Richard Lopez

Major kudos to @poojak.bsky.social for her major contributions to this project!

Also I'm very thankful for our great team of co-authors (Bryan, Pauline, Ariana, @malfrie.bsky.social, and @dororeis.bsky.social).

#selfregulation #health #behaviorchange #translationalresearch #sciencetopractice 9/9

Major thanks to @kaitlynmwerner.bsky.social for her equal contributions to this project, as well as to our amazing team of co-authors: @wilhelmhofmann.bsky.social, @blairsaunders.bsky.social, Gabriel Traub, and @dcosme.bsky.social. 8/9

The takeaway: Effective behavior change isn't about finding one "best" strategy. It's about having a toolbox of techniques and understanding that focusing on resisting unhealthy options can surprisingly boost your healthy eating goals. 7/9

🎯 The target matters most. Training focused on unhealthy foods had stronger and more persistent effects than training focused on healthy foods. It also led to positive "transfer effects," increasing craving and consumption of healthy foods. 6/9

❌ But, "earlier is better" isn't the full story. Contrary to some theorizing, situational strategies were not consistently more effective than cognitive reappraisal. Flexibility in your approach may be key. 5/9

We found that:
✅ Both strategies tend to work. Training in either was generally better than no training at promoting healthier eating habits... 4/9

We trained people in two types of self-regulation strategies:
🔹 Situational strategies (e.g., not buying highly-processed, calorie-dense food in the first place)
🔹 Cognitive reappraisal (e.g., reframing how you think about repeatedly eating a particular food) 3/9

Training self-regulation to promote healthy eating: Evidence from a longitudinal intervention study Previous theorizing suggests that self-regulatory strategies in the appetitive domain may be variably effective, but few studies have directly examine…

In our longitudinal intervention study in Appetite (www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...) 2/9

Wondering about how to promote healthy eating in daily life? New research reveals it's not just about willpower, but about which strategy you use, and what you target. 1/9

#selfregulation #health #behaviorchange #translationalresearch #sciencetopractice 9/9

Major thanks to @kaitlynmwerner.bsky.social for her equal contributions to this project, as well as to our amazing team of co-authors: @wilhelmhofmann.bsky.social, @blairsaunders.bsky.social, Gabriel Traub, and @dcosme.bsky.social! 8/9

The takeaway: Effective behavior change isn't about finding one "best" strategy. It's about having a toolbox of techniques and understanding that focusing on resisting unhealthy options can surprisingly boost your healthy eating goals. 7/9

🎯 The target matters most. Training focused on unhealthy foods had stronger and more persistent effects than training focused on healthy foods. It also led to positive "transfer effects," increasing craving and consumption of healthy foods. 6/9

❌ But, "earlier is better" isn't the full story. Contrary to some theorizing, situational strategies were not consistently more effective than cognitive reappraisal. Flexibility in your approach may be key. 5/9

We found that:
✅ Both strategies tend to work. Training in either was generally better than no training at promoting healthier eating habits... 4/9

We trained people in two types of self-regulation strategies:
🔹 Situational strategies (e.g., not buying highly-processed, calorie-dense food in the first place)
🔹 Cognitive reappraisal (e.g., reframing how you think about repeatedly eating a particular food) 3/9

Training self-regulation to promote healthy eating: Evidence from a longitudinal intervention study Previous theorizing suggests that self-regulatory strategies in the appetitive domain may be variably effective, but few studies have directly examine…

In our longitudinal intervention study in Appetite www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...) 2/9

Doctoral Researcher (m,f,x)

🚨 We’re hiring! 🚨
The Social&Environmental Psychology Group @ruhr-uni-bochum.de is recruiting 2 PhDs and 1 Postdoc
as part of the ERC-funded SUSCON project on sustainable consumption.

Details here:

PhDs:👉 jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/7...

Postdoc:👉 jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/e...

YouTube video by TEDx Talks Reimagining social connection in the digital age | Richard Lopez | TEDxBard College

How we choose to spend our time and attention online and offline has never been more important. 2/2 #TEDxTalks #TEDx #socialconnection #digitalage #humanconnection

youtu.be/b-r6q7ie_yA?...

Earlier this year I had the privilege of giving my first TEDx talk! I'm so grateful I could discuss an issue I'm particularly passionate about. Link below! ⬇️

It's NSF CAREER season! I've been fortunate to review dozens of CAREER grants and received one in 2022. Here are the most common mistakes I see and actionable tips to strengthen your proposal.

I hope it will drive meaningful progress in research and policymaking, while also serving as a catalyst for broader, collaborative efforts to build nuanced consensus on other critical topics. #TeamScience #SocialMedia #MentalHealth #PolicyForGood

So grateful that I had the opportunity to contribute to this timely project. 1/2

green figure of a person with puzzle pieces in their brain, a ribbon and title "May is mental health awareness month"

May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

Your mental health matters! Good mental health can help you cope with stress and improve your quality of life.

#MentalHealthMonth #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #mentalwellness #therapy #peersupport #

We had a great research projects showcase hosted by @wpiedu.bsky.social's Department of Social Science & Policy Studies! Congrats to Brianna Romero, a senior in the SNAP Lab, for presenting her capstone project: “Neurophysiological Correlates of Social Feedback on a Mock Social Media Platform.”

Enjoying my first time attending @affectscience.bsky.social's annual meeting! If you're here in Portland, come check out my poster on longitudinal training self-regulation in the eating domain from 3:15 - 4:45pm PT! #affectivescience #sas2025 #selfregulation #healthyeating

We gave an assembly on healthy patterns of technology use to maximize meaningful social connection and wellbeing through middle school (and beyond). 2/2 #DigitalWellbeing #HealthyTechHabits #STEMoutreach #CommunityEngagement

I had the great privilege of bringing an amazing group of @wpiedu.bsky.social students to Central Tree Middle School in Rutland... 1/2

Appreciate if folks can share this call widely for maximum reach! @ambulatory-assessment.org @omidvebrahimi.bsky.social @eatinglab-sbg.bsky.social @katiew.bsky.social @pnirs.bsky.social @psychosommed.bsky.social #socialpsychology #affectivescience