1.5 Valuable (and values-based) research

Stereotypes play a decisive role in reactions to sexual violence

March 26(new window) - Ideas concerning what is “normal” play a major role in reactions to the stories of victims of sexual violence. In general, people react more negatively to events that deviate from the stereotypical story (e.g., if the victim is a man). This was demonstrated by the doctoral research of Eva Mulder, which she defended on March 26, 2021 at Tilburg University. Mulder calls for greater attention to the “gray areas” of sexual violence, in the interest of victims.

Rise of constitutional oversight by the EU is straining the autonomy of member states

April 30(new window) - The EU is becoming increasingly involved with the organization of the public authority in the member states, to the extent that this can be referred to as the rise of constitutional oversight by the EU. In the political and legal battle surrounding the values of the Union, democratically-mandated national decision-making clashes with the authority of EU institutions under the rule of law. This was the conclusion of legal scholar Maarten Stremler in his PhD thesis, which he defended on April 30, 2021 at Tilburg University.

Sustainable employability for employees with mental health problems leaves much room for improvement

May 28(new window) - On Friday, May 28, Prof. Evelien Brouwers delivered her inaugural lecture entitled “Psychische Gezondheid en Duurzame Inzetbaarheid in Arbeid: Je Gaat Het Pas Zien Als Je Het Door Hebt” (Mental health and sustainable employability in labor: You don’t see it until you understand it”) at Tilburg University. Brouwers addresses the question of what is needed to help people find and retain jobs, particularly in case of “mental unwellness.”

Smart speakers may affect user autonomy in daily life

June 23(new window) - Due to voice interaction, smart speakers (e.g., Alexa and Google Assistant) can have great persuasive power, influencing and manipulating users and thus affecting their autonomy over their daily lives. This was demonstrated by the doctoral research of Silvia de Conca, which she defended on June 23, 2021 at Tilburg University.

Ecumenical project: Knowledge Collaborative Center on Meaning and Spiritual Care

July 1(new window) - The Tilburg School of Catholic Theology (TST) is participating in the ecumenical Knowledge Collaborative Center on Meaning and Spiritual Care, which has been awarded more than €1 million by ZonMW (grant maker). The collaborative center is aimed at increasing attention to meaning and the professionalization of spiritual care at home. It is funded with the help of the ZonMw program “Meaningfulness and Spiritual Care.”

Shifting the starting point of deductibles in health insurance brings down cost of healthcare

July 2(new window) - The Dutch Health Insurance Act specifies a mandatory deductible, whereby people are required to pay the first €385 of their healthcare costs out of pocket as of 2020. The purpose of the deductible is to make policyholders aware of healthcare costs by placing them partly on their own shoulders. This deductible has been subject to quite a few objections. In her doctoral research, Minke Remmerswaal investigated these disadvantages. She demonstrates that other forms of out-of-pocket payment (e.g., a sliding or percentage-based deductible) are more effective. She defended het PhD thesis on July 2 at Tilburg University.

Sharp increase in the number of government excuses for human rights violations in the past two decades

July 8(new window) - Tilburg University researchers have charted and compared the apologies that have been offered around the world for human rights violations in the recent past. The extensive and unique database, which is accessible to scholars, the public, and the press, reveals a sharp increase in the number of excuses over the past two decades. More than 70 countries have since expressed regret for a variety of past wrongs. A large share of the more than 350 apologies in the database have to do with World War II. Apologies for slavery have been sparse.

Behavioral interventions have a positive effect on environmentally conscious behavior

September 8(new window) - Could behavioral interventions improve environmental behavior, not only in the short term, but in the longer term as well? In her research, which she defended on Wednesday, September 8 at Tilburg University, Mirthe Boomsma answered this research question in the affirmative. Her research focuses on behavioral interventions relating to waste separation and energy consumption. Using field experiments, she demonstrated that behavior regarding waste separation can be improved by properly informing households and making a moral appeal to them. The provision of information on the separation behavior of people in their immediate surroundings has a positive effect as well. Installing an energy display that provides insight into a household’s energy consumption leads to energy savings.

Extroverted and conscientious employees experience the most “problems” with working from home

October 12(new window) - The prolonged period of working from home during the coronavirus pandemic reduced productivity and job satisfaction for highly extroverted and conscientious employees. Over the same period, the work performance of people who scored low on these traits actually improved. For the many organizations that would like to continue to enable or even encourage remote working, it is important to consider these individual differences in personality traits.

New Explanation of the Constitution presented to Prime Minister Rutte

October 13(new window) - On October 13, legal scholars from Tilburg University presented a volume of nearly 1,400 pages containing a new explanation of the Dutch Constitution to Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The volume is a completely revised edition of previously published commentaries on the Constitution beginning in 1987. The commentaries provide guidance for interpreting our Constitution, as well as for its further development in legislation, case law, and policy.

Online daters: Check your grammar and spelling; good language usage makes people more attractive

October 22(new window) PhD student Tess van der Zanden investigated differences in the language used in online dating profiles and how they affect impressions about the attractiveness of profile owners. To this end, she compared 12,000 dating profiles and surveyed online daters for the empirical research for het PhD thesis, which she defended on October 22.

Why Flemish people adjust their Dutch to Dutch people, and not the other way around

November 2(new window) - How does a scientist go about finding out how people adjust their language usage when they are together? People talk differently to others who do not speak Dutch or who are hard of hearing, but how can that be measured? Working with a colleague from Antwerp and his highly creative students, Prof. Marc Swerts devised a gaming method that reveals that Flemish people are more likely to adapt to Dutch people than the other way around. This was evidenced in analyses of both word choice and pronunciation. Their research was recently published in the academic periodical Frontiers in Communication. A conversation with Prof. Marc Swerts about his study on linguistic and non-verbal adaptation behavior.

Slowing legislation on gun purchases saves lives

November 22(new window) - Legislation that enforces a “cooling off” period between the purchase of a firearm and its acquisition reduces the number of impulse purchases. This type of legislation also reduces the number of murders, particularly in domestic settings. This is demonstrated by the Tilburg University behavioral economist David Schindler in a quantitative study conducted in the United States. The publication about his work appeared in the renowned academic periodical Review of Economics and Statistics.