The course Thinking and Emotions provides a thorough understanding of the way in which people think and make decisions, as well as the way in which social factors and emotions influence these processes.
The course will have relevance for students from a wide variety of disciplines for which decision-making is a relevant factor. In addition to addressing a number of practical applications, the course will address key VU research profiles from a psychological perspective:
- Human Health and Life sciences: Most people have at least some knowledge of what it means to live a healthy life. The risks of smoking and obesity are known. We know that a healthy life involves physical activity and restricting the consumption of certain kinds of foods and beverages. Yet, knowing what makes us healthy is not enough. It remains a challenge for many people to actually make the right decisions. We will discuss human health from a decision-making perspective. Why is it so difficult for many people to lead a healthy life?
- Science for sustainability: Human behaviour has allowed the environment to be degraded. We constantly make decisions that are not in the best interest of our environment. Do people just not care or is it just really hard to make decisions that are in the best interest of our planet? We will discuss sustainability from a decision-making perspective.
Note: this course is not open for psychology students because of overlap with their regular study.