Maastricht University
Clinical Psychological Science
Sense of purpose is seen as a catalyst for successful ageing, predicting a wide range of health outcomes and mortality. However, its role in fostering subjective well-being during old age has received less attention, especially the... more
Objective: To examine whether Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) increases momentary positive emotions and the ability to make use of natural rewards in daily life. Method: Adults with a life-time history of depression and current... more
The pleasantness of the sensory properties of a food declines during consumption of that food, a process termed sensory-specific satiety (SSS). Generally, SSS is ascribed to habituation; a decrease in overall responsiveness to a stimulus... more
High-calorie intake is associated with changes in state body satisfaction, and is moderated by dietary restraint and body mass index. This implies that food intake signals fear of overeating and weight increase in specific populations.... more
The influence of exposure to high- and low-caloric food cues on body and weight dissatisfaction was tested in 30 high- and 31 low-restrained (LR) eaters. Body and weight satisfaction were measured before and after exposure to either high-... more
Knowledge on mechanisms involved in early prediction of response to antidepressant medication may help optimize clinical decision making. Recent studies regarding response to pharmacotherapy implicate resilience-like mechanisms and... more
Geschwind N, Peeters F, Jacobs N, Delespaul P, Derom C, Thiery E, van Os J, Wichers M. Meeting risk with resilience: high daily life reward experience preserves mental health.Objective: To examine prospectively whether high reward... more
Although clinical findings suggest that in the aftermath of depression a process of ' scarring ' may ensue, research examining the issue of ' scars ' (including biological, psychological and cognitive changes) has remained largely... more
Daily life affective responses are closely linked to vulnerability and resilience in depression. Prediction of future clinical course may be improved if information on daily life emotional response patterns is taken into account.Female... more
Sensory-specific satiety (SSS) refers to the decline in evaluated pleasantness of a food when consumed as compared with other unconsumed foods. In two experiments it was investigated whether SSS is sensitive to manipulations of flavour... more
Rationale In the present study, it was investigated whether smokers can acquire a behavioural approach bias through Pavlovian conditioning. Objectives More specifically, it was tested whether pairing neutral stimuli with either smoking... more
Effects of cue exposure to high and low-caloric food on body image satisfaction and the moderating role of body mass index (BMI) and restraint were investigated in 77 lean unrestrained, lean restrained and overweight restrained females.... more
Previous research has linked overeating and overweight/obesity to impulsivity. To find out whether impulsivity causes overeating and hence overweight and obesity, we attempted to prime the concept of impulsivity in healthy participants.... more
Background. Previous work suggests that daily life stress-sensitivity may be an intermediary phenotype associated with both genetic risk for depression and developmental stress exposures. In the current analysis we hypothesized that... more
Abstract In one currently dominant view on personality, personality dimensions (eg extraversion) are causes of human behaviour, and personality inventory items (eg 'I like to go to parties' and 'I like people') are measurements of these... more
Abstract Some commentators wholeheartedly disagreed with the central tenet of the network perspective on personality, namely that traits are the result of mutual interactions between thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
• Wichers et al.(2008). The psychology of psychiatric genetics: Evidence that positive emotions in females moderate genetic sensitivity to social stress associated with the BDNF Val (66) Met polymorphism. Journal of Abnormal Psychology,... more
Abstract Aims: In the present study, it was investigated whether smokers can acquire a conditioned incentive motivation as suggested by the incentive sensitization model of addiction. More specifically, it was tested whether pairing... more