Simon T. van Baal

Lecturer in Behavioural Science

Bio

I am a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the University of Leeds, as well as an Honorary Fellow at the University of Warwick.

I am currently studying how time preferences, self-control, and impulsivity influence decision-making. My research aims to identify ways to help individuals and groups improve their decision-making in all domains of life, including time preferences, addiction, health, altruism, and relationships. Currently, much of my work revolves around using novel natural language processing methods to analyse decisions embedded in context.

Before this, I was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna and I obtained my doctorate from Monash University and the University of Warwick in 2023, funded by the Monash Warwick Alliance. I am passionate about creating research output that could help the general public. I endeavour to make my research as open and transparent as I can. I am a signatory of the Peer Review Openness Initiative. Read more about it here.

Before my PhD, I completed a Masters of Science in Behavioural and Economic Science at the University of Warwick and Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Highlighted Output

Expected Utility App

I looked around for tools to visualise how expected utility relates to expected value, and what implications that has for risk preferences. I couldn't find one. So I made my own. Feel free to use it and let me know what you think! Find it here.

The Lived Experience of Gambling-Related Harm

In this article we used natural language processing techniques to find out how people discuss their struggle with gambling addiction online. In particular, we investigated which topics were discussed in relation to which gambling-related harms (e.g., emotional, work, financial). Find the full paper here.

Impulsivity and Self-Control as Timeless Concepts

In this article, we argue that impulsivity and self-control are not straightforwardly implicated in intertemporal choice tasks. We pose questions such as "Can you use your self-control to do things that are only advantageous in the present?", and "Can you be future-oriented and impulsive simultaneously?". You can find the preprint here.

The Self-Isolation Game

Together with my supervisors Lukasz Walasek and Jakob Hohwy, I developed a game that investigates the influence of social norms on decisions of self-isolation during the pandemic. Find the article here.

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