KHMW Van der Aa Lifetime Achievement Award for Paul van Lange

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15 May 2024

In 2024, for the first time, the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities awards the Van der Aa Lifetime Achievement Award, a new prize of €25,000 for a scientist who has made significant contributions in the fields of humanities and social sciences. The inaugural recipient is Professor of Social Psychology, Paul van Lange.

As a social psychologist, Paul van Lange is involved in various topics such as transgressive behavior, behavior change, and mutual trust between people and institutions. By mid-2024, one only needs to think about the NPO, climate change, or the Allowance Scandal to realize how relevant his work is.

Van Lange regularly writes opinion pieces for newspapers and magazines and is a frequent guest on radio and television. "If you define social psychology broadly, it is incredibly central and you can make a unique contribution, both in relation to what others say from other disciplines and to what the relative 'layman' thinks," he says. "I find that very inspiring."

He is cautious about media appearances. "I only do it if it adds value. I have a passion for science and I like to share the knowledge from my field. Not only because I enjoy it myself, but also because sometimes you can make a positive contribution to society."

For example, he recently wrote an opinion piece on how people could talk to each other about a polarizing topic such as 'Israel'. In the article, he outlined his theory of dyads. "A dyad is a nice unit," he states. "People trust each other more quickly, there can be no coalitions formed, and you cannot be excluded. Furthermore, both reciprocity and empathy have a better chance. Based on scientific knowledge, you can translate that theory into concrete advice, such as going for a walk with someone and then discussing it."

Of course, he closely follows the coalition negotiations. "Indeed, one-on-one conversations are also used there," he acknowledges. "Plasterk started with that quickly, which I thought was a good approach."

Continue reading on the KHMW website (in Dutch)