>
- Nelson, S. K., Kushlev, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). The pains and pleasures of parenthood: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being? Psychological Bulletin, 140, 846-895. <pdf>
- Nelson, S. K., Kushlev, K., Dunn, E. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Parents are slightly happier than nonparents, but causality still cannot be inferred: A reply to Bhargava, Kassam, and Loewenstein (2014). Psychological Science, 25, 303-304. <pdf>
- Nelson, S. K. & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Finding happiness: Tailoring positive activities for optimal well-being benefits. In M. Tugade, M. Shiota, & L. Kirby (Eds.), Handbook of positive emotions (pp. 275 – 293). New York: Guilford. <pdf>
2013
- Nelson, S. K., Kushlev, K., English, T., Dunn, E. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). In defense of parenthood: Children are associated with more joy than misery. Psychological Science, 24, 3-10. <pdf>
- Layous, K., Nelson, S. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). What is the most optimal way to deliver a positive activity intervention? The case of writing about one’s “best possible selves.” Journal of Happiness Studies, 14, 635-654. <pdf>
- Peréz-Edgar, K., Kujawa, A., Nelson, S. K., Cole, C., & Zapp, D. J. (2013). The relation between electroencephalogram asymmetry and attention biases to threat at baseline and under stress. Brain and Cognition, 82, 337-343. <pdf>
2012
- Layous, K., Nelson, S. K., Oberle, E., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2012). Kindness counts: Prompting prosocial behavior in preadolescents boosts peer acceptance and well-being. PLOS ONE, 7, e51380. <pdf>
- Cole, C., Zapp, D., Nelson, S. K., & Pérez-Edgar, K., (2012). Speech presentation cues moderate frontal EEG asymmetry in socially withdrawn young adults. Brain and Cognition, 78, 156-162. <pdf>
- Martin-Krumm, C., Lyubomirsky, S., & Nelson, S. K. (2012). Psychologie positive et adaptation: Quelle contribution? [What is the contribution of research in positive psychology and hedonic adaptation?] In C. Tarquinio & E. Spitz (Eds.), Psychologie de l’adaptation (pp.333-354). Bruxelles: De Boeck. <pdf>
2009 - 2011
- Schiffrin, H. H., Rezendes, D., & Nelson, S. K. (2010). Stressed and happy? Investigation of the relationship between happiness and perceived stress. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11, 33-39. <pdf>
- Falkenstern, M., Schiffrin, H. H., Nelson, S. K., Ford, L., & Keyser, C. (2009). Mood over matter: Can happiness be your undoing? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 365-371. <pdf>
- Nelson, S. K., & Schiffrin, H. H. (2009). Happy people don’t follow the stereotype: The impact of mood on stereotyping. Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research, 14, 148-157. <pdf>