Robin Wollast

Postdoctoral researcher, Psychology and Public Policy Research Unit, Kent University, 2022 – now.

Postdoctoral researcher, Stanford Psychophysiology Laboratory, Stanford University , 2021 – 2022.

Postdoctoral Researcher, IPSY, Université catholique de Louvain, 2021 – 2022.

Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Montréal, 2020 – 2021.

Postdoctoral researcher, LAPSCO, Université Clermont Auvergne, 2019 – 2021.

Lecturer in Psychology, LaPEC, Avignon University, 2018 – 2019.

Research Assistant, IPSY, Université catholique de Louvain, 2017 – 2018.

PhD in Psychological Sciences, CeSCuP, Université libre de Bruxelles, 2014 – 2018.

Master in Psychological Sciences specialized in Social and Cross-cultural Psychology, Université libre de Bruxelles, 2013 – 2014.

Bachelor in Psychological and Educational Sciences, Université libre de Bruxelles, 2009 – 2012.

Dr Wollast earned his PhD from Université libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. He has published numerous first-authored scientific articles in leading international journals and collaborated with highly regarded experts from America, Europe, and Asia. Most recently, Dr Wollast won the prestigious Belgian American Educational Foundation Award to conduct research at Stanford University. His primary research focuses on emotion and intergroup relations through various lenses, including culture, gender, and mental health as well as collective action, group polarisation, and ideological extremism. He leads several projects related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including large-scale studies conducted in more than 100 countries.

Journal articles

50. Lueders, A., Wollast, R., Nugier, A., & Guimond, S. (2023). Psychological responses to Jihadist terrorism: Exploring a small but significant opinion shift towards minority inclusion among French citizens in response to the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks. Political Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12916

49. Douglas, K., Sutton, R. M., Caspar, V. L., Wolfgang, S., Jannis, K., Maximilian, A., … Wollast, R., … & N Pontus, L. (2023). Identifying Important Individual-and Country-Level Predictors of Conspiracy Theorizing: A Machine Learning Analysis. European Journal of Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2968

48. Wollast, R., Aelenei, C., Chevalère, J., Van der Linden, N., Galand, B., M., Azzi, A., Frenay, M., & Klein, O., (2023). Facing the dropout crisis among PhD candidates: The role of supervisor support in emotional well-being and intended doctoral persistence among men and women. Studies in Higher Education. 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2172151

47. Dekeyser, S., Schmits, E., Glowacz, F., Klein, O., Schmitz, M., Wollast, R., Yzerbyt, V., & Luminet, O. (2023). Predicting Compliance with Sanitary Behaviors among Students in Higher Education During the Second COVID-19 Wave: The Role of Health Anxiety and Risk Perception. Psychologica Belgica, 63(1), pp. 1–15. https://doi.org/10.5334/pb.1171

46. Westgate, E. C., Buttrick, N. R., Lin, Y., El Helou, G., Agostini, M., Bélanger, J. J., … Wollast, R., … & Leander, N. P. (2023). Pandemic boredom: Little evidence that lockdown-related boredom affects risky public health behaviors across 116 countries. Emotion. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001118

45. Ibanescu, B. C., Gheorghiu, A., Cristea, M., Pascariu, G. C., … Wollast, R., … & Leander, N. P. (2023). The evolution of job insecurity in spatial contexts in Europe during COVID-19 pandemic. International Regional Science Review. 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/01600176231160485

44. Wollast, R., Lüders, A., Nugier, A., Khamzina, K., de la Sablonnière, R., & Guimond, S. (2022). Social dominance and anti-immigrant prejudice: A cross-national and prospective test of the mediating role of assimilation, multiculturalism, colour blindness, and interculturalism. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2895 

43. Han, Q., Zheng, B., Leander, N. P., Agostini, M., Gützkow, B., … Wollast, R., … & Bélanger, J. J. (2022). Impact of National Pandemic Lockdowns on Perceived Threat of Immigrants: A Natural Quasi-Experiment Across 23 Countries. Social Psychological and Personality Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221127487 

42. Reitsema, A. M., Jeronimus, B. F., Bos, E. H., De Jonge, P., Cristea, M., … Wollast, R., … & Leander, N. P. (2022). Age differences in hedonic adaptation to societal restrictions? Positive and negative affect trajectories during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 33 nations. Emotion. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001149 

41. Schmitz, M., Wollast, R., Bigot, A., & Luminet, O. (2022). A cross-national and longitudinal analysis of handwashing and its predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic in France and Belgium. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 10(1), 855-870. https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2022.2120882 

40. Lueders, A., Wollast, R., Nugier, A., & Guimond, S. (2022). You read what you eat! Selective exposure effects as obstacles for environmental risk communication in the meat consumption debate. Appetite, 170, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2021.105877 

39. Terache, J., Wollast, R., Simon, Y., Marot, M., Van der Linden, N., Franzen, A., & Klein, O. (2022). Promising effect of multi-family therapy on BMI, eating disorders and perceived family functioning in adolescent anorexia nervosa: A longitudinal uncontrolled study. Eating disorders. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2022.2069315

38. Wollast, R., Fossion, P., Kotsou, I., Rebrassé, A., & Leys, C. (2022). Interoceptive awareness and anorexia nervosa: When emotions influence the perception of physiological sensations. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 210(5), 390-393. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000001458 

37. Schmitz, M., Wollast, R., Bigot, A., & Luminet, O. (2022). Predicting health behaviors across Belgium and France during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Health Psychology, https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053221083819 

36. Schumpe, B.M., van Lissa, C. Bélanger, J.J. , Nisa, C.F., … Wollast, R., … Leander, N. P. (2022). Predictors of Adherence to Public Health Behaviors for Fighting COVID-19 Derived from Longitudinal Data. Scientific Reports. 12(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04703-9 

35. Van Lissa, C. J., Stroebe, W., Leander, N. P., Agostini, M., Draws, T., Grygoryshyn, A., … Wollast, R., … & Bélanger, J. J. (2022). Using Machine Learning to Identify Important Predictors of COVID-19 Infection Prevention Behaviors During the Early Phase of the Pandemic. Patterns. 3(4), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patter.2022.100482 

34. Keng, S. L., Stanton, M. V., Haskins, L. B., Almenara, C. A., Ickovics, J., Jones, A., … Wollast, R., … & Leander, N. P. (2022). COVID-19 Stressors and Health Behaviors: A Multilevel Longitudinal Study across 86 Countries. Preventive Medicine Reports, 27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101764 

33. Enea, V., Eisenbeck, N., Carreño, D.F., Douglas, K.M., Sutton, R.M., Agostini, M., … Wollast, R., … & Leander, N. P. (2022). Intentions to be vaccinated against COVID-19: The role of prosociality and conspiracy beliefs across 20 countries. Health Communication. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.2018179 

32. Mula, S., Di Santo, D., Resta, E., Bakhtiari, F., Baldner, C., Molinario, E., … Wollast, R., … & Leander, N. P. (2022). Concern with COVID-19 pandemic threat and attitudes towards immigrants: The mediating effect of the desire for tightness. Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cresp.2021.100028 

31. Chevalère, J., Cazenave, L., Wollast, R., Berthon, M., Martinez, R., Mazenod, V., Borion, M. C., Pailler, D., Rocher, N., Cadet, R., Lenne, C., Maïonchi-Pino, N., & Huguet, P. (2022). The influence of socioeconomic status, working memory and academic self-concept on academic achievement. European Journal of Psychology of Education. 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-022-00599-9

30. Lucas, T., Manning, M., Strelan, P., Kopetz, C., Agostini, M., Bélanger, J.J., … Wollast, R., … & Leander, P.  (2022). Justice Beliefs and Cultural Values Predict Support for COVID-19 Vaccination and Quarantine Behavioral Mandates: A Multilevel Cross-National Study. Translational Behavioral Medicine. 12(2), 284-290. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibab153 

29. Van Breen, J. A., Kutlaca, M., Koc, Y., Jeronimus, B. F., Reitsema, A. M., Jovanović, V., … Wollast, R., … Leander, N. P. (2022). Lockdown Lives: A Longitudinal Study of Inter-Relationships Among Feelings of Loneliness, Social Contacts, and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Early 2020. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 48(9), 1315–1330. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672211036602 

28. Wollast, R., Schmitz, M., Bigot, A., & Luminet, O. (2021). The Theory of Planned Behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparison of health behaviors between Belgian and French residents. PLOS ONE, 16(11), e0258320. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258320

27. Lueders, A., Urbanska, K., Wollast, R., Nugier, A., & Guimond, S. (2021). Bottom-up Populism: How Relative Deprivation and Populist Attitudes Mobilize Leaderless Anti-Government Protest. Journal of Social and Political Psychology. 9(2), 506–519, https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.7349

26. Wollast, R., Klein, O., VanLeeuwen, D. M., Gervais, S. R., & Bernard, P. (2021). Does Self-Objectification Entail an Opposition Between Appearance and Competence? The Likert Version of the Self-Objectification Questionnaire (LSOQ). Psychologica Belgica, 60(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5334/pb.481

25. Lemay, E., Kruglanski, A. W., Molinario, E., Agostini, M., Belanger, J., Gützkow, B., … Wollast, R., … Leander, N. P. (2021). The Role of Values in Coping with Health and Economic Threats of COVID-19. The Journal of social psychology, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2021.1979454 

24. Resta, E., Mula, S., Baldner, C., Di Santo, D., Agostini, M., … Wollast, R. … & Leander, N. P. (2021). ‘We are all in the same boat’: How societal discontent affects intention to help during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Journal of community & applied social psychology. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2572

23. Jin, S., Balliet, D., Romano, A., Spadaro, G., Van Lissa, C. J., Agostini, M., … Wollast, R., … Leander, N. P. (2021). Intergenerational conflicts of interest and prosocial behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personality and Individual Differences, 171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110535

22. Han, Q., Zheng, B., Agostini, M., Bélanger, J. J., Gützkow, B., Kreienkamp, J., … Wollast, R., … Leander, N. P.  (2021). Associations of risk perception of COVID-19 with emotion and mental health during the pandemic. Journal of Affective Disorders, 284, 247-255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.01.049

21. Nisa, C.F., Bélanger, J.J., Faller, D.G., Buttrick, N.R., … Wollast, R., … Leander, N. P. (2021). Lives versus Livelihoods? Perceived economic risk has a stronger association with support for COVID-19 preventive measures than perceived health risk. Scientific Reports 11(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88314-4

20. Romano, A., Spadaro, G., Balliet, D., Joireman, J., Van Lissa, C. J., Jin, S., … Wollast, R., … Leander, P. (2021). Cooperation and Trust Across Societies During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. 52(7), 622-642. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/f4qbz

19. Han, Q., Zheng, B., Cristea, M., Agostini, M., Bélanger, J. J., … Wollast, R., … Leander, N. P. (2021). Trust in government regarding COVID-19 and its associations with preventive health behaviour and prosocial behaviour during the pandemic: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Psychological Medicine, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291721001306

18. Sroebe, W., vanDellen, M., Abakoumkin, G., Lemay Jr., E.P., Schiavone, W., Agostini, M., … Wollast, R., … Leander, P. (2021). Politicization of COVID-19 health-protective behaviors in the United States: Longitudinal and cross-national evidence. PLoS ONE 16(10): e0256740. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256740

17. Wollast, R., Riemer, A. R., Sarda, E., Wiernik, M. B., & Klein, O. (2020). How Self-Compassion Moderates the Relation between Body Surveillance on Body Shame among Men and Women. Mindfulness, 11, 2298–2313. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01448-w

16. D’Amore, S., Wollast, R., Bouchat, P., Green, R-J., Costa, P. A., Scali, T., Baiocco, R., Vecho, O., Dora, M., Aparicio, M. E., Geranopoulos, K., & Klein, O. (2020). Heterosexual University Students’ Attitudes toward Same-Sex Couples and Parents across Seven European Countries. Sexuality Research and Social Policy. 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-020-00511-4 

15. Wollast, R., Riemer, A. R., Gervais, S. J., Grigoryan, L., Bernard, P., & Klein, O. (2020). How cultural orientation and self-compassion shape objectified body consciousness for women from America, Belgium, Russia, and Thailand. Self and Identity, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2020.1787220

14. Leys, C., Arnal, C., Wollast, R., Rolin, H., Kotsou, I., & Fossion, P. (2020). Perspectives on resilience: Personality Trait or Skill? European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 4(2), 100074. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejtd.2018.07.002

13. De Wilde, M., Casini, A., Bernard, P. Wollast, R., Klein, O., & Demoulin, S. (2020). Preregistered Direct Replication of « Objects Don’t Object: Evidence That Self-Objectification Disrupts Women’s Social Activism. » Psychological Science. 095679761989627. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619896273

12. Wollast, R., De Wilde, M., Bernard, P. & Klein, O. (2020). Percevoir son corps à travers le regard d’autrui : une revue de la littérature sur l’auto-objectification. L’Année psychologique, 120(3), 321-347. https://doi.org/10.3917/anpsy1.203.0321

11. Leander, N.P., Lemay Jr., E.P., Jeronimus, B.F., Keller, … Wollast, R. … & PsyCorona Collaboration (2020). Towards a Globally Collaborative Behavioral Science: An Organizational Approach from Pandemic Psychology . International Journal of Behavioral Development, 2(78).

10. Van Lissa, C. J., Stroebe, W., vanDellen, M., Leander, P., Agostini, M., Gutzkow, B., … Wollast, R., … Leander, N. P. (2020). Early Indicators of COVID-19 Infection Prevention Behaviors: Machine Learning Identifies Personal and Country-Level Factors. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/whjsb

9. Bernard, P., Content, J., Servais, L., Wollast, R., & Gervais, S. (2020). An Initial Test of the Cosmetics Dehumanization Hypothesis: Heavy Makeup Diminishes Attributions of Humanness-Related Traits to Women. Sex Roles. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-019-01115-y 

8. Wollast, R., Riemer, A. R., Bernard, P., Leys, C., Kotsou, I., & Klein, O. (2019). How self‐compassion moderates the effect of body surveillance on subjective happiness and depression among women. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 60(5), 464–472. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12553 

7. De Wilde, M., Casini, A., Wollast, R., & Demoulin, S. (2019). Sex is Power Belief and Women’s Mental Health: the Mediating Roles of Self‐Objectification and Sexual Subjectivity. European Journal of Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2643

6. Bernard, P., & Wollast, R. (2019). Why Is Sexualization Dehumanizing? The Effects of Posture Suggestiveness and Revealing Clothing on Dehumanization. SAGE Open, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019828230 

5. Wollast, R., Boudrenghien, G., Van der Linden, N., Galand, B., Roland, N., Devos, C., de Clercq, M., Azzi, A., Klein, O., & Frenay, M., (2018). Who are the doctoral students who drop out? Factors associated with the rate of doctoral degree completion in universities. International Journal of Higher Education, 7(4), 143–156. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v7n4p143

4. Wollast, R., Puvia, E., Bernard, P., Tevichapong, P., & Klein, O. (2018). How Sexual Objectification Generates Dehumanization in Western and Eastern Cultures: a Comparison Between Belgium and Thailand. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 77(2), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.1024/1421-0185/a000209

3. Wollast, R. (2018). La compassion pour soi-même peut-elle protéger des conséquences néfastes liées à une image corporelle négative ?. Sextant, 35, 117–128. https://doi.org/10.4000/sextant.401 

Book chapters

2. Klein, O., Wollast, R., & Eberlen, J. (2022). Cognitions, attitudes et comportements intergroupes. In Faniko K., Bourguignon, D. Sarrasin, O., Guimond, S. (Deuxième Edition), Psychologie de la discrimination et des préjugés : de la théorie à la pratique (pp 33–50). De Boeck, Louvain-La-Neuve. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/hz2dr 

1. Klein, O., Wollast, R., & Eberlen, J. (2018). Cognitions, attitudes et comportements intergroupes : Etat des lieux dans le monde professionnel et dans nos sociétés. In Faniko K., Bourguignon, D. Sarrasin, O., Guimond, S. (Eds), Psychologie de la discrimination et des préjugés : de la théorie à la pratique (pp 37–54). De Boeck, Louvain-La-Neuve. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/24c9b

Scientific vulgarization

1. L’auto-compassion : mécanisme protecteur des conséquences négatives liées à l’objectification sexuelle [Read here]
2. The Meat Paradox: How can people love animals, and yet eat them? [Read here]
3. Théorie de l’engagement: Sommes-nous libres de nos choix? [Read here]
4. Objectivation sexuelle: Miroir, mon beau miroir, dis-moi qui est la plus belle? [Read here]

Doctoral Thesis : Perceiving your body through the eyes of others: Effects of sexism and self-compassion on body image.
[Available upon request]

Master’s Thesis : L’Influence de la Culture sur l’Objectivation Sexuelle : une Comparaison Belgo-Thaïlandaise.
[Available upon request]

• Lecturer (2017 – 2018), Psychology of Groups (BA1), 64 hours, Avignon University.
• Lecturer (2017 – 2018), Clinical Psychology and Psychopathology (BA2), 64 hours, Avignon University.
• Lecturer (2017 – 2018), Introduction to Psychology (BA1), 64 hours, Avignon University.
• Teaching assistant (2016 – 2017), Methodology of Social Psychology (MA1), 15 hours, Université libre de Bruxelles.
• Teaching assistant (2016 – 2018), History, Concepts and Methodology of Psychology (BA2), 15 hours, Université libre de Bruxelles.

• Robin.wollast@hotmail.com
• Google Scholar [Click here]
• ResearchGate [Click here]
• LinkedIn [Click here]