Research interests.

I use correlational and experimental research to study how people make sense of and choose to respond to social and environmental problems in order to facilitate individual and collective participation in creating conditions where all may live more harmoniously with other people and the planet now and in the future.  This year we are studying how time spent in nature can change the way people view themselves and their relation with nature, implications of different ways of understanding our interdependence with nature on how we view our relationship with animals and nature, and the ways that our emotions are related to the way we communicate about environmental problems and whether we behave sustainably.

Recent publications

Swim, J. K., Geiger, N., & Guerriero, J. G. (2021). Not out of MY bank account! Science messaging when climate change policies carry personal financial costs. Thinking & Reasoning, 0(0), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/13546783.2021.1957710

Geiger, N., Swim, J.K., Gasper, K. Fraser, J., & Flinner, K.  (2021). How do I feel when I think about taking action? Hope and boredom, not anxiety and helplessness, predict intentions to take climate action. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 76, 101649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101649

Geiger, N. & Swim, J.K. (2021). Understanding Lay Individuals’ Mental Models of Sustainability. In F. Weder, L. Krainer, & M. Karmasin (Eds.), The Sustainability Communication Reader: A Reflective Compendium. Berlin, Germany: Springer. Pp. 301-321 ISBN 978-3-658-31883-3

Sabherwal, A., Ballew, M., van der linden, S., Gustofson, A., Goldberg, M.H., Maibach, E.W., Kotcher, J.E., Swim, J.K., Rosenthanl, S.A., & Leiserowitz, A. (2021) The Greta Effect: Familiarity with Greta Thunberg Predicts Intentions to Engage in Climate Activism in the United States".  Journal of Social Psychology. DOI: 10:.1111/jasp.12737.

Gillis, A. J., & Swim, J. K. (2020). Adding native plants to home landscapes: The roles of attitudes, social norms, and situational strength. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 72, 101519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101519