Valerie van Mulukom

So, next time you consider components of religion as separate from major aspects of human nature, think also of the broad picture!

I hope you enjoyed this thread. Follow me for more research updates throughout the year! (she says, New Year's resolution firmly in mind). Thanks!

..And recently for art performances.

Like religious rituals, experiencing art together reduced people's self-boundaries, sometimes to the point of feeling merged with the other. 🤝 This increased self-other overlap was associated w/ increased bonding.🫂

osf.io/6atkp_v2

Rituals -whether religious or secular- are also known to bring us together. We feel more connected to others around us, particularly those who had the same experience as us.

We showed this previously for raves..

doi.org/10.3389/fpsy...

This tells us two main understandings:
(1) Feelings are not always frivolous bodily responses that we need to overcome, but can be guiding principles;
(2) Social constructs through which we structure our worlds can be established & changed through rituals

osf.io/g34m9_v1

Religious rituals actually function much like secular rituals, awe experiences, and even art performances:

They are collective experiences during which feelings are encoded into powerful memories or symbols of meaning, encapsulating complex ideas.

osf.io/7y6w8

For yesterday's #WorldReligionDay, consider our research showing what religion can tell us about human nature.

Religious rituals may seem like either stifled Sunday mornings or exotic events in lands far away, but neither capture the reality of these events 🧵

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

MSc or PGDip or PGCert in Psychology at Oxford Brookes University Psychology, PGDip/PGCert or MSc, degree course from the Department of Psychology, Health and Professional Development at Oxford Brookes University

Event:
📅 Thursday 26 February
🕔 5.00pm to 7.00pm
📍 Headington Campus, Sinclair Building, Room 4.01

More info on the MSc psych website:
www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/post...

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

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...

I will share the results again here in a month or so! That way, you may learn more about what your genre may say about you.. Thanks!

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.

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 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

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_...

To me it seems more like deeply engrained feudalism; either way, it is as frustrating.

I think because people there are really motivated to learn; they don't want to squander their time and money being at Oxford *not* getting educated.

Not in capitalism it isn't (it not being about the outcome but the process). I think that's a major part of the problem.

Relevant to research on true crime and related fiction: We love the feeling of insight we get from finding or hearing the solution to whodunits, crossculturally!

179 experts. 28 countries. 1 message:

Long COVID is real, multi-systemic, and devastating. It affects over 400 million people. And we're not prepared.

New global consensus just dropped.

link.springer.com/content/pdf/10…

🧵

A #crab in a fish tank discovered the air pump… and turned it into a personal jacuzzi. Crabs are curious creatures and often interact with their environment in surprisingly playful ways.

Speaker standing in front of projected slide.

Great talk at #ehbea2025 by @paulajasheppard.bsky.social on family size and child health: inconsistent findings across populations, which would be expected if we focus on asking 'under what conditions/context do we see X', rather than expecting one answer.

Ayesha Ali from @brunelcce.bsky.social presenting on the importance of Spiritual-But-Not-Religious practices providing community for people in Glastonbury, including a slide with the first quote from a male witch I’ve seen so far at #ehbea2025

Great presentation from @brunelcce.bsky.social’s Julieta Baker on how a high proportion of parents in post-industrial settings have little experience of parenting before having their own kids, and frequently experience parenting problems they don’t know how to solve #ehbea2025

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)

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!

Today I lost an NIH grant training clinicians to do research about intimate partner violence with perinatal women.

More women are murdered in the perinatal period than die of obstetric complications.

I didn't just lose a grant. We lost an entire cohort of people building careers to prevent that.

Thanks to all who have taken part already!

We now have a large number of scifi & thriller fans 🛸🧟, but true crime, horror, drama, and fantasy fans are lagging (among others) 👮👹🧝 - where these fans at?

Take part to tell us why your genre is your favourite & take a 5-10 min break from scrolling!

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."

📺 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)!

Same, but also: Why isn't the Library better? Like even if it has the same information as the Store has, and which you can see in one easy go, it'd be so much easier to remind myself why I got it, and then it'd be easier to see if it's something I feel like.

Was this..made in AltaVista

EvoDemoS 2025 EvoDemoS 2025 International Conference. The local organising committee welcomes you to the 10th International Conference of the Evolutionary Demography Society, hosted at Pembroke College, Oxford, bet...

EvoDemoS 2025 website is now live. The 10th Evolutionary Demography Conference will be held 22-24 September 2025, at Oxford University, organised by @robsalgo.bsky.social and colleagues evodemo2025.weebly.com

Sign the Petition Demand Spotify Remove Andrew Tate’s Harmful Courses on How to Traffic Women

The petition is here:

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It's so hard to believe it's true, but here we are.