My specific area of research interest is the Self. My current interests lie in three areas.  First, I have conducted research on the phenomenon of STTUC: Sensitivity about being the Target of a Threatening Upward Comparison. I am interested in predictors of STTUC (such as a sense of deservingness), as well as how STTUC experiences influence state self-esteem. In the long term, I would like to examine whether desires to avoid STTUC predict withdrawal in academic endeavors.

Second, I am interested in anticipated regret, which is what people experience when they imagine wishing they had decided to act differently. I am particularly interested in how anticipated regret predicts health behaviors. Third, I have long been interested in how particular “self” variables (e.g., self-complexity) predict responses to interpersonal rejection. I recently became interested in self-compassion, which involves treating the self with kindness rather than criticism. I have been exploring whether self-compassion predicts relatively less maladaptive responses to rejection.