Publications

  • Park, Y., Debrot, A., Spielmann, S. S. , Joel, S., Impett, E. A. & MacDonald, G. (2018). Distinguishing dismissing from fearful attachment in the association between closeness and commitment. Social Psychological and Personality Science. Accepted, 03/14/2018.
  • Joel, S. & Eastwick, P. W. (2018). Intervening earlier: An upstream approach to improving relationship quality. Policy Insights from Behavioral and Brain Science. Vol. 5, 25-32. Published, 03/01/2018.
  • Uchino, B. N., Kent de Grey, R. G., Cronan, S., Smith, T. W., Diener, E., Joel, S. & Bosch, J. (2018). Life satisfaction and inflammation in couples: An actor-partner analysis. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. Vol. 41. Published, 01/01/2018.
  • Joel, S., Eastwick, P. W. & Finkel, E. J. (2017). Open sharing of data on close relationships and other sensitive social psychological topics: Challenges, tools, and future directions. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science. Accepted, 10/20/2017.
  • Joel, S., Plaks, J. E. & MacDonald, G. (2017). Nothing ventured, nothing gained: People anticipate more regret from missed romantic opportunities than from rejection. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Accepted, 06/20/2017.
  • Spielmann, S. S., MacDonald, G., Joel, S., & Impett, A. E. (2016). Longing for ex-partners out of fear of being single. Journal of Personality, 84, 799-808. Published, 11/30/2016.
  • Sherman, G. D., Lerner, J. S., Renshon, J., Ma-Kellams, C., & Joel, S. (2015). Perceiving others' feelings: The importance of personality and social structure. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6, 559-569. Published, 06/2015.
  • Day, L. C., Muise, A., Joel, S., & Impett, E. A. (2015). To do it or not to do it? How communally motivated people navigate sexual interdependence dilemmas. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41, 791-804. Published, 06/2015.
  • Robinson, J. S., Joel, S., & Plaks, J. E. (2015). Empathy for the group versus indifference toward the victim: Effects of anxious and avoidant attachment on moral judgment. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 56, 139-152. Published, 06/2015.
  • Joel, S., Burton, C. M., & Plaks, J. E. (2014). Conservatives anticipate and experience stronger emotional reactions to negative outcomes. Journal of Personality, 82, 32-43. Published, 06/2014.
  • Joel, S., Teper, R., & MacDonald, G. (2014). People overestimate their willingness to reject potential romantic partners by overlooking their concern for others. Psychological Science, 25, 2233-2240. Published, 06/2014.
  • Joel, S., MacDonald, G., & Plaks, J. E. (2013). Romantic relationshps conceptualized as a judgment and decision-making domain. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22, 461-465. Published, 06/2013.
  • Maxwell, J. A., Spielmann, S. S., Joel, S., & MacDonald, G. (2013). Attachment theory as a framework for understanding responses to social exclusion. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7, 444-456. Published, 06/2013.
  • Joel, S., Gordon, A. M., Impett, E. A., MacDonald, G., & Keltner, D. (2013). The things you do for me: Perceptions of a romantic partner's investments promote gratiude and commitment. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39, 1333-1345. Published, 06/2013.
  • Spielmann, S. S., MacDonald, G., Maxwell, J. A., Joel, S., Peragine, D., Muise, A., & Impett, E. A. (2013). Settling for less out of fear of being single. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105, 1049-1073. Published, 06/2013.
  • Gere, J., MacDonald, G., Joel, S., Spielmann, S. S., & Impett, E. A. (2013). The independent contributions of social reward and threat perceptions to romantic commitment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105, 961-977. Published, 06/2013.
  • Spielmann, S. S., Joel, S., MacDonald, G., & Kogan, A. (2013). Ex appeal: Current relationship quality and emotional attachment to ex-partners. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4, 175-180. Published, 06/2013.
  • MacDonald, G., Locke, K., Spielmann, S. S., & Joel, S. (2013). Insecure attachment predicts ambivalent social threat and reward perceptions in romantic relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30, 647-661. Published, 06/2013.
  • Joel, S., MacDonald, G., & Plaks, J. E. (2012). Attachment anxiety uniquely predicts regret proneness in close relationship contexts. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3, 348-355. Published, 06/2012.
  • Joel, S., MacDonald, G., & Shimotomai, A. (2011). Conflicting pressures on relationship commitment for anxiosly attached individuals. Journal of Personality, 59, 51-74. Published, 06/2011.

Presentations

  • Joel, S., Impett, E., & Spielmann, S. S. (2014, July). When caring hurts: Breakups and the communally motivated. In E. A. Impett (Chair), What givers receive in communal relationships. Symposium presented at the biennial meeting of the International Association for Relationship Research, Sydney, Australia. Presentation, Presented, 07/2104.
  • Joel, S., Eastwick, P. W., & Finkel, E. J. (2016, July). What components of romantic desire are predictable? Machine learning applied to speed-dating. Talk given at the biennial meeting of the International Association for Relationship Research. Toronto, Canada. Presentation, Presented, 07/2016.
  • Joel, S. (2016, April). The role of prosociality in decisions to begin, advance, and maintain romantic relationships. Invited talk given at the Brown Bag Seminar, University of Houston, Houston, TX. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/2016.
  • Joel, S. (2015, July). On staying for the sake of the partner. Invited talk given at the Ontario Science Centre, Toronto, ON. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 07/2015.
  • Joel, S. (2015, March). How self-interested are relationship decisions? Invited talk given at TEDxUofT, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/2015.
  • Joel, S. (2014, November). Romantic relationship decisions: Focusing on the role of the partner. Invited talk given at the Social Psychology Colloquium Series, Western University, London, ON. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 11/2014.
  • MacDonald, G., Joel, S., & Teper, R. (2014, October). People overestimate their willingness to reject potential romantic partners. In G. MacDonald (Chair), Close relationships conceptualized as a judgment and decision-making domain. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, Columbus, OH. Presentation, Presented, 10/2014.
  • Joel, S., Peetz, J., & MacDonald, G. (2014, February). Pleasant surprises: Underestimating a partner's pro-relationship behaviors improves relationship quality. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Austin, TX. Poster, Accepted, 02/2014.
  • Spielmann, S. S., MacDonald, G., Joel, S., & Impett, E. A. (2014, February). Better than being alone: Longing for ex-partners out of fear of being single. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for personality and Social Psychology, Austin, TX. Poster, Accepted, 02/2014.
  • Joel, S., Page-Gould, E., & MacDonald, G. (2013, November). Wanting to stay versus not wanting to go: Unpacking relationship stay/leave decisions with a multiattribute choice framework. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, Toronto, ON. Poster, Accepted, 11/2013.
  • Robinson, J. S., Joel, S., & Plaks, J. E. (2013, June). Attachment insecurity predicts utilitarian moral judgment. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychological Association Convention, Quebec City, QC. Poster, Accepted, 06/2013.
  • Joel, S., MacDonald, G., & Impett, E. A. (2013, January). When feeling bad leads to being good: The benefits of guilt-proneness for romantic relationships. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, New Orleans, LA. Poster, Accepted, 01/2013.
  • Joel, S. (2012, Chair). Focusing on the journey: Cognitive processes underlying romantic relationship judgments and decisions. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Halifax, NS. Presentation, Presented, 07/2012.
  • Joel, S., MacDonald, G., & Impett, E. (2012, July). The vicarious sunk cost effect: Romantic investment as a reciprocal process. In B. M. Le (Chair), Four perspectives on prosociality in relationships. Symposium presented at the biennial meeting of the International Association for Relationship Research, Chicago, IL. Presentation, Presented, 07/2012.
  • Joel, S., Page-Gould, E. E., & MacDonald, G. (2012, May). Unpacking the stay/leave decision making process: Breakups conceptualized as multiattribute choices. Poster presented at the Southern Ontario Behavioral Decision Research Conference, Waterloo, ON. Poster, Accepted, 05/2012.
  • Joel, S., MacDonald, G., & Plaks, J. E. (2012, January). Attachment anxiety uniquely predicts regret proneness in close relationship contexts. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, CA. Poster, Accepted, 01/2012.
  • Joel, S., Plaks, J. E., & MacDonald, G. (2012, January). The one that got away: Missed romantic opportunities are more regrettable than rejection. Data blitz talk given at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, CA. Presentation, Presented, 01/2012.
  • Joel, S., MacDonald, G., & Plaks, J. E. (2011, June). The unique contributions of attachment anxiety and neuroticism in predicting post-decisional regret. Poster presented at the Social and Personality Section of the Canadian Psychological Association Preconference, Toronto, ON. Poster, Accepted, 06/2011.
  • Joel, S. (2011, May). Are missed romantic opportunities more regrettable than rejection? Invited talk given at the York University-University of Toronto Social/Personality/Abnormal Psychology conference, Toronto, ON. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 05/2011.
  • Joel, S., Plaks, J. E., & MacDonald, G. (2011, May). Are missed romantic opportunities more regrettable than rejection? Talk given at the annual York University-University of Toronto Social/Personality/Abnormal Psychology conference, Toronto, ON. Presentation, Presented, 05/2011.
  • Joel, S. (2011, March). Healthy couples, sexual couples, and sexual health. Invited talk given at the Sexual Education Centre's Sexual Awareness Week, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 03/2011.
  • Spielmann, S. S., Joel, S., & MacDonald, G. (2011, January). Ex appeal: Substituting current partners and ex-partners to satisfy the need to belong. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Antonio, TX. Poster, Accepted, 01/2011.
  • Joel, S., & MacDonald, G. (2010, November). Relationships are a joint venture: Exploring the existence of a vicarious sunk-cost effect. Talk given at the annual meeting of the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Presentation, Presented, 11/2010.
  • MacDonald, G., Joel, S., Spielmann, S. S., & Locke, K. D. (2010, July). Putting the ambivalence back in anxious-ambivalence. Talk given at the biennial meeting of the International Association for Relationship Research, Herzliya, Israel. Presentation, Presented, 07/2010.
  • Fortune, J. L., Lockwood, P., & Joel, S. (2010, January). The effect of talented and hard-working role models on motivation. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Las Vegas, NV. Poster, Accepted, 01/2010.