Mike is interested in self-regulation processes and in the study of mindfulness. For his PhD project, he uses experimental methods to examine the mechanisms through which mindfulness can reduce desire, for example for unhealthy foods. Adopting a grounded cognition perspective, his work has shown that consumptive objects, such as foods or alcohol, spontaneously elicit imagery of consuming them, which are key in the emergence of desire. Building on this, Mike examines whether and how mindfulness may modulate the experience of this spontaneous imagery, such that the emergence of desire can be prevented. The objective of this project is to gain a better understanding of the working mechanisms of mindfulness, and ultimately to facilitate the regulation of health behaviour.
Mike is based at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, and is co-advised by prof. Henk Aarts and prof. Michael Häfner. He graduated from Utrecht University with an MSc in Social and Health Psychology (cum laude) in May 2013, and started to work on his PhD project in September 2013.
Contact Mike here.