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Nikos Ntoumanis

@nikosntoumanis.bsky.social

1.5K followers 390 following 180 posts

Professor of Motivation Science; Danish Centre for Motivation & Behaviour Science (DRIVEN) at IOB, SDU; #BehaviouralScience https://www.sdu.dk/en/forskning/driven. Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-CVsmqYAAAAJ&hl=en

www.sdu.dk

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · May 1

At DRIVEN we are passionate about behavioural science. Take a look at our website to find out more about us, our research, and consultancy services:
www.sdu.dk/en/forskning...

If you want to join us, we will be advertising for new post-docs and research assistants in the summer.

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · 11h

We’ll review submissions and contact selected candidates to co-develop a competitive proposal between December 2025 and February 2026.
🔗 More information about the GAIA Fellowship:
www.thegaiaproject.eu/application

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · 11h

📄 What to send us:
-A 1-page project proposal (aligned with GAIA’s guidelines and our research focus)
-A short document explaining how you meet all the eligibility criteria.
-A 2-page CV

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · 11h

If you:
✅ Meet the GAIA eligibility criteria and are willing to relocate to SDU
✅ Have a competitive CV with relevant publications

…then please reach out to me or Søren T. Skou by mid-November (the earlier the better).

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · 11h

My colleague Prof. Søren Skou and I are interested in candidates who want to undertake a project related to behavioural science and climate change, particularly looking at the interface between human and planetary health.

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · 11h

Opportunity for Early Career Researchers!

Are you an early career researcher interested in pursuing an MSCA-type post-doc?
The GAIA Postdoctoral Fellowship Program could be your chance. It follows the same criteria as MSCA, but all fellowships are hosted at my uni and focus on climate science.

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · 6d

As many of us in academia already know and feel, flexible working patterns can be a double edge sword www.timeshighereducation.com/news/benefit...

Benefits of working in academia ‘can add to workload stress’

Flexibility of hours and drive to do meaningful research among the things workers prize most highly, but could also be driving them to quit

www.timeshighereducation.com

Reposted by Nikos Ntoumanis

European Research Council (ERC) @erc.europa.eu · 21d

"We don't hire smart people to tell them what to do, we hire them to tell us what to do."

ERC grantee Jan Lagerwall (quoting Steve Jobs), during this morning's #RIDaysEU discussion of how bottom-up funding, supporting investigator-driven frontier research, helps meet future innovation challenges.

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · 22d

A state-of-the-art review on JITAIs, Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions, just published in the Annual Review of Psychology by Nahum-Shani and Murphy.
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions: Where Are We Now and What Is Next? | Annual Reviews

The past decade has seen a surge in developing just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs)—an intervention approach that leverages advancements in digital technologies to address the rapidly changing...

www.annualreviews.org

Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · 27d

Oliver also explains why such research deserves public funding and gives striking examples of projects whose long-term impact far exceeded initial expectations—a segment I think is particularly useful for students taking Research Methods classes.

Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · 27d

I highly recommend a recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk94...). It highlights several instances of US universities being targeted under false pretenses and makes a compelling case for the value of curiosity-driven research.

Trump vs. Higher Education: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

YouTube video by LastWeekTonight

www.youtube.com

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Sep 1

Welcome (back) to Denmark. It would be great to connect at some point if you have the time.

Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 30

Lifestyle instability: an overlooked cause of population obesity? doi.org/10.1038/s413...

Lifestyle instability: an overlooked cause of population obesity? - International Journal of Obesity

International Journal of Obesity - Lifestyle instability: an overlooked cause of population obesity?

www.nature.com

Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 27

Thrilled to see our paper in the latest issue of Motivation Science. We synthesized data from 77 studies with 40K participants to test the Self-Concordance Model (SCM). Our expanded version of the SCM highlights both the bright side and the dark side of goal striving.
psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?d...

Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 26

This paper offers a set of recommendations for establishing strong experimental methods for both original research and replications in psychology

psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...

APA PsycNet

psycnet.apa.org

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 24

Our short article and infographic in the BJSM summarises the results of a meta-analysis that examined which exercise strategies boost cognitive function in people with clinical depression;
bjsm.bmj.com/content/earl...

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 24

DRIVEN members will be attending the European Health Psychology Conference next week (@ehps2025.bsky.social), where we will be presenting some of our work. Details are below. We are looking forward to talk to many people, hear about their work, and exchange ideas.
#EHPS2025

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Reposted by Nikos Ntoumanis

Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani @cthogersen.bsky.social · Aug 20

Join us for an exciting seminar on physical activity, blending epidemiology, behavioural science, and m-health. Manos Stamatakis, Sam Liu, Nikos Ntoumanis, Jeanette Reffstrup, and yours truly.
Free registration (in-person only).

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 15

We grouped these into 13 general factors & 3 big themes:
1️⃣ Socio-contextual factors
2️⃣ Motivators’ personal factors
3️⃣ Motivators’ perceptions of those they’re motivating

Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 15

We systematically reviewed & meta-analysed 122 studies across education, parenting, sport, healthcare, and more.

We identified 59 specific factors influencing whether someone is controlling or supportive.

Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 15

Most research in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) looks at the effects of interpersonal styles — how being need-supportive vs. need-thwarting shapes motivation & wellbeing.

But… no one so far has synthetized the evidence on what actually drives these styles in the first place.

Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 15

Why are some teachers, parents, or coaches highly controlling… while others are supportive & inspiring? 🤔

Our new paper in Motivation Science dives into this question — and it’s the first of its kind. 🧵
📄 Full paper : www.researchgate.net/publication/...

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 15

Although it is intuitive to suggest that personalization of psychological treatments should enhance outcomes, this meta-analysis found that personalization does not show clear benefits over non- or less personalized versions of the same/comparable treatment psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-...

Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 15

Visit our website (www.sdu.dk/en/forskning...) to find out more about what we do and also to see other exciting projects we have underway or are about to start in the near future.

Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 15

The second project (3 years), funded by an Austrian funder and led by Dr. Marlene Kritz, will co-develop and test an evidence-based peer-led mall-walking program to boost physical activity, reduce social isolation, and promote social engagement and well-being in older adults.

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Nikos Ntoumanis @nikosntoumanis.bsky.social · Aug 15

I am pleased to report that we received funding for two new research projects. The first (5 years), led by Marie Dahl and funded by the Danish Heart Foundation, will develop a telerehabilitation app for peripheral artery disease, which causes pain, limits activity, and reduces quality of life.

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