Social Psychology Network

Maintained by Scott Plous, Wesleyan University

Jerry Suls

Jerry Suls

Professor Suls has research interests in social comparison, health psychology, stress, reactivity, and personality. Specific projects concern the effects of multiple social comparisons, the above/below average effect, assimilation-contrast effects, and social norms.

Primary Interests:

  • Health Psychology
  • Interpersonal Processes
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Person Perception
  • Personality, Individual Differences
  • Persuasion, Social Influence
  • Self and Identity

Note from the Network: The holder of this profile has certified having all necessary rights, licenses, and authorization to post the files listed below. Visitors are welcome to copy or use any files for noncommercial or journalistic purposes provided they credit the profile holder and cite this page as the source.

Image Gallery

Books:

Journal Articles:

  • Arigo, D., Suls, J., & Smyth, J. (2012). Social comparisons and chronic illness: Research synthesis and clinical implications. Health Psychology Review, 6, 1-61.
  • David, J., Green, P., Martin, R., & Suls, J. (1997). Differential roles of neuroticism, extraversion and event desirability on mood in daily life: An integrative model of top-down and bottom-up influences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 149-159.
  • Howren, M. B., & Suls, J. (2011). The Symptom Perception Hypothesis revised: Depressive and anxious affect play different roles in concurrent and retrospective reporting of physical symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100, 182-195.
  • Rose, G., Suls, J., Green, P., Lounsbury, P., & Gordon, E. (1996). Comparison of adjustment, activity, tangible social support in men and women patients and their spouses during the six months post-myocardial infarction. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 18, 264-272.
  • Shin, J-Y., Suls, J., & Martin, R. (2008) Are cholesterol and depression inversely related? Meta- analyses of the association between two cardiac risk factors. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 36, 33-43.
  • Suls, J., Green, P., & Hillis, S. (1998). Emotional reactivity to everyday problems, affective inertia, and neuroticism. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 127-136.
  • Suls, J., Green, P., Rose, G., Lounsbury, P., & Gordon, E. (1997). Hiding worries from one's spouse: Coping via protective buffering in male post-MI patients and their wives. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 20, 333-349.
  • Suls, J., & Howren, M. B. (2012). Understanding the physical symptom experience: The distinctive contributions of anxiety and depression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21, 129-134.
  • Suls, J., Luger, T., Curry, S., Mermelstein, R., Sporer, A., & An, L. (2012). Efficacy of smoking cessation interventions for young adults: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 42, 655-662.
  • Suls, J., & Martin, R. (2011). Heart disease occurs in a biological, psychological and social matrix: Illustrations from cardiac risk factors, symptom presentation and recovery. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 41, 164-173.
  • Suls, J., & Martin, R. (2009). The air we breath: A critical look at practices and alternatives to the traditional peer review process. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4, 40-50.
  • Suls, J., Martin, R., & David, J. P. (1998). Person-environment fit and its limits: Agreeableness, neuroticism, and emotional reactivity to interpersonal conflict. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 88-98.
  • Wheeler, L., Martin, R., & Suls, J. (1997). The proxy model of social comparison for self-evaluation of ability. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 1, 54-61.

Other Publications:

  • Suls, J., & Martin, R. (2001). Social comparison processes in the physical health domain. In A. Baum, T. Revenson, and J. Singer (Eds.), Handbook of health and psychology. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Suls, J., Martin, R., & Leventhal, H. (1997). Social comparison, lay referral, and the decision to seek medical care. In B. Buunk and F. Gibbons (Eds.), Health, coping and well-being: Perspectives from social comparison theory (pp. 195-226). Mahwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Suls, J., & Wheeler, L. (2012). Social comparison theory. In P. Van Lange, A. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 460-482). London: Sage.

Courses Taught:

  • Advanced Social-Personality Psychology
  • Health Psychology
  • Introduction to Health and Behavioral Sciences
  • Introduction to Social Psychology

Jerry Suls
Department of Psychology
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1407
United States of America

  • Work: (319) 335-0569
  • Home: (319) 339-0485
  • Mobile: (319) 621-0728
  • Fax: (319) 335-0191

Send a message to Jerry Suls

Note: You will be emailed a copy of your message.

Psychology Headlines

From Around the World

News Feed (35,797 subscribers)