The Personality and Health Psychology (PEHP) research group focuses on multidisciplinary projects related to health psychology, personality psychology with a particular eye towards emerging technologies and often within work settings.

We work within NTNU’s three strategic research areas of 1) health and life science, 2) community and 3) civil security.

Public health

We are engaged in several projects within occupational health psychology, regarding psychosocial work factors, motivation, emotions, health and sleep among shift workers. Our latest project, Sleep, Affect and Night work (SAN), is an ecologically, momentary assesment study measuring sleep and emotions at different times of the day in shift workers across different occupations. Our projects STrESOB and SAPPH are in collaboration with Trøndelag police district. In STrESOB we explore coping strategies, motivation and job stress in police officers investigating sexual abuse and violence against children. In SAPPH (Sleep, activity, psychosocial work environment and police employees’ health) we investigate physical and mental implications related to sleep and psychosocial work factors in a real-life work setting. We are also interested in personnel selection, as well as work and health in creative occupations like for example musicians.

We are working on several projects on sleep and circadian rhythm. We are investigating individual differences in the effect of sleep deprivation on affect and cognitive control functioning (in the research project SLEEPIC) and are interested in sleep and health among the elderly, as well as sleep and mental health in youths and young adults. In addition, we are interested in the circadian rhythm of psychological processes, especially affect.

Personality

How are we different and similar? And how do we measure these differences? We are involved in various attempts to validate instruments to measure normal personality traits, like improving the NMPI (Norwegian Military Personality Inventory) for use in the Norwegian Armed Forces concription selection, and validating different the Norwegian translation of the IPIP (International Personality Item Pool). We are also investigating novel approaches to assessing personality traits, such as through movement data.

Technology

We utilize qualitative and quantitative methods and are interested in innovative research design and research methods. In our newer projects we have started exploring the use of virtual reality (VR) in education, organizational learning and psychological assesment. We have developed VR games for organizational learning and psychological perspective taking, financed by the Norwegian Directorate for Higher education and skills. Moreover, we administer the YouTube channel Psyport where we teach and present psychological research methods.

Excellence in teaching

Psychological knowledge is vital for the future development and sustainability of societies. As university employees we appreciate the important mission placed on us to educate the coming generations of psychology students, as well as disseminating psychological findings to the general public. We view teaching as an important part of our jobs, and cherish the discussions and ideas that originate in the space where faculty and students meet.

Collaboration

We collaborate with several other research groups at the department, as well as internationally. We are part of interdisciplinary networks, among them EMERGE and SOBI. And we’re always up for more cooperation! Reach out to us if you are interested.