The surprising upsides of worry
Abstract
Worry is an aversive emotional experience that arises alongside repetitive unpleasant thoughts about the future. In this paper, we argue that although extreme levels of worry are associated with depressed mood, poor physical health, and even mental illness, worry has an upside. We focus on two empirically supported benefits of worry: its motivational benefits and its benefit as an emotional buffer. Regarding motivation, worry illuminates the importance of taking action to prevent an undesirable outcome and keeps the situation at the front of one's mind to ensure that appropriate action is taken. It also triggers efforts to mitigate the consequences of bad news, motivates productive behavior that in turn reduces worry, and enhances the effectiveness of goal‐directed action by prompting people to focus on obstacles that might derail best‐laid plans. Worry can also serve as an emotional buffer by providing a desirable contrast to subsequent affective reactions, particularly for people who are prone to high levels of worry.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Worry is initially an adaptive response to a threatening situation, but when excessive or difficult to control it can lead to psychological distress.
“Worry refers to problem-focused thoughts about the future, and these types of thoughts can motivate us to search for goals or solutions [10] and are initially an adaptive response to a threatening situation like the current pandemic. However, when worry becomes excessive or difficult to control, these thoughts can be experienced as negative, and lead to psychological distress [11].”
From Worry and mental health in the Covid-19 pandemic: vulnerability factors in the general Norwegian population (2021) · cites this paper as [10]
Cites
The Handbook of Social Psychology
Gravatt, A. E., Lindzey, G. E., & Aronson, F. (1969) · The Family Coordinator · doi:10.2307/582242 · Cited by 12,518 · see citing works
The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success?
Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.803 · Cited by 7,143 · see citing works
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Wisco, B. E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2008) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00088.x · Cited by 5,172 · see citing works
Schwarz, N., & Clore, G. L. (1983) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.45.3.513 · Cited by 4,952 · see citing works
Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life
Kwee, M. G. T. (1995) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(95)90133-7 · Cited by 2,900 · see citing works
Ironic processes of mental control.
Wegner, D. M. (1994) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037//0033-295x.101.1.34 · Cited by 2,609 · see citing works
Constructive and unconstructive repetitive thought
Watkins, E. R. (2008) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.134.2.163 · Cited by 2,421 · see citing works
John, O. P., & Gross, J. J. (2004) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2004.00298.x · Cited by 2,381 · see citing works
Relations among emotion, appraisal, and emotional action readiness
Frijda, N. H., Kuipers, P., & ter Schure, E. (1989) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.57.2.212 · Cited by 2,379 · see citing works
Freeston, M. H., Rhéaume, J., Letarte, H., Dugas, M. J., & Ladouceur, R. (1994) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/0191-8869(94)90048-5 · Cited by 1,731 · see citing works
A stitch in time: Self-regulation and proactive coping.
Aspinwall, L. G., & Taylor, S. E. (1997) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.121.3.417 · Cited by 1,691 · see citing works
Frijda, N. H. (1988) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.43.5.349 · Cited by 1,533 · see citing works
Fear control and danger control: A test of the extended parallel process model (EPPM)
Witte, K. (1994) · Communication Monographs · doi:10.1080/03637759409376328 · Cited by 1,460 · see citing works
Testing four competing theories of health-protective behavior.
Weinstein, N. D. (1993) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.12.4.324 · Cited by 1,092 · see citing works
Risk perceptions and their relation to risk behavior
Brewer, N. T., Weinstein, N. D., Cuite, C. L., & Herrington, J. E. (2004) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1207/s15324796abm2702_7 · Cited by 833 · see citing works
Noar, S. M., & Zimmerman, R. S. (2005) · Health Education Research · doi:10.1093/her/cyg113 · Cited by 793 · see citing works
From Thought to Action: Effects of Process-Versus Outcome-Based Mental Simulations on Performance
Pham, L. B., & Taylor, S. E. (1999) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167299025002010 · Cited by 649 · see citing works
Newman, M. G., & Llera, S. J. (2011) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.01.008 · Cited by 598 · see citing works
The effects of worry and rumination on affect states and cognitive activity.
McLaughlin, K. A., Borkovec, T. D., & Sibrava, N. J. (2007) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2006.03.003 · Cited by 480 · see citing works
Newman, M. G., Llera, S. J., Erickson, T. M., Przeworski, A., & Castonguay, L. G. (2013) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185544 · Cited by 472 · see citing works
The Social Psychology of Hiv Infection
Fisher, W. H. (1993) · Cited by 430 · see citing works
On emotion specificity in decision making: Why feeling is for doing
Zeelenberg, M., Nelissen, R. M. A., Breugelmans, S. M., & Pieters, R. G. M. (2008) · Judgment and Decision Making · doi:10.1017/s1930297500000139 · Cited by 429 · see citing works
Depression and mental control: The resurgence of unwanted negative thoughts.
Wenzlaff, R. M., Wegner, D. M., & Roper, D. W. (1988) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.55.6.882 · Cited by 423 · see citing works
The effect of worry on cardiovascular response to phobic imagery
Borkovec, T. D., & Hu, S. (1990) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(90)90056-o · Cited by 386 · see citing works
Anticipatory stress and coping reactions under various conditions of uncertainty.
Monat, A., Averill, J. R., & Lazarus, R. S. (1972) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0033297 · Cited by 369 · see citing works
Some characteristics of worrying: Evidence for worrying and anxiety as separate constructs
Davey, G. C. L., Hampton, J., Farrell, J., & Davidson, S. (1992) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/0191-8869(92)90036-o · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Hay, J. L., McCaul, K. D., & Magnan, R. E. (2006) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2006.03.002 · Cited by 329 · see citing works
Thought suppression induces intrusion in naturally occurring negative intrusive thoughts
Salkovskis, P. M., & Campbell, P. (1994) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(94)90077-9 · Cited by 311 · see citing works
Depression and mental control: The resurgence of unwanted negative thoughts.
Wenzlaff, R. M., Wegner, D. M., & Roper, D. W. (1988) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.55.6.882 · Cited by 296 · see citing works
Dysphoric Rumination Impairs Concentration on Academic Tasks
Lyubomirsky, S., Kasri, F., & Zehm, K. (2003) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1023/a:1023918517378 · Cited by 278 · see citing works
Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation
Oettingen, G. (2014) · Cited by 276 · see citing works
Pragmatic Prospection: How and Why People Think about the Future
Baumeister, R., Vohs, K., & Oettingen, G. (2016) · Review of General Psychology · doi:10.1037/gpr0000060 · Cited by 220 · see citing works
Breast cancer worry and screening: Some prospective data.
McCaul, K. D., Schroeder, D. M., & Reid, P. A. (1996) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.15.6.430 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
The Affective Consequences of Expected and Unexpected Outcomes
Shepperd, J. A., & McNulty, J. K. (2002) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-9280.00416 · Cited by 202 · see citing works
The role of worrisome thinking in the suppression of cardiovascular response to phobic imagery
Borkovec, T. D., Lyonfields, J. D., Wiser, S. L., & Deihl, L. M. (1993) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(93)90031-o · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Llera, S. J., & Newman, M. G. (2010) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0019351 · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Sweeny, K. M., Carroll, P. J., & Shepperd, J. A. (2006) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2006.00457.x · Cited by 195 · see citing works
Self-citationBreast cancer worry and screening: Some prospective data.
McCaul, K. D., Schroeder, D. M., & Reid, P. A. (1996) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037//0278-6133.15.6.430 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Llera, S. J., & Newman, M. G. (2014) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2013.12.011 · Cited by 163 · see citing works
Beliefs about the consequences of worrying
Davey, G. C. L., Tallis, F., & Capuzzo, N. (1996) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/bf02227910 · Cited by 158 · see citing works
Anxiety, Emotional Suppression, and Psychological Distress Before and After Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Iwamitsu, Y., Shimoda, K., Abe, H., Tani, T., Okawa, M., & Buck, R. W. (2005) · Psychosomatics · doi:10.1176/appi.psy.46.1.19 · Cited by 127 · see citing works
Designing Health Communications: Harnessing the Power of Affect, Imagery, and Self‐Regulation
Cameron, L. D., & Chan, C. K. Y. (2008) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2007.00057.x · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Can worriers be winners? The association between worrying and job performance
Perkins, A. M., & Corr, P. J. (2004) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2004.03.008 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
A Descriptive Study of Breast Cancer Worry
McCaul, K. D., Branstetter, A. D., O'Donnell, S. M., Jacobson, K., & Quinlan, K. B. (1998) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1023/a:1018748712987 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
The costs of optimism and the benefits of pessimism.
Sweeny, K. M., & Shepperd, J. A. (2010) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0019016 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Self-citationAffect, Thought and Self‐Protective Health Behavior: The Case of Worry and Cancer Screening
McCaul, K. D., & Mullens, A. B. (2003) · doi:10.1002/9780470753552.ch6 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Thought and imaginal activity during worry and trauma recall
Behar, E., Zuellig, A. R., & Borkovec, T. D. (2005) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7894(05)80064-4 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Magnan, R. E., & Cameron, L. D. (2015) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12160-015-9691-6 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
The decision to wear a seat belt: The role of cognitive factors, fear and prior behaviour
Sutton, S. R., & Eiser, J. R. (1990) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870449008408145 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Siddique, H. I., LaSalle-Ricci, V. H., Glass, C. R., Arnkoff, D. B., & Díaz, R. J. (2006) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-006-9080-3 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Mapping individual differences in the experience of a waiting period.
Sweeny, K. M., & Andrews, S. E. (2014) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0036031 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Self-citationTwo definitions of waiting well.
Sweeny, K., Reynolds, C., Falkenstein, A. R., Andrews, S. E., & Dooley, M. (2016) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000117 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Self-citationWorry Affects the Immune Response to Phobic Fear
Segerstrom, S. C., Glover, D. A., Craske, M. G., & Fahey, J. L. (1999) · Brain Behavior and Immunity · doi:10.1006/brbi.1998.0544 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Worry about skin cancer mediates the relation of perceived cancer risk and sunscreen use
Kiviniemi, M. T., & Ellis, E. M. (2013) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-013-9538-1 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Positive beliefs about worry: A psychometric evaluation of the Why Worry-II
Hebert, E. A., Dugas, M. J., Tulloch, T. G., & Holowka, D. W. (2013) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2013.08.009 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
A contrast effect in judgments of own emotional state
Manstead, A. S. R., Wagner, H. L., & MacDonald, C. J. (1983) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1007/bf00991678 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Bacon, M. M., Rood, E. A., & Washburn, M. F. (1914) · The American Journal of Psychology · doi:10.2307/1413417 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Sweeny (2013) · doi:10.1177/0956797612460690 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Self-citationWorry episodes and perceived problem solving: A diary-based approach
Szabó, M., & Lovibond, P. F. (2006) · Anxiety Stress & Coping · doi:10.1080/10615800600643562 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Zhang, L. R., Chiarelli, A. M., Glendon, G., Mirea, L., Knight, J. A., Andrulis, I. L., & Ritvo, P. (2012) · Journal of Cancer Epidemiology · doi:10.1155/2012/545062 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Portnoy, D. B., Loud, J. T., Han, P. K. J., Mai, P. L., & Greene, M. H. (2014) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/hea0000156 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Waiting Well: Tips for Navigating Painful Uncertainty
Sweeny, K. M. (2012) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/j.1751-9004.2011.00423.x · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Anxiety, worry, and grief in a time of environmental and climate crisis: a narrative review
Ojala, M., Cunsolo, A., Ogunbode, C. A., & Middleton, J. (2021) · Annual Review of Environment and Resources · doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-022716 · Cited by 670 · see citing works
Verplanken, B., Marks, E., & Dobromir, A. I. (2020) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101528 · Cited by 414 · see citing works
Eco-anxiety: What it is and why it matters
Kurth, C., & Pihkala, P. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.981814 · Cited by 321 · see citing works
Climate-change education and critical emotional awareness (CEA): Implications for teacher education
Ojala, M. (2022) · Educational Philosophy and Theory · doi:10.1080/00131857.2022.2081150 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Misbehaving in the Corona crisis: The role of anxiety and unfounded beliefs
Erceg, N., Ružojčić, M., & Galić, Z. (2020) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-020-01040-4 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Blix, I., Birkeland, M. S., & Thoresen, S. (2021) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-021-10927-1 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
A network approach to climate change anxiety and its key related features
Heeren, A., Mouguiama-Daouda, C., & McNally, R. J. (2023) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102625 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Matthews, G., Panganiban, A. R., Wells, A., Wohleber, R. W., & Reinerman-Jones, L. E. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00640 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Wullenkord, M. C., & Ojala, M. (2023) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102093 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Parmentier, M.-L., Weiss, K., Aroua, A., Betry, C., Rivière, M., & Navarro, O. (2024) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102799 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
A better distraction: Exploring the benefits of flow during uncertain waiting periods.
Rankin, K., Walsh, L. C., & Sweeny, K. M. (2018) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000479 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Self-citationSuffering a Healthy Life—On the Existential Dimension of Health
Binder, P. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.803792 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Xiao, W. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.600826 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Tsujimoto, M., Saito, T., Matsuzaki, Y., & Kawashima, R. (2024) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-024-00714-1 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Vîslă, A., Stadelmann, C., Watkins, E. R., Zinbarg, R. E., & Flückiger, C. (2022) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-021-10288-4 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
On the Experience of Awaiting Uncertain News
Sweeny, K. M. (2018) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0963721417754197 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Self-citationAwe-full uncertainty: Easing discomfort during waiting periods
Rankin, K., Andrews, S. E., & Sweeny, K. M. (2019) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2019.1615106 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Self-citationHartmann, M., & Müller, P. (2021) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941211073656 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Reciprocal Relations Between Climate Change Anxiety and Pro-Environmental Behavior
Kühner, C., Rudolph, C. W., & Zacher, H. (2024) · Environment and Behavior · doi:10.1177/00139165241297050 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Leonhardt, M., Granrud, M. D., Bonsaksen, T., & Lien, L. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph191912826 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Schnell, T., & Danbolt, L. J. (2023) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-023-01319-8 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Pearl, T. A., Dumkrieger, G. M., Chong, C. D., Dodick, D. W., & Schwedt, T. J. (2020) · Headache The Journal of Head and Face Pain · doi:10.1111/head.13911 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Vrselja, I., Pandžić, M., Rihtarić, M. L., & Ojala, M. (2024) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-024-01771-0 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Fear of violence during armed conflict: Social roles and responsibilities as determinants of fear
Williams, N. E., Ghimire, D. J., & Snedker, K. A. (2018) · Social Science Research · doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.01.004 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Pascoal, P. M., Raposo, C. F., & Roberto, M. S. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17217864 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
This is not a drill: Anxiety on Twitter following the 2018 Hawaii false missile alert.
Jones, N. M., & Silver, R. C. (2019) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/amp0000495 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Pan, S., Yang, C., Tsai, J.-Y., & Dong, C. (2021) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/29024 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Bazzoli, A., Probst, T. M., & Lee, H. J. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18052338 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Niedzwiedz, C. L., Kankawale, S. M., & Katikireddi, S. V. (2023) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2023.12.19.23300198 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Association Between Daily Worry, Pathological Worry, and Fear of Progression in Patients With Cancer
Dinkel, A., Marten‐Mittag, B., & Kremsreiter, K. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648623 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Perceptions of romantic partners’ responsiveness during a period of stressful uncertainty.
Dooley, M. K., Sweeny, K. M., Howell, J. L., & Reynolds, C. A. (2018) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/pspi0000134 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationBrody, J. G., Cirillo, P. M., Boronow, K. E., Havas, L., Plumb, M., Susmann, H., Gajos, K. Z., & Cohn, B. A. (2021) · Environmental Health Perspectives · doi:10.1289/ehp9072 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Garfin, D. R., Zernick, M. V., & Wong‐Parodi, G. (2024) · Climatic Change · doi:10.1007/s10584-023-03658-2 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Martinsson, A. R., & Ojala, M. (2024) · Climatic Change · doi:10.1007/s10584-024-03778-3 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Gousse-Lessard, A.-S., & Lebrun-Paré, F. (2022) · Éducation relative à l environnement · doi:10.4000/ere.8159 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Dabb, C., Dryer, R., Brunton, R., Yap, K., & Roach, V. J. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.11.092 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Niedzwiedz, C. L., Olsen, J. R., Rizeq, J., Afework, T., Hill-Harding, C. K. V., Shaw, R. J., Thomas, R., Kariuki, S. M., Katikireddi, S. V., Weaver, A. J., et al. (2024) · Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health · doi:10.1136/jech-2024-222716 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Yllana-Prieto, F., González‐Gómez, D., & Jeong, J. S. (2023) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e12795 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Bjørknes, R., Sandal, G. M., Mæland, S., Haug, E., & Lehmann, S. (2021) · Child & Family Social Work · doi:10.1111/cfs.12878 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Anyan, F., Morote, R., & Hjemdal, O. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.551503 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Hulsheger, U. R., Uitdewilligen, S., Zijlstra, F., & Walkowiak, A. (2022) · Journal of Occupational Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/ocp0000330 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Wong‐Parodi, G., & Garfin, D. R. (2022) · International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction · doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.103135 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Niedzwiedz, C. L., Kankawale, S. M., & Katikireddi, S. V. (2025) · Nature Mental Health · doi:10.1038/s44220-025-00550-z · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Ekinci, S., & Lange, P. A. M. V. (2022) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101918 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Sattler, S., Taflinger, S., Ernst, A., & Hasselhorn, F. A. (2022) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.842368 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Worry Much? Preventive Health Behaviours Related to Worry Across Countries Amid COVID-19
Kapoor, H., & Tagat, A. (2020) · Journal of Health Psychology · doi:10.1177/1359105321999090 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Guerreiro, P. P., Raposo, C. F., Salvador, Á., Manão, A. A., & Pascoal, P. M. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-023-05320-7 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Profiles in Dementia-Related Anxiety: A Latent Profile Analysis
Maxfield, M., & Pituch, K. A. (2022) · The Journals of Gerontology Series B · doi:10.1093/geronb/gbac082 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Fors, M., Öberg, B., Enthoven, P., Schröder, K., & Abbott, A. (2022) · PAIN Reports · doi:10.1097/pr9.0000000000001004 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Howell, J. L., & Sweeny, K. M. (2020) · Psychology and Health · doi:10.1080/08870446.2020.1713323 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citationDoes Loving Longer Mean Loving More? On the Nature of Enduring Affective Attitudes
Ben‐Ze’ev, A. (2017) · Philosophia · doi:10.1007/s11406-017-9882-4 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
What Are You Worried About? Content and Extent of Worry in Autistic Adults
Black, M. H., Greenwood, D. L., Hwa, J. C. C., Pivac, J., Tang, J., & Clarke, P. J. F. (2024) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-023-05963-2 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Areia, N. P., Sequeira, M. D., & Tavares, A. O. (2024) · International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction · doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104643 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
The Role of Gender in Worry and Efforts to Cope during Stressful Waiting Periods
Sweeny, K. M., Kwan, V., & Falkenstein, A. (2019) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-019-01023-1 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Self-citationLu, L., Xu, J., Wei, J., Shults, F. L., & Feng, X. L. (2024) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-024-02744-9 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
What worries first‐year students? Psychometric properties of the Student Worry Scale
Fam, J. Y., Murugan, S. B., & Yap, C. Y. L. (2020) · Scandinavian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/sjop.12627 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
White, W., & Ingram, R. D. (2023) · International Journal of Educational Research · doi:10.1016/j.ijer.2022.102135 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Helping Teens Overcome Anxiety Episodes in Project Work: The Power of Reframing
Orson, C. N., & Larson, R. W. (2020) · Journal of Adolescent Research · doi:10.1177/0743558420913480 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Bohman, A., Eger, M. A., Hjerm, M., & Mitchell, J. (2023) · European Journal of Higher Education · doi:10.1080/21568235.2023.2209707 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
COVID-19 effects on travel choices under climate risks
León, C. J., Hernández, M. M. G., & Lam-González, Y. E. (2023) · Annals of Tourism Research · doi:10.1016/j.annals.2023.103663 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
González-Muñoz, E., Cartea, P. Á. M., & Pérez, J. G. (2024) · Environmental Education Research · doi:10.1080/13504622.2024.2364799 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Rosa, P. J., Miranda, I. P., & Pascoal, P. M. (2025) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2024.2439637 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Howell, J. L., & Sweeny, K. M. (2019) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.2860 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citationDivided we stand, united we worry: Predictors of worry in anticipation of a political election
Rankin, K., & Sweeny, K. M. (2019) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1007/s11031-019-09787-5 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citationWind energy development in Norway: exploring the emotional landscape
Lundheim, S. H., & Löfström, E. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1386921 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Kurt, G., & Akdur, R. (2024) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su16062269 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Ivanov, M. S., Utyuganov, A. A., Yanitskiy, M. S., & Seryy, A. V. (2020) · Вестник Российского университета дружбы народов. Серия: Психология и педагогика · doi:10.22363/2313-1683-2020-17-3-440-458 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Kostousov, A. G., Utyuganov, A. A., Yanitskiy, M. S., & Ivanov, M. S. (2017) · Science for Education Today · doi:10.15293/2226-3365.1705.03 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Hartmann, M., & Müller, P. (2021) · doi:10.31124/advance.16644889.v1 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Rizeq, J., & Ojala, M. (2024) · Ecopsychology · doi:10.1089/eco.2024.0002 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Gallé, F., Valeriani, F., Giorgi, A. D. D., Grassi, F., Mazzeo, E., Napoli, C., & Protano, C. (2025) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare13212716 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Effects of Environmental Worry on Fruit and Vegetable Intake
Zheng, L., Łuszczyńska, A., Miao, M., Chen, Y., & Gan, Y. (2021) · International Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12529-021-10012-2 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Scholz, R. W., & Steiner, G. (2022) · Mineral Economics · doi:10.1007/s13563-022-00331-5 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Beyond crisis and grief: Rethinking conservation narratives
Malavasi, M. (2025) · BioScience · doi:10.1093/biosci/biaf017 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Exploring antecedents to climate migration: sense of place, fear and worry, and experience
Rubin, N. B., Garfin, D. R., & Wong‐Parodi, G. (2024) · Environmental Research Letters · doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ad6fb9 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Worry about crime and loneliness in nine countries of the former Soviet Union
Stickley, A., Kondo, N., Inoue, Y., Kanamori, M., Kino, S., Arakawa, Y., & McKee, M. (2022) · SSM - Population Health · doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101316 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Blix, I., Birkeland, M. S., & Thoresen, S. (2021) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-192098/v1 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
A network approach to climate change anxiety and its key related featuresPreprint
Heeren, A., Mouguiama-Daouda, C., & McNally, R. J. (2022) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/5wyud · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Ford, E. C., Sohansoha, G. K., Patel, N. A., Billany, R. E., Wilkinson, T. J., Lightfoot, C. J., & Smith, A. C. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0309519 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Darabos, K., & Hoyt, M. A. (2020) · Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology · doi:10.1089/jayao.2019.0116 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Preparing Silver Linings for a Cloudy Day: The Consequences of Preemptive Benefit Finding
Rankin, K., & Sweeny, K. M. (2021) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/01461672211037863 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Self-citationOro över coronapandemin i det svenska samhället
Kulin, J., Sevä, I. J., Hjerm, M., & Connolly, F. F. (2021) · Sociologisk Forskning · doi:10.37062/sf.58.22104 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Steentjes, K., & Roberts, E. (2024) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1404252 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Cox, C., & Fritz, Z. B. M. (2025) · Bioethics · doi:10.1111/bioe.13436 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Ge, Y., & Tolmie, A. K. (2025) · Journal of Intelligence · doi:10.3390/jintelligence13080090 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Kim-Knauss, Y., Degen, N. M., & Lang, F. R. (2024) · Gerontology · doi:10.1159/000539540 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Raposo, C. F., Nobre, P. J., Rosa, P. J., & Pascoal, P. M. (2025) · Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1093/sexmed/qfaf052 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Ivanov, M. S., Витальевич, С. А., Pomeshkina, S. A., Seryy, A. V., Yanitskiy, M. S., & Gorbunova, E. V. (2018) · Вестник Российского университета дружбы народов. Серия: Психология и педагогика · doi:10.22363/2313-1683-2018-15-4-458-472 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Andersen, I. V. (2023) · Bergen Language and Linguistics Studies · doi:10.15845/bells.v13i1.3717 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Tsujimoto, M., Saito, T. I., Matsuzaki, Y., & Kawashima, R. (2022) · JAPANESE JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON EMOTIONS · doi:10.4092/jsre.29.2-3_37 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Examining the trajectory of relational conflict leading up to and after an anticipated stressor
DiGiovanni, A. M., Gresham, A. M., Yip‐Bannicq, M., & Bolger, N. P. (2024) · Social and Personality Psychology Compass · doi:10.1111/spc3.12954 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Worry-YING and Worry-YANG: A Critical Feminist Study with Women Who Worry
Ward, L. (2024) · Issues in Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1080/01612840.2024.2346591 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Adaptive and maladaptive pathways of COVID‐19 worry on well‐being: A cross‐national study
Mancini, A. D., Chapman, C., Kadir, A., Model, Z., & Prati, G. (2024) · Scandinavian Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/sjop.13049 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Zhang, Y. (2023) · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · doi:10.1057/s41599-023-02199-4 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Manning, M. A., Dailey, R., Levy, P., Towner, E., Cresswell, S., & Thompson, H. S. (2024) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1093/abm/kaae067 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
The role of two emotion regulation tendencies across two waiting periods
Knapp, S. E., Wilson, M., & Sweeny, K. M. (2021) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1007/s11031-021-09869-3 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationRelationship Between Physical Changes and Anxiety Premenopause Women in Kalasey 1 Village
Lolowang, R. M. (2022) · Interdisciplinary Social Studies · doi:10.55324/iss.v1i10.266 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Salient selves in uncertain futures
Sweeny, K. M., & Dunlop, W. L. (2019) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298868.2019.1702090 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationRacial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Disparities in COVID-19 Pandemic Worries
Hoven, C. W., Krasnova, A., Bresnahan, M. A., Sun, X., Musa, G. J., Geronazzo‐Alman, L., Ryan, M., Skokauskas, N., Amsel, L., Svob, C., et al. (2024) · Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities · doi:10.1007/s40615-024-02093-y · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Hartmann, M., & Müller, P. (2021) · doi:10.31124/advance.16644889 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Sweeny, K., & Dooley, M. D.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sweeny, Kate
- ORCID
- Sweeny, Kate
- Venue
- Social and Personality Psychology Compass
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-04
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 4
- ISSN
- 1751-9004 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2606045401
- Cited by
- 136
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 10.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Social and Personality Psychology Compass (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Mind wandering and attention
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Keywords
- worry, rumination, future thinking, goal-directed action, affective reactions, worry proneness, physical health, mental illness
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
