Expertise
How can innovative technologies help people live healthier lives? This question is central to the research of Dr. Nynke van der Laan. Answering this question first requires fundamental knowledge about the psychological mechanisms underlying health behavior. She investigated which attentional and brain processes play a role in healthy food choices and how different state (sleep deprivation, hunger) and personal factors (e.g. impulsivity, development) influence this. Second, it is important to know how interventions can impact on these processes. Herein, she focuses on the unique features of digital interventions that offer opportunities for behavior change that did not exist before. For example, mobile technology can be used to administer interventions at any time of day and thus intervene in the choice process before the unhealthy choice is made. Virtual Reality and interactive narratives offer the opportunity to make health information more personalized. Because of the multidisciplinarity of her research, she collaborates with researchers from different fields. Her output is the product of team efforts by herself along with talented PhD candidates, postdocs and other researchers.
A complete overview of research projects, acquired funding, and other research activities can be found in the CV.
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