Peer-Reviewed Publications

Amarasekera, A.U., Cash, T.A., MacPherson, S.R.C., Human, L.J., & Aknin, L.B. (2024). Predicting others' happiness from brief personal memories. Journal of Research in Psychology 111(104498). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2024.104498

Aknin, L.B., & Sandstrom, G.M. (2024). People are surprisingly hesitant to reach out to old friends. Commun Psychol 2(34). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-024-00075-8

Park, L. E., Aknin, L. B., Gaither, S. E., Impett, E. A., & Whillans, A. V. (2024). Starting and sustaining fruitful collaborations in psychology. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, e12950. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12950

Sachs, J. D., Karim, S. S. A., Aknin, L., Allen, J., Brosbøl, K., Colombo, F., ... & Michie, S. (2022). The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lancet400(10359), 1224-1280. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01585-9

Aknin, L. B., Dunn, E. W. & Whillans, A. V. (2022). The emotional rewards of prosocial spending are robust and replicable in large samples. Current Directions in Psychological Sciences, 31 (6), 536-545. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214221121100

Helliwell, J. F., Aknin, L. B., Barrington-Leigh, C., Hall, J., Huang, H., Norton, M. B., ... & Wang, S. (2022). Policies to support happiness during and after COVID-19: A Synthesis. Global Happiness and Well-being Policy Report, 3. http://happinesscouncil.org.s3.amazonaws.com/GHC_2022.pdf#page=5

Hanniball, K., Aknin, L. B., Douglas, K., & Viljoen (2022). Corrigendum to “Does giving leads to happiness in at-risk and antisocial populations?” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104338

Aknin, L. B., Andretti, B., Goldszmidt, R., Helliwell, J. F., Petherick, A., De Neve, J. E., ... & Zaki, J. (2022). Policy stringency and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal analysis of data from 15 countries. The Lancet Public Health7(5), e417-e426. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00060-3

Aknin, L. B., & Dunn, E. W. (2022). Why You Should Write an Op-Ed—and How to Start. APS Observer, 35. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/why-write-an-op-ed

Cash, T. A., Aknin, L. B., & Proulx, J. D. E. (2022). Which Features of Prosocial Spending Recollections Predict Post-Recall Happiness? A Pre-registered Investigation. Collabra: Psychology, 8(1), 33958. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.33958

Proulx, J. D. E., Aknin, L. B., & Barasch, A. (2022). Let’s Give Together: Can Collaborative Giving Boost Generosity? Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1177/08997640221074699

Sachs, J. D., Karim, S. A., Aknin, L. B., Allen, J., Brosbøl, K., Barron, G. C., ... & Bartels, J. (2021). Priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of 2021: Statement of the Lancet COVID-19 CommissionThe Lancet. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00388-3

Croft, A., Atkinson, C., Sandstrom, G., Orbell, S., & Aknin, L. B. (Accepted). Loosening the GRIP (Gender Roles Inhibiting Prosociality) to promote gender quality. Personality and Social Psychology Review. 1088868320964615

Sachs, J. D., Karim, S. A., Aknin, L. B., Allen, J., Brosbøl, K., Barron, G. C., ... & Bartels, J. G. (2020). Lancet COVID-19 Commission Statement on the occasion of the 75th session of the UN General AssemblyThe Lancet396(10257), 1102-1124.

Wiwad, D., Mercier, B., Piff, P. K., Shariff, A., & Aknin, L. (2020). Recognizing the impact of COVID-19 on the poor alters attitudes towards poverty and inequality. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology93. 104083. (OSF Page)

Thornton, E., & Aknin, L. B. (2020). Assessing the validity of the Self versus Other Interest Implicit Association TestPLoS ONE. 15(6): e0234032. (OSF Pages: Study 1; Study 2)

Mercier, B., Wiwad, D., Robinson, A., Aknin, L. B.Piff, P. K., Shariff, A. F. (2020). Free will and inequality. CollabraPsychology6(1), 25. (OSF Page)

Wiwad, D., Piff, P. K., Robinson, A. R. Aknin, L. B., Mercier, B., Shariff, A. (2020). Shifting attributions for poverty motivates opposition to inequality and enhances egalitarianism. Nature Human Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0835-8. (OSF Page)

Aknin, L. B., Dunn, E. W., Proulx, J., Lok, I., & Norton, M. I. (2020). Does spending money on others promote happiness?: A registered replication report. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. (OSF Page)

Dunn, E. W., Whillans, A. V., & Norton, M. I. & Aknin, L. B. (in press). Prosocial Spending and Buying Time: Money as a Tool for Increasing Subjective Well-Being. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology

Mercier, B., Wiwad, D., Robinson, A., Aknin, L. B., Piff, P. K., Shariff, A. F. (in press). Does belief in free will increase support for economic inequality? Collabra: Psychology. (OSF Page)

Thornton, E., Aknin, L. B., Branscombe, N., & Helliwell, J. F. (2019). Prosocial perceptions of taxation predict support for taxes. PLOS ONE, 14(11). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225730 (OSF Page)

Wiwad, D., Mercier, B., Maraun, M. D., Robinson, A. R., Piff, P. K., Aknin, L. B., & Shariff, A. F. (2019). The Support for Economic Inequality Scale: Development and adjudication. PLoS ONE, 14, e0218685DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218685 (OSF Page)

Whillans, A. V., Aknin, L. B., Ross, C., Chen, L., Chen, F. S. (2019). Common variants of the oxytocin receptor gene do not predict the emotional benefits of prosocial spending. Emotion. DOI: 10.1037/emo0000589

Hanniball, K. B., Gatner, D. G., Douglas, K. S., Viljoen, J. L., & Aknin, L. B. (2019). Examining the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) and Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) in self-identified offender populations. Journal of Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment. DOI: 10.1037/per0000333.

Aknin, L. B., Wiwad, D. & Girme, Y. (2019). Not all gifts are good: The potential costs of motivated gifts. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 49, 75-85. (OSF Page)

Hanniball, K., Aknin, L.B., Douglas, K., & Viljoen (2019). Does helping promote well-being in at-risk youth and ex-offender samples? Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 82, 307-317. (OSF Page)

Hanniball, K. B., Viljoen, J. L., Schaffer, C., Bhatt, G., Tweed, R., Aknin, L. B., Gagnon, N., Douglas, K. S., & Dooley, S. (2018). The role of life satisfaction in predicting youth violence and offending: A prospective examination. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 0886260518805103.

Aknin, L.B., Wiwad, D., & Hanniball, K. B. (2018). Buying well-being: Spending behavior and happiness. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 12(5), e12386.

Greenaway, K., & Aknin, L. B. (2018). Do people turn to visible reminders of group membership under stress? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 48(4), 205-216.

Helliwell, J. F., & Aknin, L.B. (2018). Expanding the social science of happiness. Nature Human Behaviour. DOI: 10.0138/s41562-018-0308-5

Aknin, L. B., Van de Vondervoort, J. W., & Hamlin, J. K. (2018). Positive feelings reward and promote prosocial behavior. Current Opinion in Psychology, 20, 55-59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.08.017

Van de Vondervoort, J., Aknin, L. B., Hamlin, J. K., Slevinsky, J. & Kushnir, T. (2018). Selectivity in toddlers' behavioral and emotional reactions to prosocial and antisocial others. Developmental Psychology, 54(1), 1-14. DOI: 10.1037/dev0000404

Schmitt, M.T., Aknin, L.B., Axen, J., & Schwom, R. (2018). Unpacking the relationships between pro-environmental behavior, life satisfaction, and perceived ecological threat. Ecological Economics, 143, 130-140. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.07.007

Aime, H., Broesch, T., Aknin, L. B. & Warneken, F. (2017). Evidence for proactive and reactive helping in two- to five-year-olds from a small-scale society. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0187787. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187787

Wiwad, D. & Aknin, L. B. (2017). Motives matter: The emotional consequences of recalled self- and other- focused prosocial acts. Motivation and Emotion, 41, 730-740.  DOI: 10.1007/s11031-017-9638-2 (OSF Page)

Aknin, L. B., & Hanniball, K. (2017). Prosocial spending and well-being. In Oxford Bibliographies in Psychology. Ed. Dana S. Dunn. New York: Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/OBO/9780199828340-0193

Aknin, L. B., Mayraz, G. & Helliwell, J. F. (2017). The emotional consequences of donation opportunities. Journal of Positive Psychology, 2, 169-177. DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2016.1163409

Shariff, A. F., Wiwad, D., & Aknin, L. B. (2016). Income mobility breeds tolerance for income inequality: Cross-national and experimental evidence. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11. 373-380. DOI: 10.1177/1745691616635596

Carlson, R., Aknin, L. B., & Liotti, M. (2015). When is giving an impulse? An ERP investigation of intuitive prosocial behavior. Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, nsv077. DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsv077

Aknin, L. B. & Human, L. J. (2015). Give a piece of you: Gifts that reflect givers promote closeness. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 60, 8-16. DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2015.04.006 (OSF Page)

Aknin, L. B., Broesch, T., Hamlin, J. K., & Van de Vondervoot, J. (2015). Prosocial behavior leads to happiness in a small-scale rural society. Journal of Experimental Psychology-General, 144, 788-795. DOI: 10.1037/xge0000082

Aknin, L. B., Van Boven, L., & Johnson-Graham, L. (2015). Abstract construals make the emotional rewards of prosocial behavior more salient.  Journal of Positive Psychology, 10, 458-462. DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2014.967801

Aknin, L.B. Fleerackers, A.L. & Hamlin, J. K. (2014). Can third-party observers detect the emotional rewards of generous spending? Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(3), 198-203.  DOI: 10.1080/17439760.2014.888578

Shariff, A. F. & Aknin, L. B. (2014). The emotional toll of Hell: Cross-national and experimental evidence for the negative well-being effects of Hell beliefs PLoS ONE, 9(1): e85251. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0085251

Dunn, E. W., Aknin, L. B., & Norton, M. I. (2014). Prosocial spending and happiness: Using money to benefit others pays off. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23, 41-47. DOI: 10.1177/0963721413512503

Anik, L., Aknin, L. B., Norton, M. I., Dunn, E. W., & Quoidbach, J. (2013). Prosocial Bonuses Increase Employee Satisfaction and Team Performance. PLoS ONE, 8(9), e75509. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075509

Aknin, L. B., Dunn, E. W., Sandstrom, G. M., & Norton, M. I. (2013). Does social connection turn good deeds into good feelings?: The value of putting the "social" in prosocial spending. International Journal of Happiness and Development, 1 (2), 155-171. DOI: 10.1504/IJHD.2013.055643

Aknin, L. B., Dunn, E. W., Whillans, A., Grant, A. M., & Norton, M. I. (2013). Making a Difference Matters: Impact Unlocks the Emotional Benefits of Prosocial Spending. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 88, 90-95. DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2013.01.008

Aknin, L. B., Barrington-Leigh, C. P., Dunn, E. W., Helliwell, J. F., Burns, J., Biswas-Diener, R., Kemeza, I., Nyende, P., Ashton-James, C. E., & Norton, M. I. (2013). Prosocial spending and well-being: Cross-cultural evidence for a psychological universal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(4), 635-652. DOI: 10.1037/a0031578

Aknin, L. B., Hamlin, J.K. & Dunn, E. W. (2012). Giving leads to happiness in young children. PLoS ONE, 7(6), e39211. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039211

Aknin, L. B., Dunn, E. W., & Norton, M. I. (2011). Happiness runs in a circular motion: Evidence for a positive feedback loop between prosocial spending and happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 13(2), 347-355. DOI: 10.1007/s10902-011-9267-5

Norton, M. I, Anik, L., Aknin, L. B., & Dunn, E. W. (2011). Is life nasty, brutish, and short? Philosophies of life and well-being. Social Psychological and Personality Sciences. 2(6), 570-575. DOI: 10.1177/194855061140142

Aknin, L. B., Sandstrom, G. M., Dunn, E. W., & Norton, M. I. (2011). It’s the recipient that counts: Spending money on strong social ties leads to greater happiness than spending on weak social ties. PLoS ONE, 6(2), e17018. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017018

Dunn, E. W., Buchtel, E. E., & Aknin, L. B. (2011). Consensus at the heart of division: Commentary on Norton and Ariely. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 13-14. DOI: 10.1177/1745691610393529

Dunn, E. W., Ashton-James, C., Hanson, M. D., & Aknin, L. B. (2010). On the costs of self-interested economic behavior: How does stinginess get under the skin? Journal of Health Psychology, 15, 627-633. DOI: 10.1177/1359105309356366

Aknin, L. B., Norton, M. I. & Dunn, E. W. (2009). From wealth to well-being? Money matters, but less than people think. Journal of Positive Psychology, 4, 523-527. DOI: 10.1080/17439760903271421

Dunn, E. W., Aknin, L. B., & Norton, M. I. (2008). Spending money on others promotes happiness. Science, 319, 1687-1688.  DOI: 10.1126/science.1150952

Book Chapters

Aknin, L. B., Norton, M. I. & Small, D. (in press). Helping, in context. Invited chapter for the Handbook of Basic Principles.

Aknin, L. B., Whillans, A. V., Norton, M. I., & Dunn, E. W. (2019). Prosocial behaviour and happiness: A critical evaluation of the evidence. World Happiness Report. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

Helliwell, J. F., Aknin, L.B., Shiplett, H., Huang, H., & Wang, H. (2018). Social capital and prosocial behaviour as sources of well-being. In E. Diener, S. Oishi, & L. Tay (Eds.), Handbook of well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers.

Aknin, L. B. & Hannibal, K. (2017). Prosocial spending and well-being. In D.S. Dunn (Ed.), Oxford Bibliographies in Psychology. doi: 10.1093/obo/9780199828340-0193