Research interests

I am interested in Experimental Existential Psychology. Simply, this means that I am fascinated by the bigger questions of life, and that I research these questions with the help of rigorous experimental methods derived from cognitive and social psychology. Most of my current research examines the role of humans’ unique awareness of their mortality on cognition, affect, motivation, and behaviour. I am also interested in the self; implicit (unconscious) processes; self regulation; defensiveness versus openness to experience; narcissism; evolutionary social psychology; groups and conformity; and generativity.
Broadly speaking, I focus on the following topics:

1. To ‘lose’ or ‘use’ the symbolic self?
People evolved with the advanced cognitive ability to form and maintain abstract representations of the self. This is handy because among other things it allows us to: anticipate future events, modify our behaviour, and reflect upon ourselves. However the self can also be a source of worries and existential concerns. People may worry about their future, how they look, their achievements, a close relationship, or their ultimate fate. Thus, ironically people are equipped with a brain that is a burden and a blessing at the same time. As has been pointed out by several theorists, one way to escape worries is to escape ‘the self’. We may, for instance, try to forget our bad exam results by drinking quite a few beers. But it is also possible to ‘lose’ the self in a less self-destructive way. For instance, we can engage in dancing and totally ‘forget ourselves’. On the other hand, we could decide to ‘use’ the self and start focusing more on our exams and study harder to improve our results. In a theoretical paper and an initial series of studies, I have examined the hypothesis that existential concerns promote an increased effort to either lose or use the self.

2. Why do people desire offspring?
Although I probably do not need to spell out how people procreate, there is surprisingly little known about why we procreate. Do we desire to have children because the ‘biological clock’ starts ticking, or do we procreate because we want to live on in others, because our friends have kids, or is it all about sex after all? Recently, I have begun to explore and investigate some of these questions. I found, for instance, that reminding people of their own mortality promotes people’s desire for offspring. However, this desire seems strongly influenced by cultural constructs. Women with strong career strivings seem actually less inclined to desire offspring when they are reminded of the finiteness of their life. There are many questions to explore in this fascinating area and I am currently working on several projects to increase our knowledge of people’s desire for offspring.

3. Why do ideological beliefs promote aggression?
On May 6, 2002, Pim Fortuyn, a runner-up candidate for prime minister, was assassinated by a left-wing animal rights supporter who saw in Pim Fortuyn a danger to the weaker people of society. Two years later, Theo van Gogh, a provocative film maker and journalist, was killed by a Dutch muslim radical who left a note on Theo van Gogh with a call to destroy America and all ‘unbelievers’. Although maybe unique in The Netherlands, assassinations, wars, and terrorist attacks motivated by ideological beliefs are commonplace throughout history and there is no ideology or religion that can claim a single monopoly on such violence. What motivates people to kill others for a certain ideal, cause or belief? And what specific cognitive mechanisms are responsible for such a motivation?
I would welcome students who wish to conduct research in these areas.

Key Publications

Wisman, A. & Koole, S. L. (2003). Hiding in the crowd: Can mortality salience promote affiliation with others who oppose one's worldviews? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 511-526.

Wisman, A. & Goldenberg, J. L. (2005). From the grave to the cradle: Evidence that mortality salience engenders a desire for offspring. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89, 46-61.

Wisman, A. (2006). Digging in Terror Management Theory: To ‘use’ or ‘lose’ the symbolic self? Psychological Inquiry, 17, 319-327.

Current Research Students

Claire Harris

Hazel Wardrop

Media related to my work

A sense of belonging to a group is more is more comforting than ideology

Parenthood could buffer people against existential dread

School of Psychology
Keynes College
University of Kent
Canterbury, Kent
CT2 7NP
United Kingdom

Tel. +44 (0)1227 823096 
Fax. +44 (0)1227 827030
Email: Arnaud Wisman

Office: Keynes A2.12

Office Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 4-5pm