Research

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My research takes place in the overlap between the cognitive science of imagination and belief, and its effects on social bonding and psychological wellbeing, using the methodology from experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and social psychology.

My main research questions examine:

(i) How cognitive antecedents and other individual differences combine with cultural and social contexts to give rise to beliefs – whether religious[1,4-6], secular[7-10], or conspiracy beliefs[11,12];

(ii) How extraordinary experiences invoke social bonding[2,3,13-16], and how social bonding contributes to psychological wellbeing and health behaviours[17-21];

(iii) How we can understand the cognitive features of imagination (e.g., cognitive flexibility)[22-27] and its evolutionary trajectory[28,29], particularly in relation to religion[30,31] and art[32,33].

To learn about the separate research projects, please select from the dropdown menu above. For referenced research, see list below.

Research profiles

Awards

  • ‘Worldly views worldwide: Examining secular worldviews in the Global North and South and the development of a new scale’. British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants, 2023-2024. Role: PI (£9,870.39).
  • ‘Explaining Nordic Atheism: How cultural learning mechanisms predict atheism in Nordic cultural contexts’, RFP1 Research Grant, Explaining Atheism, Queen’s University Belfast (subgranting scheme through the John Templeton Foundation), 2022-2023. Role: PI (£76,167.87).
  • ‘Examining conspiracy beliefs through socio-existential motives and group processes’, CTPSR PhD studentship, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (Coventry University), 2022-2025. Role: Director of Studies (£70,000).
  • ‘Spiritual Understanding in a Secular Age: Engaging Art as Religious Ritual’. Art Seeking Understanding grant, Templeton Religion Trust, 2021-2022. PIs: Dr Lexi Eikelboom & Dr David Newheiser (Australian Catholic University). Role: Research Fellow ($230,267 USD).
  • ‘Mindfulness Meditation: A Secular Religion for Unbelievers?’ RFP1 Research Grant, Understanding Unbelief, University of Kent, awarded to Masoumeh (Sara) Rahmani, Miguel Farias, and Valerie van Mulukom, 2017-2019. Role: Co-PI (£59,535).
  • ‘Secular Worldviews : What secular beliefs do non-believers have, and what psychological functions do they serve?’ RFP2 Early Career Award, Understanding Unbelief, University of Kent (subgranting scheme through the John Templeton Foundation), 2017-2019. Role: PI (£14,929).
  • ‘The Imaginative Mind: How imaginative ability supports flexible and creative thinking.’ Coventry University Early Career Researcher Pump-Prime Funding Scheme, 2017-2018. Role: PI (£9,998).

References

  1. van Mulukom, V. (2017). Remembering religious rituals: autobiographical memories of high-arousal religious rituals considered from a narrative processing perspective. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 7(3), 191-205. doi:10.1080/2153599X.2016.1232304
  2. Tasuji, T., Reese, E., van Mulukom, V., & Whitehouse, H. (2020). Band of mothers: Childbirth as a female bonding experience. PLOS One, 15(10), e0240175. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0240175
  3. Muzzulini, B., van Mulukom, V., Kapitány, R., & Whitehouse, H. (2021). Shared Flashbulb Memories lead to Identity Fusion: Recalling the Defeat in the Brexit Referendum Produces Strong Psychological Bonds among Remain Supporters. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. doi:10.1037/h0101873
  4. Farias, M., van Mulukom, V., Kahane, G., Kreplin, U., Joyce, A., Soares, P., . . . Savulescu, J. (2017). Supernatural belief is not modulated by intuitive thinking style or cognitive inhibition. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 15100. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-14090-9
  5. van Mulukom, V., Baimel, A., Maraldi, E., Coleman, T. J. I., & Farias, M. (under review). Examining the relationship between metacognitive trust in thinking styles and supernatural beliefs. doi:10.31234/osf.io/nsp2h
  6. van Mulukom, V., & Lang, M. (2021). Religious experiences are interpreted through priors from cultural frameworks supported by imaginative capacity rather than special cognition. Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion, 7(1), 39-53. doi:10.1558/jcsr.19803
  7. van Mulukom, V., Turpin, H., Haimila, R., Purzycki, B. G., Bendixen, T., Kundtová Klocová, E., . . . Farias, M. (2022). What do non-religious non-believers believe in? Secular worldviews around the world. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. doi:10.31234/osf.io/gtcem
  8. Charles, S. J., van Mulukom, V., Saraswati, A., Watts, F., Dunbar, R. I. M., & Farias, M. (2022). Bending and Bonding: A randomized controlled trial on the socio-psychobiological effects of spiritual versus secular yoga practice on social bonding. Current Psychology. doi:10.1007/s12144-022-04062-2
  9. Coleman, T. J. I., Messick, K., & van Mulukom, V. (2022). Atheism: A New Evolutionary Perspective on Non-Belief. In Y. Lior & J. E. Lane (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Evolutionary Approaches to Religion: Routledge.
  10. Mauritsen, A. L., & van Mulukom, V. (forthcoming). Never mind the Gods: Explaining Unbelief and Non-religion. In B. G. Purzycki & T. Bendixen (Eds.), The Minds of Gods: A Cross-Disciplinary Survey Bloomsbury.
  11. van Mulukom, V., Pummerer, L., Alper, S., Bai, M. H., Čavojová, V., Farias, J. E. M., . . . Žeželj, I. (2022). Antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: a systematic review. Social Science & Medicine, 301, 114912. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114912
  12. van Mulukom, V. (2022). Trust in scientists and non-populist governments supports COVID-19 information and safeguarding behaviors. PsyArXiv. doi:10.31234/osf.io/chy4b
  13. van Mulukom, V., Patterson, R., & van Elk, M. (2020). Broadening Your Mind to Include Others: The relationship between serotonergic psychedelic experiences and maladaptive narcissism. Psychopharmacology, 237, 2725–2737. doi:10.1007/s00213-020-05568-y
  14. Newson, M., Khurana, R., Cazorla, F., & van Mulukom, V. (2021). ‘I get high with a little help from my friends’ – How raves can invoke identity fusion and lasting co-operation via transformative experiences. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 719596. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.719596
  15. Charles, S. J., van Mulukom, V., Farias, M., Brown, J. E., Delmonte, R., Maraldi, E., . . . Dunbar, R. (2020). Religious rituals increase social bonding and pain threshold. PsyArXiv. doi:10.31234/osf.io/my4hs
  16. Charles, S. J., van Mulukom, V., Brown, J., Watts, F., Dunbar, R. I. M., & Farias, M. (2020). United on Sunday: The effects of secular rituals on social bonding and affect. PLOS One, 16(1), e0242546. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0242546
  17. Brown, J. E., van Mulukom, V., Charles, S. J., & Farias, M. (2021). Do you need religion to enjoy the benefits of Church services? Social bonding, morality and quality of life among religious and secular congregations. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. doi:10.1037/rel0000447
  18. Brown, J., van Mulukom, V., Jong, J., Watts, F., & Farias, M. (2022). Exploring the Relationship Between Church Worship, Social Bonding, and Moral Values. Archive for the Psychology of Religion, (In-press).
  19. van Mulukom, V., Muzzulini, B., Rutjens, B. T., Van Lissa, C. J., & Farias, M. (2021). The Psychological Impact of Threat and Lockdowns During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exacerbating Factors and Mitigating Actions. Translational Behavioral Medicine 11(7), 1318–1329. doi:10.1093/tbm/ibab072
  20. Newson, M., van Mulukom, V., & Johns, S. E. (2022). Future orientation is associated with less lockdown rule breaking, even during large illegal gatherings. Futures, 135, 102883. doi:10.1016/j.futures.2021.102883
  21. Tuncgenc, B., van Mulukom, V., & Newson, M. (in press). Social bonding boosts health behaviour and psychological wellbeing. Science Advances.
  22. van Mulukom, V. (2013). Imagining a Brave New Future: The Effects of Novelty and Plausibility on Episodic Simulation. (Doctoral Thesis). The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
  23. van Mulukom, V., Schacter, D. L., Corballis, M. C., & Addis, D. R. (2013). Re-imagining the future: repetition decreases hippocampal involvement in future simulation. PLOS One, 8(7), e69596. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069596
  24. van Mulukom, V., Schacter, D. L., Corballis, M. C., & Addis, D. R. (2016). The degree of disparateness of event details modulates future simulation construction, plausibility, and recall. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 69(2), 234-242. doi:10.1080/17470218.2015.1051559
  25. Roberts, R., Wiebels, K., Sumner, R., van Mulukom, V., Grady, C., Schacter, D., & Addis, D. (2017). An fMRI investigation of the relationship between future imagination and cognitive flexibility. Neuropsychologia, 95, 156-172. doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.11.019
  26. Wiebels, K., Addis, D. R., Moreau, D., van Mulukom, V., Onderdijk, K. E., & Roberts, R. P. (2020). Relational processing demands and the role of spatial context in the construction of episodic simulations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 46(8), 1424-1441. doi:10.1037/xlm0000831
  27. van Mulukom, V., & de Wet, M. (under review). Sense-sational acting: Intuition in actors  is supported by interoceptive, exteroceptive, and immersive abilities.
  28. van Mulukom, V. (2020). The evolution of imagination and fiction through generativity and narrative. In J. Carroll, M. Clasen, & E. Jonsson (Eds.), Evolutionary Perspectives on Imaginative Culture (pp. 53-70). Cham: Springer.
  29. van Mulukom, V., & Clasen, M. (2021). The evolutionary functions of imagination and fiction and how they may contribute to psychological wellbeing during a pandemic. PsyArXiv. doi:10.31234/osf.io/wj4zg
  30. van Mulukom, V. (2019). The cognitive science of imagination and religion. Journal for the Cognitive Science of Religion, 5(1), 5-20. doi:10.1558/jcsr.39503
  31. van Mulukom, V., & Geertz, A. (2021). The importance of imagination and subjective knowledge: The evolution of art and religion as symbolic representations of feelings, experiences, and beliefs. PsyArXiv. doi:10.31234/osf.io/7y6w8
  32. van Mulukom, V. (2021). The evolution of music as artistic cultural innovation expressing intuitive thought symbolically. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44, e019. doi:10.1017/S0140525X20001260
  33. van Mulukom, V., & de Wet, M. (2022). The Importance of Narrative and Intuitive Thought in Navigating our Realities. Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture, 5(2), 61-64. doi:10.26613/esic.5.2.244