CV

Increasing Emotional Stability Through Digital Interventions

Neuroticism, a personality trait referring to emotional instability and an enduring tendency to experience negative emotions, is a public health issue: It is associated with low well-being and predisposes individuals to a range of mental and physical disorders. One current project therefore aims at developing an evidence-based and personalized smartphone intervention to increase emotional stability.

First Sexual Experiences and Personality Trait Development

Adolescence and emerging adulthood are periods of significant personality trait change, which is evident in mean-level trajectories as well as the significant variability around them. As first intercourse represents an important life event during this period and individual differences in personality are well-known to be related to sexual behavior, we aim at elucidating the links between pre-event levels of personality traits, first intercourse, and subsequent personality development.

Personality Change: Theory and Methods

In the course of the aforementioned projects, we investigate the mechanisms behind volitional as well as naturally occurring personality change, which will ultimately inform theories on personality. In this regard, I am also interested in new methodological developments and open science.