Health Psychology

Health psychology investigates the biological, social and psychological underpinnings of health and illness to promote health, prevent illness, and improve health care.

The Health Psychology Group at the University of Vienna was established in September 2023. The group is chaired by Prof. Dr. Laura M. König.

What we do:

Lifestyle behaviours such as unhealthy eating and physical inactivity are leading contributors to overweight and obesity, which in turn are associated with non-communicable diseases, premature deaths and reduced quality of life. Our research focuses on a broad range of psychological and social determinants of health behaviours and tests digital and choice architecture interventions to promote healthier lifestyles.

To achieve this objective, we use a broad range of methods including realistic food replicas in laboratory settings and smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment for collecting data in participants' daily life. We are also interested in the validity of (digital) eating behaviour measurement to improve data quality.