Alexander Hooyberg

I am an interdisciplinary researcher with a MSc in Biology (2018) and a PhD in Health Sciences and Sociology (2024). I have a keen interest in the effects of the coast on the psycho-physiology of stress and the social segmentation of these effects. The coast is by far the most popular destination for leisure. It is an urban-blue place where various leisure activities and sociocultural practices happen, all of which may directly impact our emotions, cognition, and (neuro-)physiology. Understanding these phenomena more fundamentally may lead to innovative and cost-effective clinical and societal applications. However, still very little knowledge exists about these phenomena. Therefore, my pursuit is to investigate the links between patterns of behavior (e.g. a walk at the beach), individual characteristics (e.g., socio-demographic and health situation), and clinically-relevant outcomes of stress. My study participants are typically exposed to the coast via pictures, virtual reality, videos, or recalled visits, and my psycho-physiological measurements focus on changes in self-reported parameters (e.g., stress-symptoms), performance on cognitive tasks (e.g., digit span backward, Stroop), parasympathetic (e.g., heart rate variability), sympathetic (e.g., skin conductance), central (e.g., EEG, eye-tracking), and whole body (e.g., breathing, blood pressure, muscle tension) functioning. As such, I hope to acquire the necessary information to advise on the clinical and societal relevance of the effects of the coast on human health.