Pupil mimicry: a bonding mechanism Did your mom ever ask: "Did you steal a cookie? Look at me!"- and you had to look away. Eyes are important social signals. Eye contact increases with familiarity and liking and seems trust-enhancing. What underlies this effect of eye contact on trust? Eliska Prochazkova • July 16, 2018
What happens if you can't communicate anymore? I am Sun-Mi Venema, 34 years old. I noticed that I had frequent and heavy hair loss. I was also often dizzy and nauseous. Like flu symptoms, say. I decided to go to the doctor anyway and I told him about my symptoms. Sun-Mi Venema • July 09, 2018
Psychology and genetic engineering - part 1 This summer I will spend my time modifying bacteria in the lab, an unusual activity for a psychology student. But this is only a small part of iGEM. Curious how a psychologist adds something to a synthetic biology contest? Read my blog! Lotte Weel • July 02, 2018
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
