Despite injustices being widespread throughout the world, many people continue to believe that the world is a just place and that justice is maintained in impossible and magical ways. In his PhD dissertation, which he defended on 24 March at Tilburg University, How Hwee Ong sought further understanding of how such magical beliefs affect judgment…

On the 14th of March, another successful edition of The Social Animal took place in a sold-out Tivoli Vredenburg. During the evening, eight social psychologists spoke about their latest insights: The keynote by Marieke Adriaanse and pecha kucha talks by Terence Dores Cruz, Allard Feddes, Karlijn Hoyer, Gert-Jan Lelieveld, Carla Roos, Jellie Sierksma, and Gonneke…

Narcissistic individuals seek agentic pursuits, such as social status, power, and achievement. They seem to be successful in these pursuits as they are more likely to occupy influential positions, giving them leeway to exert significant impact on others. However, narcissistic individuals’ tendencies to disregard communal values, as reflected in their self-focus, lack of empathy, hostility,…

How can employees maintain a happy and healthy working life with good and stable work relationships in the face of workplace conflict? Forgiveness might be a way to address this challenge. In her PhD-dissertation, which she will defend on November 16 at Utrecht University,  Wenrui Cao focuses on the causes and consequences of forgiveness in work…

Fast fashion is exploding and comes with poor working conditions, increased GHG emissions, and degraded ecosystems. In her PhD research, Anna Bosshard aims to understand the drivers of clothing overconsumption and more sustainable modes of consumption (especially buying less) through systematic literature review, as well as longitudinal and intervention studies. Bosshard is a PhD student…

Ana Stojanović is doing her PhD at the Erasmus Medical Center and the Department of Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Amsterdam. Within the Challenge&Support and LIFT Your Talent coaching programs, Ana investigates the effectiveness and working mechanisms of coaching for medical professionals. Ana is particularly interested in the employees’ work-nonwork balance, well-being…

In his PhD research new KLI-member Qi Zhao (VU) wants to investigate the impact of economic inequality on conspiracy theory beliefs. He also intends to explore the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of this relationship. Although conspiracy theories may sometimes help people be alert to governments or authorities, and hence promote the restraint of power, most evidence…

It is often assumed that online discussions escalate because people become less socially concerned when they are anonymous, or because online messages are unclear and easily misunderstood. In her PhD-dissertation, which she defended on September 22 in Groningen, KLI-alumnus Carla Roos reveals that the opposite is often the case: online communication is sometimes so clear…

Surprising political victories in the last decade, such as Donald Trump’s presidential campaign win and the Brexit, fuelled the popular lay theory that we are living in an age of “post-truth” politics, where facts do not matter anymore. In his dissertation KLI-alumnus Martijn Blikmans discusses how the addition of anger, disgust, hope, and nostalgia to…

As per January 1st 2021, Belle Derks (UU) has succeeded Naomi Ellemers (UU) as Chair of the KLI Board. Naomi has been a Board member since 2000, and has been Chair since 2003. We thank Naomi for her valuable contribution to the KLI. During the (online) Board meeting in October 2020, the Board said goodbye…