Psychological science meets policy : A symposium on the lessons to be learned from the pandemic

From the first day of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was clear that it was not going to be a mere physical health crisis. In order to control the virus circulation, from one day to the next huge behavioural changes were required from the population that touched their essence: their freedom was drastically curtailed and social contacts had to be reduced to a minimum. It was immediately clear that it would also be a psychological-motivational crisis. 

For more than two years - and over 90 measuring points - the Motivation Barometer project (https://motivationbarometer.com/en/ ) collected empirical data on the support for measures, the motivational commitment and the psychological well-being of the population. The research group is composed of 11 members from four Belgian Universities (UGent, KULeuven, UCLouvain, and ULBrussels) working in the fields of health, social, and developmental psychology. 

On June 7th, we organize a symposium during which we will discuss the value of psychological sciences on health, and the impact that psychology research can have on societal policy. We want to bring together important psychological lessons and discuss them with other disciplines, policymakers, the media and the wider public (e.g. study participants).

The symposium is free, but you need to register here:

The meeting will take place at the Royal Academy of Science in Brussels (next to the Royal Palace).