Associate Professor (tenured)
Ph.D. (2000), University of North Carolina

Fellow, Society of Experimental Social Psychology

Website: Green Research Lab

Research Interests

Much of my research revolves around the self-concept. One research program has investigated how we strategically protect our self-views via selective memory (mnemic neglect). I also have researched how individuals create and defend their felt meaning in life. I study close relationships processes, including attachment theory, forgiveness (including self-forgiveness), applications of the investment model of commitment (e.g., to entrepreneurship and to the environment), and how couples align their attitudes. I also research human-animal interactions, particularly via the lens of attachment theory. I study how affective states such as sadness, anger, envy, and guilt influence self-views as well as prosocial behavior. I have examined various types of virtuous behavior, including gratitude, self-control, and humility, and how they can facilitate meaning in life. Finally, my most active area currently is nostalgia: we look at how nostalgia is experienced (e.g., via scents and tastes, reading favorite books, viewing old social media posts, attending reunions), and the resulting influence on feelings of social connectedness and well-being.

• Might forgiving an offense by your partner increase or restore how meaningful you feel your life is?
• How good are we at predicting our future happiness or sadness regarding hurtful offenses in our romantic relationships?
• Would you prefer to explore a modern art museum or wilderness trail by yourself or with your romantic partner? Your level of attachment anxiety or avoidance may predict your preference!
• Do we treat all feedback about ourselves equally or do we engage in selective forgetting of threatening feedback to protect the self?

Select Publications

Cheung, W. Y., Hepper, E. G., Reid, C. A., Green, J. D., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2020). Anticipated nostalgia: Looking forward to looking back. Cognition and Emotion, 34, 511-525.

 

Green, J. D., Sedikides, C., Van Tongeren, D. R., Behler, A. M. C., & Barber, J. R. (2019). Self-enhancement, righteous anger, and moral grandiosity. Self and Identity, 18, 201-216.

 

Sedikides, C., Green, J. D., Saunders, J., Skowronski, J. J., & Zengel, B. (2016). Mnemic neglect: Selective amnesia of one’s faults. European Review of Social Psychology.

 

Reid, C. A., Green, J. D., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2015). Scent-evoked nostalgia. Memory, 23, 157-166.Van Tongeren, D. R.,

 

Green, J. D., Hook, J. N., Davis, D. E., Davis, J. L., & Ramos, M. (2015). Forgiveness increases meaning in life. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6, 147-155.

 

Green, J. D., Davis, J. L., Luchies, L. B., Coy, A. E., Van Tongeren, D. R., Reid, C. A., & Finkel, E. J. (2013). Victims versus perpetrators: Affective and empathic forecasting regarding transgressions in romantic relationships. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 329-333.

 

Green, J. D., Burnette, J., & Davis, J. L. (2008). Third-party forgiveness: (Not) forgiving your close other's betrayer. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 407-418. 

Recent Courses

• Self and Identity, graduate level
• Introduction to Psychology, undergraduate level
• Social Psychology, undergraduate level
• Social Influence, undergraduate level
• Social Cognition, graduate level

Recent Grants

Making and Defending Meaning: Understanding and Reducing Tension between Scientific and Religious Meaning Systems. Co-Principal Investigator (Principal Investigator Van Tongeren). February 2013-February 2015. The John Templeton Foundation, $92,500.

News Feature

• Dr. Jeff Green's research on nostalgia in the news