Megan L. Robbins
- Media Contact
I am a social and health psychologist who is interested in studying coping with adversity at the level of daily behaviors. Specifically, I seek to understand how people’s daily social interactions are related to their well-being and health.
In my research I particularly focus on automatic behaviors (e.g., sighing, swearing, laughing, we-talk) and their social context and role in the coping process. For example, how often and how do couples coping with cancer talk about cancer? What does sighing signal to the social network of a person who is coping with an illness? How can swearing affect support from others -- and, in turn, affect the person swearing?
A second goal in my research is to use findings from my observational studies to help develop interventions that people can naturally incorporate into their daily lives, thus taking a full-cycle approach.
Primary Interests:
- Close Relationships
- Communication, Language
- Emotion, Mood, Affect
- Health Psychology
- Interpersonal Processes
- Life Satisfaction, Well-Being
- Nonverbal Behavior
- Research Methods, Assessment
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Video Gallery
The Little Things in Life: An Observational Perspective on Everyday Coping
Journal Articles:
- Mehl, M. R., Robbins, M. L., & Deters, F. G. (2012). Naturalistic observation of health-relevant social processes: The electronically activated recorder methodology in psychosomatics. Psychosomatic Medicine, 74, 410-417.
- Robbins, M. L., Focella, E. S., Kasle, S., Weihs, K. L., López, A. M., & Mehl, M. R. (2011). Naturalistically observed swearing, emotional support and depressive symptoms in women coping with illness. Health Psychology, 30, 789-792. DOI: 10.1037/a0023431
- Robbins, M. L., Mehl, M. R., Holleran, S. E., & Kasle, S. (2011). Naturalistically observed sighing and depression in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A preliminary study. Health Psychology, 30, 129-133.
- Robbins, M. L., Mehl, M. R., Smith, H. L., & Weihs, K. L. (2012). Linguistic indicators of patient, couple, and family adjustment following breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology.
Other Publications:
- Mehl, M. R., & Robbins, M. L. (2012). Naturalistic observation sampling: The Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR). In M. R. Mehl & T. S. Conner (Eds.), Handbook of research methods for studying daily life. New York: Guilford Press.
Courses Taught:
- Psychology of Happiness
- Social Psychology
Megan L. Robbins
Department of Psychology
University of Arizona
1503 E. University Boulevard, Building 68
Tucson, Arizona 85721
United States of America
- Phone: (520) 626-1525
- Fax: (520) 621-9306