Keeping our bodies healthy can be a case of mind over matter

How do we understand the health threats our bodies face?

  • What motivates us to quit smoking?
  • How does stress affect our ability to remember things?
  • How do we form habits?
  • Does regular bowel screening help detect colorectal cancer?
  • How can maths anxiety impede understanding of numerical health risks?
  • What are the emotional processes associated with trauma?
  • What happens in the brain when we feel pain?

These and other questions are addressed as part of our health behaviour work using a variety of different approaches and leading edge methodologies. We also work closely with academics in related areas such as risk, judgement and decision making, and well-being.

Recent papers

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

Sheina Orbell
Impact: Early detection of bowel cancer through screening

Professor Sheina Orbell's expertise in health behaviour helped tailor the messaging for a national bowel cancer screening campaign. Identifying cases of bowel cancer in it's early stages has allowed more people to receive treatment, and led to a 12% decrease in bowel cancer deaths.

Read our impact case study