That-which-must-not-be-named: the role of social support in the recovery of trauma survivors

In the aftermath of a traumatic event, victims are often told: "Get over it", "There’s no point looking back; you’ve got to move on". Those who continue to be traumatised may therefore feel isolated and believe they cannot speak about their experiences.

Sabrina Monteregge and Meropi Simou • June 25, 2018

The science behind liking likes

We literally bend over backwards to make that perfect picture, combine it with the right inspiring quote, post it online and … wait for the likes, retweets, and new followers! Why do we invest so much effort in being recognized and accepted by others?

Michelle Achterberg • June 19, 2018

Party-drug use among students: Why (not) everyone is doing it

Media reports suggest that party-drug use is becoming increasingly normal among young adults. Is this true for students? And what characterizes students who start and continue to use party-drugs?

Winifred Gebhardt and Laura Kunst • June 12, 2018

The rewarding feeling of saying 'I told you so'

Have you ever experienced a feeling of satisfaction and an impulse to say “I told you so”? In our recently published fMRI study, we demonstrated the rewarding effect of being right, even in the case of a negative outcome like monetary loss.

Sandy Overgaauw • June 04, 2018

What do you think about differences? Struggling with social inclusion

Social inclusion of people with disabilities requires destigmatization of intellectual disabilities and mental health problems

Anika Bexkens and Laurian Hafkemeijer • May 24, 2018

How to resist your smartphone

Notifications on your phone – like a nice WhatsApp message – trigger the reward system in the brain, which makes you want to check your phone constantly. Being aware of the processes underlying phone addiction can help you resist the temptation!

Lisa Kool • April 30, 2018

Questions to a student with autism

A student with autism once confided in me that she no longer told anyone at the university that she had autism, because she’d noticed that people immediately associated it with Raymond from the film Rainman.

Renée Dijkhuis • April 06, 2018

What motivates adolescents?

Adolescence is marked by a peak in activity in the reward center of the brain. In our recent study, we found that various motivational factors contribute to these developmental changes from early adolescence to early adulthood.

Lisa Schreuders • March 25, 2018

Are you afraid of being found out?

Imagine a random person coming up to you, saying he “knows”. Knows you’re not actually that intelligent; that you’re not good at your job; that you’ve been faking it all along. And it’s only a matter of time until you’ll be exposed for everyone to see.

Laura van der Aar • March 20, 2018