Health and Well-being

Health and well-being are core elements of individual quality of life. Health is seen not only as absence of illness but as a positive state that can be described by psychological, physical and social dimensions. Research in this field addresses mental as well as physical health. Besides prevention (changing individual behavior, health-promoting environment) also intervention and therapy are important topics of research. It can be described by the following questions: Which individual resources protect our health? Which psycho-social contexts increase the vulnerability for mental and physical illness? How can we adapt to chronic diseases? What are adequate therapies for mental illnesses and health-compromising behaviours? How can we motivate individuals to lead a healthy life?

A guideline for the research is the bio-psycho-social model according to which biological, psychological, and social variables have to be considered equally in order to understand contexts and consequences of health and illness. Accordingly, basic and applied research are interlocked in this research field. We strive for a multi-modal assessment procedure where various psychological (e.g., emotional condition, attitudes, motivational variables), biological and psycho-physiological (esp. cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, central nervous), and social variables (e.g., social inclusion, social support) are assessed. Data are gathered in the laboratory as well as in applied settings (e.g., hospital, working place) and in everyday life.

• Microbiome-gut-brain interaction in Anorexia Nervosa. 2019-2023. Funded by FWF (Austrian Science Foundation). PI: Florian Fischmeister.
• Grenzziehung zwischen Arbeit und Privatleben und Burnout "Work-home boundary management and bournout". 2019-2022. Funded by FWF (Austrian Science Foundation). PI: Bettina Kubicek.
• Cognitive demands of flexible work: Risks and challenges. 2017-2022. Funded by FWF (Austrian Science Foundation). PI: Bettina Kubicek.
• Maternal physical activity and neonatal body composition. 2018-2021.  Funded by FWF (Austrian Science Foundation). PI: Mireille van Poppel.