Paul van Lange

Paul Van Lange works at the VU University since 1990 (Professor, as of 2000), and recently was appointed distinguished research fellow at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Most of his publications address human cooperation and social dilemmas, including generosity, forgiveness, trust, and altruism, as well as aggression, corruption, and norm violation, along with beliefs about human nature and perceived superiority. He adopts an interdisciplinary approach with an emphasis on psychology, evolution, and economic decision making, and uses a variety of methodologies, including cognitive, neurological, and behavioral measures. He also examines and analyzes a variety of societal issues, varying from the refugee crisis, violence and hate in society, climate change, and the psychology around soccer. Over the years, his research is supported by grants from agencies such as N.W.O., Chinese Science Foundation, German Science Foundation, Finnish Science Foundation, Swiss Science Foundation, Templeton Foundation, and the European Union. His most recent award is the Kurt Lewin Medal (2014), a prestigious mid-career award from the European Association of Social Psychology.