Laura A. King
Curators' Distinguished Professor
105 McAlester
573-239-7729
kingla@missouri.edu
Faculty
Lab Information
McReynolds Hall
About the Lab

Dr. King is accepting a new graduate student for Fall 2023.

Education

A.B. in English Literature and Psychology, Kenyon College

M.A. in Psychology, Michigan State University

M.A., PhD. in Psychology University of California, Davis

Research Interests

Personality Psychology, Well-being, Meaning in Life, Social Cognitive Factors in Well-being Judgments; Individual Differences in Intuitive Information Processing, Narrative Approaches to Personality and Identity, The Psychology of The Good Life, How Happiness and Morality Relate, Can racists be happy?

Selected Publications

King, L.A., & Hicks, J. A. (2021). The Science of Meaning in Life. Annual Review of Psychology, 72, 561–584.

Ward, S.J., Womick, J., Titova, M., & King, L.A. (in press). Does meaning in life promote coping? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Sanders, C.A., Rose, H., Booker, J. A., & King, L.A. (2021). Claiming the place of positive psychology in the fight against prejudice. Journal of Positive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2021.2012342

Womick, J., Woody, B., & King, L. A. (2021). Religious fundamentalism, Right-wing Authoritarianism, and Meaning in Life. Journal of Personality. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12665

Womick, J., Eckelkamp, J., Luzzo, S., Ward, S. J., Baker, S. G., Salamun, A., & King, L. A. (2021). Exposure to authoritarian values leads to lower positive affect, higher negative affect, and higher meaning in life. PloS one, 16(9), e0256759.

Womick, J., & King L.A. (2021). Understanding Support for Liberals in the 2020 Presidential Primaries: Testing Cognitive, Interpersonal, and Ideological Symmetry vs. Asymmetry. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 9, 592-607. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.7771

Ward, S.J., & King, L.A. (2021). Religiosity, self-stereotyping, and moral self-image. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 3, 160-174.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rel0000263

Heintzelman, S.J., & King, L.A. (2019). Routines and Meaning in Life. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 45(5), 688–699. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167218795133

Womick, J.J., Foltz, R., & King, L. A. (2019). “Unleashing the beast within”? Authenticity, Well-being, and the Dark Tetrad. Personality and Individual Differences, 137, 115-125.

Womick, J., Ward, S.J., Heintzelman, S.J., Woody, B., & King, L.A. (2019). The Existential Function of Right-wing Authoritarianism. Journal of Personality, 87, 1056-1073. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12457