Current directions

Narcissism and romantic relationships

A small research program toward understanding how narcissism and inclusion of the other in the self might influence social comparisons with a significant other. The project is completed and should be the object of a preprint.

Self-Perception Motives

In collaboration with the University of Southampton, I am analysing a large data sets describing how individuals form an image of the self. The aim of the project is to contrast two motives that have been argued to guide the way people form an image of the self: the self-enhancement motive on the one hand, and the self-verification motive on the other hand - these two motives being inconsistent when it comes to negative self-aspects and dysphoric individuals associated to low self-esteem. Currently at the Data Analysis stage.

Trolling, Boredom, and Meanings in Life

Do trolls troll out of boredom or to affirm their personal values? In a collaborative project funded by the EASP, we try to assess the personality, values, and motives of trolls (co-authors: Angela Johnson [University of Amsterdam, Netherlands], Muireann O’Dea [University of Limerick, Ireland], Lewis Nitschinsk [University of Queensland, Australia].

Submitted work

• Submitted to Emotion - The largest postural study conducted in psychology. In this experiment, 130 participants were standing on a stabilometric platform while emotional expressions (Anger, Fear, Sadness, Neutral faces) were displayed. We additionnally manipulated gaze directions of the emotional faces and measured participants’ personality traits. Results indicate clear patterns of avoidance of angry faces. Furthermore, interactions between emotional expressions, gaze directions and personality traits are discussed in light of appraisal and socio-functional emotion theories.

• Submitted to Psychophysiology - Body leaning (indicating directional movements of approach or avoidance) and sway (indicating reduced mobility or freezing) are often used to assess respectively approach/avoidance and freezing in response to emotional stimuli. These responses are typically quantified using force plates that monitor the displacement of the Center of Pressure. In this article, meta-analytical analyses were conducted to synthesize findings from 44 studies (total N participants = 1756) identified from 5 databases, that manipulated the valence of stimuli displayed —pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant—and measured corresponding body sway and leaning. The analyses revealed significant heterogeneity in the reported effects across the studies. Overall, only contrasting pleasant to unpleasant conditions (vs contrasting pleasant to neutral, or unpleasant to neutral conditions) resulted in a small meta-analytical effect size. Moderating variables such as the type of design used and the duration of exposure to stimuli question the nature of the effects reported in the literature and indicate a risk of potential confounding variables. Recommendations for future studies, with an emphasis on mitigating false negative rate by ensuring a large enough sample size, are discussed. preprint available here.