Mirre Stallen, PhD


Assistant Professor, Social, Economic and Organisational Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands.


Senior Researcher, Poverty Interventions, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands.

My research


My research interests are in understanding the psychological and neuroscientific processes underlying social decision-making, and in the application of these findings to address real-world societal issues. I am particularly interested in the impact of poverty on decision-making, and applying scientific insights to the development of actual policy interventions aiming to alleviate poverty in the Netherlands and abroad.


To this end, I currently combine two career paths. Since 2017, I have been an assistant professor at the Social, Economic and Organisational Psychology department, at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Leiden University. Additionally, since 2017, I have been a senior researcher at the Poverty Interventions research group of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Combining these two tracks allows me to apply insights from academia to the development of poverty interventions in the field, while, at the same time, translating questions from the field to my research in the lab.


Previously, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the department of Psychology at Stanford University, collaborating with Prof. Brian Knutson. Prior to working at Stanford University, I held a postdoctoral position at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, where I worked with Prof. Alan Sanfey. I obtained my PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands, under the guidance of Prof. Ale Smidts, and I obtained my Master’s degree in Cognitive Science (cum Laude) at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.


My research has been published in leading journals such as The Journal of Neuroscience, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, Psychological Science, and more. I have presented my work at numerous academic conferences, including the Psychological Science Annual Convention , and the Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuroeconomics , from which I received the John Dickhaut Memorial Postdoctoral Travel Grant in 2014. Additionally, I have presented my research at a large number of venues for non-academic audiences, including workshops and symposia for policy makers and professionals aiming to alleviate poverty in the Netherlands and abroad.


Research-related publications


Kirby, L.D., Qian, W., Adiguzel, Z., Jahanshahi, A.A., Bakracheva, M., Ballestas, M.C.O.B, Cruz, J.F.A., Dash, A., Dias, C., Ferreira, M.J., Goosen, J.G., Kamble, S.V., Mihaylov, N.L., Pan, F., Sofia, R., Stallen, M., Tamir, M., van Dijk, W.W., Vitterso, J., & Smith, C.A.(2021). Appraisal and Coping Predict Health and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Approach. International Journal of Psychology, 57(1), 49-62.


Stallen, M., Borg, N., &Knutson, B. (2021). Brain activity foreshadows stock price dynamics. The Journal of Neuroscience, 41(14), 3266-3274.


Micheli, L., Stallen, M., & Sanfey, A.G. (2021). The effect of centralized financial and social incentives on cooperative behavior and its underlying neural mechanisms. Brain Sciences, 11 (317), 1-19.


Huijsmans, I., Ma, I., Micheli, L., Civai, C., Stallen, M., & Sanfey, A.G. (2019). A scarcity mindset alters neural processes underlying consumer decision making. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, 116 (24), 11699-11704.


Knutson B., & Stallen, M. How can affect influence choice? The Nature of Emotions, 2nd edition (2018). In Fox, A.S., Lapate, R.C., Shackman, A.J. & Davidson, R.J. (Eds.) (pp. 339-342), The nature of emotion. Fundamental questions (2nd edition). New York: Oxford University Press.


Stallen, M., Rossi, F., Heijne, A., Smidts, A., de Dreu, C.K.W., & Sanfey, A.G. (2018). Neurobiological mechanisms of responding to injustice. The Journal of Neuroscience, 38(12), 2944-2954.


Stallen, M. Griffioen, N., & Sanfey, A.G. (2017) Why are we not more selfish? What the study of brain and behavior can tell us. Frontiers for Young Minds, 5:47.


Sanfey, A.G., & Stallen, M. (2016). Neurosciences Contribution to Judgment and Decision-Making: Opportunities and Limitations. Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Judgment and Decision Making.


Stallen, M., & Sanfey, A.G. (2015). Cooperation in the brain: Neuroscientific contributions to theory and policy. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 3, 117-121.


Stallen, M., & Sanfey, A.G. (2015). The neuroscience of social conformity: Implications for fundamental and applied research. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 9:337.


Sanfey A.G., Stallen, M., & Chang, L. (2014). Norms and expectations in social decision-making. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 18, 172-174.


Smidts, A., Hsu, M., Sanfey, A.G., Boksem, M.A.S., Ebstein, R.B., Huettel, S.A., Kable, J.W., Karmarkar, U.R., Kitayama, S., Knutson, B., Liberzon, I., Lohrenz, T., Stallen, M., & Yoon, C. (2014). Advancing Consumer Neuroscience, Marketing Letters, 25, 257-267.


Stallen, M., & Sanfey, A.G. (2013). The cooperative brain. The Neuroscientist, 19, 292-303.


Stallen, M.,, Smidts, A., & Sanfey, A.G. (2013). Peer influence: Behavioral and neuroimaging studies of in-group conformity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7:50.


Stallen, M., de Dreu, C., Shalvi, S., Smidts, A., & Sanfey, A.G. (2012). The herding hormone: Oxytocin stimulates in-group conformity. Psychological Science, 23, 1288-1292.


Fahrenfort, J.J., van Winden, F., Pelloux, B., Stallen, M. & Ridderinkhof, K.R. (2012). Neural correlates of dynamically evolving interpersonal ties predict prosocial behavior. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 6:28.


Stallen, M., & Sanfey, A.G. Neuroeconomics and Game Theory. (2011). Wiley Encyclopedia of Operations and Management Science.


Stallen, M., Smidts, A., Rijpkema, M., Smit, G., Klucharev, V.A., & Fernandez, G. (2010). Celebrities and shoes on the female brain: The neural correlates of product processing in the context of fame. Journal of Economic Psychology, 31, 802-811.


Van Winden, F., Stallen, M., & Ridderinkhof, K.R. (2008). On the nature, modeling and neural bases of social ties. In D.E. Houser & K.A. McCabe (Eds.), Neuroeconomics, 20, 125-159.


Beer, J.S., Stallen, M., Lombardo, M.V., Gonsalkorale, K., Cunningham, W.A., & Sherman, J.W. (2008). The Quadruple Process Model approach to examining the neural underpinnings of prejudice. Neuroimage, 43(4), 775-783.


Policy-related publications


Van Geuns, R., & Stallen, M. (2022). Armoede effectief bestrijden. Sozio, 2, 49-53.


Van Geuns, R., & Stallen, M. (2021). Armoede effectief bestrijden. Vakblad Sociaal Werk, 22(6), 7-11.


Van Dam., R., Kruithof, M., & Stallen, M. (2019). Budgettraining voor mensen met een licht verstandelijke beperking. Sociaal Bestek, 1, 17-19.


Stallen, M. (2018). Het effect van armoede op het kinderbrein. In Geuns, R., Desain, L., & van der Weijden, R (Eds), Hulp bij armoede: Bouwstenen voor effectieve hulpverlening bij armoede en schulden, (31-37). Houten, the Netherlands: Bohn, Stafleu, van Loghum.


Madern, T., & Stallen, M. (2018). Tijd om het gat te dichten: Wetenschappelijke kennis in de uitvoeringspraktijk. Tijdschrift voor Schuldsanering, 3, 12-15.


Kruithof, M., Stallen, M., Schonewille, G., & Weijers, M. (2018). Direct online hulp bij schulden: Online platform in de maak voor vragen over schulden en om slim door te verwijzen. Sociaal Bestek, 4, 42-44.


Fairley, K., Stallen, M., & Sent, E.M. (2013). The power of social norms (Dutch title: De kracht van sociale normen). Economisch Statistische Berichten, 98, 27-31.


Ridderinkhof, K.R., & Stallen, M. (2010). Happiness as a medicine against aging (Dutch title: Vrolijkheid als remedie tegen veroudering). In N. Lazerom & R. Van Dinteren (Eds.) Brein@Work: Breinkennis voor Organisaties, 161-171.


Stallen, M., & Ridderinkhof, K.R.. (2007). Happiness as a medicine against aging (Dutch title: Vrolijkheid als remedie tegen veroudering). In W.G., van Aken, K.R. Ridderinkhof, F.R.J. Verhey, & M. Evenblij (Eds.), Cahier Bio-Wetenschappen en Maatschappij: Vergrijzend brein: wat ouder wordende hersenen met cognitieve vermogens doen.


Stallen, M., & Ridderinkhof, K.R. (2007). Diagnostic measures (Dutch title: Diagnostische technieken). In W.G., van Aken, K.R. Ridderinkhof, F.R.J. Verhey, & M. Evenblij (Eds.), Cahier Bio-Wetenschappen en Maatschappij: Vergrijzend brein: wat ouder wordende hersenen met cognitieve vermogens doen.

CV (Nederlands)


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CV (English)


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Contact me?


Email: m.stallen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl or m.stallen@hva.nl