I am Professor of Political Psychology in the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. I am co-Director of the Hot Politics Lab and the Challenges to Democratic Representation group.
The core of my research is on emotions and politics. We often have strong reactions to politics. These emotions influence how we think about politics, what decisions we make and they motivate us. My question is: how can we use emotions to strengthen democracy? Through this lens I do research on issues such as polarization, populism and the rise of radical right and authoritarian tendencies. I mainly do experimental research. In my research we look at behavior, attitudes, physical reactions and brain activity. You can find my publications on this page or my personal website.
