prof.dr. HP (Harm) Veling

Together with Daniela Becker (Radboud University), I developed the VEM-BC: a model of behaviour change that places the direct experience of behaviour at its core.

The underlying idea is that people sustain behaviour primarily when they experience it as valuable and rewarding, not just because they intend to. My research examines how such experiences can drive lasting change, through psychological mechanisms as well as cultural practices and the environments in which people live. I apply this work particularly in the domains of health and sustainability.

The model rests on five key principles:

a) The environment determines which behavioural options are available

b) Behaviour is driven by the attractiveness of the options a person considers at a given moment

c) This attractiveness is relative: people weigh options against one another; and this can be done automatically or more deliberatively

d) The attractiveness of an option is shaped by reward/punishment, social value, and self-related value

e) The experience of behaviour determines whether an option is considered again in the future and whether the behaviour is repeated

Link to VEM-BC paper:  https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2026.2677515

• Radboud Universiteit (1-5-2025/31-12-2099)
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