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  • Special Issue on Interventions to Modify Psychological Well-Being and Population Health

    Guest Editors: Eric Kim, PhD., University of British Columbia; Judith Tedlie Moskowitz, PhD., Northwestern University; Laura Kubzansky, PhD., Harvard University

     Psychological ill-being is on the rise, with 1 in 5 Americans suffering from a mental disorder in any given year. Additional evidence demonstrates that psychological well-being has also decreased over time. These trends may be a harbinger of what is to come for population health given the substantial and growing body of evidence demonstrating that psychological ill-being (e.g., depression, anxiety, anger) is associated with elevated risk of developing chronic diseases and premature mortality, while aspects of psychological well-being (e.g., sense of purpose and meaning, optimism, life satisfaction) are independently associated with better physical health. Thus, strategies for improving population mental health are urgently needed. An underexplored, but promising approach to enhancing both psychological and physical health is through developing a set of tools that specifically target psychological well-being. In fact, there is increasing demand for such tools. Employers, healthcare systems, school districts, and governments have begun to recognize the importance of well-being, and are seeking programs, and initiatives that can improve the psychological well-being of people within their organizations and of those they serve. However, we have not yet identified clear strategies for improving psychological well-being in meaningful, durable, and scalable ways that are powerful enough to also have downstream effects on physical health. To develop and refine these strategies successfully we will need to address three critical questions regarding existing or newly developed interventions including: 1) do these interventions work? 2) for whom do these interventions work? and 3) why or how do these interventions work? To further explore the exciting possibility of psychological well-being interventions that can improve physical health at-scale, we partnered with Affective Science to produce a Special Issue covering work at the scientific forefront of the topic. With this call, we invited scholars to share new and interdisciplinary thinking in this area. This collection of articles begins to address our knowledge gaps by bringing together cutting-edge conceptual frameworks, critical examination of key constructs, and novel empirical evidence needed to identify and examine interventions that can modify psychological well-being, particularly those that have the potential to be scaled at the population level. 

  • Peer Review Process for Special Issues

    Affective Science welcomes special issues/sections focused on themes of interest to our readership, particularly those addressing innovative or rapidly-growing areas of work. The Editors-in-Chief may appoint Guest Editors for a special issue/section; initiate and handle special issues/sections themselves; or review special issue/section proposals initiated by potential Guest Editors.  All special issue proposals must include the name and details of the guest editors, a detailed explanation of the topic, and proposed schedule. The Editors-in-Chief have discretion to accept or reject a special issue proposal.

    The Guest Editor(s) oversee the peer review process for each submission to their special issue/section. This typically includes two phases: (1) a brief letter of intent, summarizing the planned submission's content and approach; and (2) for those invited to do so, submission of the full manuscript. Guest Editors review all Phase 1 submissions, and decide which full manuscripts to invite. The peer review process for special issue submissions at Phase 2 is the same as for regular submissions: A minimum of two expert peer reviewers will assess each submission, and reviews will be single-blind. Decisions are made by Guest Editors (possibly with additional input from an Associate Editor).

  • Call for Papers: The Future of Affective Science

    Editors: Michelle (Lani) Shiota, Linda Camras, Ralph Adolphs

    Theme of the Special Issue: In this first special issue overseen by the incoming editorial team, we aim to showcase the state-of-the-art in affective science, asking what the future of our field might hold. Articles will highlight innovative methodological and theoretical approaches, synthesizing current knowledge and illustrating promising new directions for research. We now solicit proposals for both review and empirical papers suited to this special issue. “Perspectives” type review articles clearly addressing and/or illustrating future directions for the field are likely to be competitive; as are empirical papers (including meta-analyses) exemplifying novel approaches in affective science, in terms of questions asked and/or methods used, as well as reflecting strong methodological rigor and use of representative samples.

    Proposals are due by September 15, 2022. Authors who are invited to submit a full article will be notified by approximately October 17, 2022. Full manuscripts will be due January 15, 2023, with initial reviews anticipated in March 2023, and publication of the special issue in September 2023.

  • Peer-Review Policy

     All submissions are peer-reviewed. The default submission will be single-blind review where authors’ names on provided on the title page, but reviewers are anonymous. If the author wishes, they can request a blind peer-review process. The editors in chief, supported by the associate editors, perform a first check of the article to ensure that it reaches a threshold of quality and appropriateness to the journal to be sent for peer-review. Reviewers will receive instructions to comply with the journal ethical and editorial norms, and to keep the following goals in mind:

    •  The journal seeks to advance basic and applied research in the variety of fields that study affect broadly defined.
    • The journal seeks to show respect for the full diversity of methods and theoretical assumptions present in the field of affective science.
    • The journal seeks to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and collegiality, and to provide constructive feedback wherever possible.

    Presubmission consultation with the EIC is recommended for Methods Papers, Reviews, and Commentary/Opinions.

  • *CLOSED* Call for Papers: Structural Racism and Affective Science

    During this moment, we can all reflect on the fact that discriminatory behavior still exists towards people of African, Latinx, and Asian descent in many countries.  In light of these facts, we have focused this special issue on structural racism and affective science.

    Guest Editor: Lasana Harris
    Submission Deadlines: Proposals are due by August 1, 2020. Authors who are invited to submit a full article will be notified by September 1, 2020. Full manuscripts will be due by December 1, 2020, with the plan to finalize the special issue by 2021.

  • *CLOSED* Call for Papers: Special Issue on Emotions in Socio-Political Contexts

    Affective Science has opened a Call for Papers for a special issue on Emotions in Socio-Political Contexts. The goals of this special issue are to showcase novel theoretical ideas and empirical evidence on the interactions between emotional processes on the one hand and social-political processes on the other hand, across a range of (inter)disciplinary areas. 

    Edited By: Eran Halperin and Ruthie Pliskin

    Deadlines: Proposals due by May 1, 2020. Authors who will be invited to submit a full article will be notified by June 1, 2020. Full manuscripts will be due by December 1, 2020.  

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