People

AI Is Your Best Friend and Other Lies

In a tragic incident last February, a fourteen year old boy shot himself, after talking to the chatbot he had fallen in love with. Before…

Marie MeinckeFebruary 23, 2026

People Spiegeloog 441: Memory

The Emotionality of a Memory: The Working Mechanisms Behind EMDR

When Anna closes her eyes every night, the sound of shattering glass returns. Though the accident happened years ago, she still sees the headlights rushing…

Sandra HernándezDecember 22, 2025

People Spiegeloog 441: Memory

Healing the Wounds of Memory – Examining Trauma Treatments

Strong, negative, impactful, and devastating events are internalised and remembered by our bodies as traumas. Trauma is not the event itself, but what the event…

Nicole HaverDecember 15, 2025

People Spiegeloog 441: Memory

What Remains: The Brain After Loss

When we lose a loved one, they leave behind many physical belongings. Some of the most precious things I own now once belonged to my…

Clara BischoffDecember 12, 2025

People Spiegeloog 440: Performance

BDSM and the (Neuro-)Spicy Art of Intimacy

Much of human life is staged in the theatre of social performance. Where belonging means learning how to dance the choreography of power, how to…

Izzy HanaNovember 7, 2025

People Spiegeloog 440: Performance

What ‘’Self’’ Is Expressed in Art?

Art is often said to be the gateway to self expression. But what is truly being expressed? The artist’s identity - or the public’s thoughts…

Nora KeloglanianOctober 31, 2025

People Spiegeloog: The Outtakes

The Symbolism of It All: How Do Symbols Influence Our Decisions ?

Last summer, while strolling down the main street of a secluded seaside town with friends, I stumbled upon a secondhand shop filled with witchcraft supplies.…

Nora KeloglanianSeptember 22, 2025

People Spiegeloog 439: Balance

Knowledge at What Cost? Navigating the Morality of Scientific Inquiry around Indigenous Tribes

What if some truths are better left unknown? Pursuing and attaining knowledge has always been societally understood as a win, but is it still valuable…

Sandra HernándezJune 27, 2025

People Spiegeloog 439: Balance

An Eye for an Eye or a Heart for a Hurt?

Some of life’s inevitable hardships come at the hands of others. Whether in the form of an insult, a betrayal, or something harder to name,…

Ina TudorJune 25, 2025

People Spiegeloog 439: Balance

The Hidden Truth About Happiness

In Mad Men, Don Draper famously says: “What is happiness? It’s a moment before you need more happiness” (Weiner, 2012). This line reflects the idea…

Viktor FiskumJune 11, 2025

People Spiegeloog 437: Direction

The Paradox of Progress: Looking for Little Green Men, Ignoring Big Red Flags

Technological advancement reshapes what matters in the human narrative: not just the direction of our story as a species, but also the values we choose…

Izzy HanaMarch 7, 2025

People Spiegeloog 437: Direction

Spiegeloog 437: ‘Direction’ – Editorial

Dear readers, Over the span of a lifetime, we all tirelessly search for something - be it a person, a calling, a place in the…

Jules Kotowicz and Shriya BangFebruary 24, 2025

People Spiegeloog 436: Risk

Festina Lente: How AI is subtly Reshaping Human Expression

Language defines how we think, communicate, and make sense of the world. In the age of AI, tools like ChatGPT are not just assisting us—they…

Hanna NiedlDecember 30, 2024

People Spiegeloog 436: Risk

Spiegeloog 436: ‘Risk’ – Editorial

Dear Readers, There is a famous saying which posits that the only two things which are certain in life are taxes and death. However, between…

Jules Kotowicz and Shriya BangDecember 16, 2024

Ask the Expert People Spiegeloog 435: Fantasy

Ask the Expert: Teaching Dynamics

Annematt Collot D'Escury-Koenigs Angelique Bakker-Pieper Annematt Collot D'Escury-Koenigs's (developmental psychology) question Dear Angelique, How does teaching kids differ from teaching UvA students? Angelique Bakker-Pieper's (Work & Organizational…

Spiegeloog EditorsDecember 2, 2024

People Spiegeloog 435: Fantasy

From Stimulus to Stillness: Cultivating Contentment in an Age of Abundance

We live in a time of vast physical abundance, yet a profound mental health scarcity. Why is it that we increasingly crave more intense stimulation…

Shriya BangNovember 15, 2024

People Spiegeloog 433: Control

Reclaiming Control: Understanding the Long-Term Consequences of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

In 2016, the disturbing story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard rapidly gained public attention. The (now) 32-year-old woman was convicted of killing her mother, Dee Dee…

Shriya KashyapMay 20, 2024

Ask the Expert People Spiegeloog 429: Explore

Ask the Expert: It is all about belonging

Allard Feddes Annematt Collot D'Escury-Koenigs Allard Fedde's question is for Annematt Collot D'Escury-Koenigs (Developmental Psychology) Dear Anne-Matt, You are an expert on antisocial behaviour in…

Spiegeloog EditorsDecember 4, 2023

Office Hours People Spiegeloog 429: Explore

Office Hours: Nonlinear Career Paths

In the past, when it came to future plans, preoccupation with doing things by the book used to be far more common. Expectations on what…

Evita EgertDecember 1, 2023

People Spiegeloog 429: Explore The Corridor

The Corridor: Considering Optional Course Profiles

The mysterious optional course profile- an option we all have in our degrees, but may be curious or reluctant about taking. For this issue of…

Anushka SabhanamNovember 27, 2023

People Spiegeloog 429: Explore

Why is it so hard to say goodbye?

Goodbyes hurt. Someone leaving your life is often accompanied with feelings of pain and distress. Why is that? This article takes a closer look at…

Vadim MartschenkoNovember 22, 2023

People Spiegeloog 428: Alive The Corridor

The Corridor: Life Lessons

For a good proportion of this magazine’s editors, the Bachelor years at UvA will come to an end next summer. Amidst all the (optional) nostalgia…

Anika Korobkov and Vadim MartschenkoOctober 18, 2023

Ask the Expert People Spiegeloog 428: Alive

Ask the Expert: Countering Radicalization

Marte Otten Allard Feddes Marte Otten's question is for Allard Feddes (Social Psychology) Dear Allard, Nowadays, every other newspaper article or talkshow discusses polarisation: the…

Spiegeloog EditorsOctober 17, 2023

People Spiegeloog 428: Alive

Otto Selz – Monument for a Forgotten Pioneer

We would like to thank Richard Ridderinkhof and Spiegeloog alumni Viktor Bussato for allowing us to publish an English version of this piece on our…

Spiegeloog EditorsOctober 13, 2023

Ivory Tower People Spiegeloog 427: Anomalies

Ivory Tower: Anomalous Experience

In the behavioral sciences, one of the main methodological tensions is between qualitative and quantitative approaches. Traditionally, qualitative approaches focus on understanding human behavior through…

Denny BorsboomSeptember 27, 2023