Valerie van Mulukom
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herebehumans.bsky.social
Valerie van Mulukom
@herebehumans.bsky.social
340 followers 210 following 75 posts
Senior Lecturer in Psychology @ Oxford Brookes University, UK // Research on cognitive & evolutionary science of religious, secular, political, conspiracy belief & imagination. #COVIDisNotOver
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herebehumans.bsky.social
Thinking about studying MSc psych?

Discover what it’s like to study Psychology at Oxford Brookes (@obu-hst-research.bsky.social), meet members of the course team & gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum & learning experience.

Find out more and register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oxford-bro...
OPEN EVENING 2026 MSc Psychology Conversion Course Discover what it’s like to study Psychology at Oxford Brookes, meet members of the course team, and gain a deeper understanding of the curriculum and learning experience. 📅 Thursday 26 February 🕔 5.00pm to 7.00pm 📍 Headington Campus, Sinclair Building, Room 4.01 Find out more and register
October 6, 2025 at 11:21 AM
herebehumans.bsky.social
We're looking for participants for a 10-15 minute survey asking about your favourite fiction genre, interests, worries & coping styles.

brookeshls.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

We're trying to better understand how engagement with fiction relates to how you engage with the world - let us know!
Research poster which says: "What does your favourite literary genre say about you? Help us find out! This 10-15 minute survey for an Oxford Brookes University research project asks questions about books you like to read/listen to, as well as some of your interests, worries & coping styles. https://tinyurl.com/Brookesfictionsurvey" on a background image of books.
September 23, 2025 at 5:47 PM
herebehumans.bsky.social
We're looking for participants for a 10-15 minute survey on your favourite TV/film or book genre, as well as your interests, worries, and coping styles.

I promise to report the results back here so you can reflect on what this says about you.. Thanks!

brookeshls.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Research poster asking for participants: What does your favourite TV/film genre say about you? Help us find out! This 10-15 minute survey for an Oxford Brookes University research project asks questions about TV/film genres you like to watch, as well as some of your interests, worries & coping styles. https://tinyurl.com/Brookesfictionsurvey
September 23, 2025 at 2:19 PM
herebehumans.bsky.social
Did you know that crows participate in true crime investigations?
vm.tiktok.com/ZNdR8RvNy/

Are you a fan of true crime? Participate in our 5-10 minute survey on fiction genre preferences, interests & coping styles!
brookeshls.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

We're still looking for +50 ppl; thnx!
An image depicting a crow dressed up as a Sherlock Holmes with a magnifying glass and deer hunter cap. The artwork is called "Charlek crow Holmes", by illustrator ahlemkhedri (https://medibang.com/author/5450119)
March 24, 2025 at 12:58 PM
herebehumans.bsky.social
📺 Feel like a small break from scrolling to tell us about your favourite TV/movie genre?🎞️

Here is a 5-10 minute survey for our latest research project project on understanding the functions of fiction: brookeshls.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Thanks very much for participating (&/or RT/likes)!
A picture of a woman watching TV, with text superimposed, saying: "What does your favourite TV/movie genre say about you? Help us find out!". Additional text states: "This 5-10 minute survey for an Oxford Brookes University BSc research project asks questions about TV/movie genres you like to watch, as well as some of your interests, worries, and coping styles." and finishes with the URL and the statement: "This survey has received ethical approval from the Psychology Research Ethics Committee at Oxford Brookes University."
March 18, 2025 at 4:58 PM
herebehumans.bsky.social
Very cool study finding that people engaged with negative content longer when it was presented as art vs non-art 🎨

I agree with the study's leading author that it's time we're embracing art's other functions beyond mere aesthetics.

We discuss this aesthetic cognitivism in doi.org/10.31234/osf...
A quote from the linked PsyPost artice: "These findings suggest that art acts as a kind of buffer when we engage with difficult or negative subjects. The aesthetic qualities of art and the sense that we are in a slightly removed, “as-if” world when experiencing art, may reduce the emotional impact of negative content, making it more approachable. This reduced emotional cost, combined with the appeal of aesthetic appreciation and thought-provoking perspectives, makes people more willing to explore negative themes through art than through non-art media."
February 24, 2025 at 9:30 PM
herebehumans.bsky.social
George Dale, newspaper editor, fights back against the Klan 🔥 A great example, and a great story; link below.
A quote from George Dale's letter in his newspaper about how we need to fight the Klan.
February 24, 2025 at 9:31 AM
herebehumans.bsky.social
From the other app, yep.

But it's especially shocking how many people really think like this.

I'm seeing it in my research on worldviews as well: People put forward science as the explanation to *all* of life's questions (incl. morality).
Screenshot of tweet saying "our cultural obsession with STEM education was a mistake" from 03 Feb 25 which has had 8.7M views and many interactions
February 6, 2025 at 6:57 AM
herebehumans.bsky.social
Feeling this @xkcd.com comic right now 😶‍🌫️

xkcd.com/2511/
an xkcd comic with three panels, where a stick figure explains: (1) Our lab was trying to recreate the conditions that occurred seconds after the big bang. (2) But it turns out they were extremely hot and unpleasant. (3) So now we're trying to recreate the conditions that occurred on this tropical beach in early 2014. Honestly don't know why we were doing that other thing.
January 23, 2025 at 12:03 PM
herebehumans.bsky.social
It is well known online information engagement is driven for a large part by identity-based motivation, leading to selective exposure and narrative reinforcement.

(Giant pdf alert; it's the whole book) library.oapen.org/bitstream/ha... (Your Fake News, Our Facts by Daphna Oyserman & Andrew Dawson)
A picture of the first page of Chapter 10 'Your Fake News, Our Facts: Identity-based motivation shapes what we believe, share, and accept' by D Oyserman and A Dawson
January 19, 2025 at 12:26 PM
herebehumans.bsky.social
“Fighting misinformation is not as simple as only correcting facts; it also involves addressing purposeful manipulation and the way algorithms direct people's attention.”

Good, but what about partisan information seeking?

www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)00094-7/fulltext
A quote from academic journal The Lancet stating: "Disinformation has become a deliberate instrument to attack and discredit scientists and health professionals for political gains. The effects are destructive and damaging to public health."
January 19, 2025 at 12:26 PM