I am an assistant professor at the psychology department of the University of Amsterdam, where I run the PsySci lab. My main research interest is the psychology of science. From 2014-2017, my research was funded by the AXA Research Fund. From 2020-2025, my research is funded by an ERC starting grant. Besides individual thesis supervision, I teach the courses "The Psychology of Worldviews" (Research Master program) "Applying Research Methods" (Social Psychology Master programs) and "Mind, Behaviour and Society" (PPLE bachelor program). I am on the editorial boards of Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and Journal of Environmental Psychology. Since 2020, I am a fellow at the Young Academy of Europe.
Current PhD students:
For more information visit the PsySci (Psychology of Science) lab.
2024 and in press
Rutjens, B. T., & Hornsey, M. J. The psychology of science rejection. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, in press.
Većkalov, B., Geiger, S. J., Bartoš, F., White, M. P., Rutjens, B. T., van Harreveld, F., ... Ruggeri, K. & van der Linden, S. (2024). A 27-country test of communicating the scientific consensus on climate change. Nature Human Behaviour.
Folk, D., Rutjens, B.T., Van Elk, M., & Heine, S.J. Dare to know! The existential costs of a faith in science. Journal of Positive Psychology, in press.
Pauer, S., Rutjens, B.T., Brick, C., Lob, A., Buttlar, B., Noordewier, M., Schneider, I., & van Harreveld, F. Is the effect of trust on risk perceptions a matter of knowledge, control, and time? An extension and direct replication attempt of Siegrist and Cvetkovich (2000). Social Psychological and Personality Science, in press.
Pauer, S., Rutjens, B.T., van Harreveld, F. Trust is good, control is better: The role of trust and personal control in response to threat. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, in press.
Zarzeczna, N, Bertlich, T., Rutjens, B.T., Gerstner, I., von Hecker, U. Space as a mental toolbox in the representation of meaning. Royal Society Open Science, in press.
Zarzeczna, N., Preston, J.L., samekin, A., Reinhardt, CS., Bolatov, A., Selteyev, U., Topanova, G. and Rutjens, B.T. (2024). The feeling is not mutual: Religious belief predicts compatibility between science and religion, but scientific belief predicts conflict. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, in press.
Gligorić, V., Clerc, R., Arkensteijn, G., Van Kleef, G. A., & Rutjens, B. T. (2024). Stereotypes and Social Evaluations of Scientists Have Different Antecedents and Consequences. Public Understanding of Science, 33(7), 855-871.
Zarzeczna, N., Hanel, P. H. P., Rutjens, B. T., Bono, S. A., Chen, Y. H., & Haddock, G. Scientists, speak up! Source impacts trust in health advice across five countries. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, in press.
Gligorić, V., van Kleef, G. A., & Rutjens, B. T. (2024). How social evaluations shape trust in 45 types of scientists. PLoS ONE, 19(4), e0299621.
Većkalov, B., Zarzeczna, N., McPhetres, J., van Harreveld, F., & Rutjens, B. T. (2024). Psychological distance to science as a predictor of science skepticism across domains. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 50(1), 18–37.
2023
Vegt, K. R., Elberse, J. E., Rutjens, B. T., Voogt, M. H., & Baâdoudi, F. (2023). Impacts of citizen science on trust between stakeholders and trust in science in a polarized context. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 25(6), 723-736.
Većkalov, B., van Stekelenburg, A., van Harreveld, F., & Rutjens, B. T. (2023). Who Is Skeptical About Scientific Innovation? Examining Worldview Predictors of Artificial Intelligence, Nanotechnology, and Human Gene Editing Attitudes. Science Communication, 45(3), 337-366.
Rutjens, B. T., Ackers, C. A., & van Kleef, G. A. (2023). I’m (not) sorry: Interpersonal effects of neutralizations after a transgression. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 29(4), 831-848.
Zarzeczna, N., Većkalov, B., & Rutjens, B. T. (2023). Spirituality and intentions to engage in Covid-19 protective behaviours. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 17(8), e12765
van Mulukom, V., Turpin, H., Haimila, R., Purzycki, B. G., Bendixen, T., Kundtová Klocová, E., Řezníček, D., Coleman, T. J. III, Maraldi, E., Sevinç, K., Schjoedt, U., Rutjens, B. T., & Farias, M. (2023). What do non-religious non-believers believe in? Secular worldviews around the world. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 15(1), 143-156.
Zarzeczna, N., Bertlich, T., Većkalov, B., & Rutjens, B. T. (2023). Spirituality is associated with COVID-19 vaccination skepticism. Vaccine, 41(1), 226-235.
2022
Rutjens, B. T., & Većkalov, B. (2022). Conspiracy beliefs and science rejection. Current Opinion in Psychology, 101392.
Martens, J. P., & Rutjens, B. T. (2022). Spirituality and religiosity contribute to ongoing COVID-19 vaccination rates: Comparing 195 regions around the world. Vaccine: X, 100241.
Gligorić, V., van Kleef, G. A., & Rutjens, B. T. (2022). Social evaluations of scientific occupations. Scientific Reports, 12, 18339.
Rutjens, B. T., Niehoff, E., & Heine, S. J. (2022). The (im-)moral scientist? Measurement and framing effects shape the association between scientists and immorality. PLoS ONE,17(10): e0274379.
Rutjens, B. T., Zarzeczna, N., & van der Lee, R. (2022). Science rejection in Greece: Spirituality predicts vaccine scepticism and low faith in science in a Greek sample. Public Understanding of Science, 31, 428-436.
Rutjens, B. T., Sengupta, N., van der Lee, R., van Koningsbruggen, G. M., Martens, J. P., Rabelo, A., & Sutton, R. M. (2022). Science skepticism across 24 countries. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 13(1), 102-117
Pauer, S., Rutjens, B.T., Ruby, M.B., Perino, G., & van Harreveld, F. (2022). Meating conflict: Toward a model of ambivalence-motivated reduction of meat consumption. Foods, 11(7):921.
Hoogeveen, S., Haaf, J. M., Bulbulia, J. A., Ross, R. M., McKay, R., Altay, S., Bendixen, T., Berniūnas, R., Cheshin, A., Gentili, C., Georgescu, R., Gevais, W. M., Hagel, K., Kavanagh, C. M., Levy, N., Neely, A., Qiu, L., Rabelo, A., Ramsay, J. E., Rutjens, B. T., Turpin, H., Uzarevic, F., Wuyts, R., Xygalatas, D., & van Elk, M. (2022). The Einstein effect provides global evidence for scientific source credibility effects and the influence of religiosity. Nature Human Behaviour.
2021
Zarzeczna, N., Većkalov, B., Gligorić, V., & Rutjens, B.T. (2021). Letter to the Editors of Psychological Science: Boosting Understanding is Unlikely to Correct False Beliefs About Most Science Domains: Regarding van Stekelenburg et al. (2021). Psychological Science.
Većkalov, B., Zarzeczna, N., Niehoff, E., McPhetres, J., & Rutjens, B. T. (2021). A matter of time… Temporal orientation and perception contribute to the ideology gap in climate change scepticism. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 78, 101703
Van Mulukom, V., Muzzulini, B., Rutjens, B. T., van Lissa, C.J., & Farias, M. (2021). The psychological impact of threat and lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exacerbating factors and mitigating actions. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 11 (7), 1318-1329.
Rutjens, B. T., van der Linden, S., van der Lee, R., & Zarzeczna, N. (2021). A group processes approach to antiscience beliefs and endorsement of “alternative facts”. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 24, 513-517.
Rutjens, B. T., van der Linden, S., & van der Lee, R. (2021). Science skepticism in times of COVID-19. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 24, 276-283.
Martens, J. P., & Rutjens, B. T. (2021). Book review of The Acceleration of Cultural Change by R. Alexander Bentley and Michael J. O’Brien (2017). Journal of Cognition and Culture, 21, 202-202.
Noordewier, M. K., & Rutjens, B. T. (2021). Personal need for structure shapes the perceived impact of reduced personal control. Personality and Individual Differences, 170, 110478.
2020
Storm, I., Rutjens, B. T., & van Harreveld, F. (2020). Personal experience or cultural tradition: The difference between christian identity in the Netherlands and Denmark. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 10, 428-443.
Van Elk, M., Maij, D., & Rutjens, B. T. (2020). Development of a Porous Theory of Mind scale. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 20, 41-65.
Rutjens, B. T., & Preston, J. L. (2020). Science and religion: A rocky relationship shaped by shared psychological functions. In Vail, K., & Routledge, C. (Eds.) The science of religion, spirituality, and existentialism (pp. 373-385). Elsevier: Academic Press. [link]
Rutjens, B. T., & van der Lee, R. (2020). Spiritual skepticism? Heterogeneous science skepticism in the Netherlands. Public Understanding of Science, 29, 335-352. [link]
2019
Fetterman, A. K., Rutjens, B. T., Wilkowski, B. M., & Landkammer, F. (2019). On post-apocalyptic & doomsday prepping beliefs: A new measure, its correlates, and the motivation to prep. European Journal of Personality, 33, 506-525. [link]
McPhetres, J., Rutjens, B.T., Weinstein, N., & Brisson, J.A. (2019). Modifying attitudes about modified foods: increased knowledge leads to more positive attitudes. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 64, 21-29. [link]
2018
Rutjens, B. T., & Brandt, M. J. (2018). Belief systems and the perception of reality: An introduction. In B.T. Rutjens & M.J. Brandt (Eds.). Belief systems and the perception of reality. Oxon, UK: Routledge. [link]
Sutton, R. M., Petterson, A., & Rutjens, B. T. (2018). Post-truth, anti-truth, and can’t-handle-the-truth: How responses to science are shaped by concerns about its impact. In B.T. Rutjens & M.J. Brandt (Eds.). Belief systems and the perception of reality. Oxon, UK: Routledge. [link]
Rutjens, B. T., Sutton, R. M., & van der Lee, R. (2018). Not all skepticism is equal: Exploring the ideological antecedents of science acceptance and rejection. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44(3), 384-405. [link]
Rutjens, B. T., Heine, S. J., Sutton, R. M., & van Harreveld, F. (2018). Attitudes towards science. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 57, 125-165. [link]
2017
Van der Lee, R., Ellemers, N., Scheepers, D., & Rutjens, B.T. (2017). In or out? How the perceived morality (vs. competence) of prospective group members affects acceptance and rejection. European Journal of Social Psychology, 47, 748-762. [link]
van Elk, M., Rutjens, B. T., & van Harreveld, F. (2017). Why are Protestants more prosocial than Catholics? A comparative study among orthodox Dutch believers. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 27, 65-81. [link]
Rutjens, B. T., & Kay, A. C. (2017). Compensatory Control Theory and the psychological importance of perceiving order. In M. Bukowski, I. Fritsche, A. Guinote, & M. Kofta (Eds.), Current Issues in Social Psychology – Coping with lack of control in a social world (pp. 83-97). New York: Routledge. [link]
2016
Rutjens, B. T., & Heine, S. J. (2016). The immoral landscape? Scientists are associated with violations of morality. PLoS ONE, 11(4): e0152798. [link] [data]
Rutjens, B. T., van Harreveld, F., van der Pligt, J., van Elk, M., & Pyszczynski, T. (2016). A march to a better world? Religiosity and the existential function of belief in social-moral progress. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 26(1), 1-18. [link]
van Elk, M., Rutjens, B. T., van der Pligt, J., & van Harreveld, F. (2016). Priming of supernatural agent concepts and agency detection. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 6(1), 4-33. [link]
2015
van Elk, M., Rutjens, B. T., & van der Pligt, J. (2015). The development of the illusion of control and sense of agency in 7-to-12-year old children and adults. Cognition, 145, 1-12. [link]
2014
van Harreveld, F., Rutjens, B. T., Schneider, I. K., Nohlen, H. U., & Keskinis, K. (2014). In doubt and disorderly: Ambivalence promotes compensatory perceptions of order. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143, 1666-1676. [link]
Meijers, M. H. C., & Rutjens, B. T. (2014). Affirming belief in scientific progress reduces environmentally friendly behaviour. European Journal of Social Psychology, 44, 487-495. [link]
2013
Rutjens, B. T., van Harreveld, F., & van der Pligt, J. (2013). Step by step: Finding compensatory order in science. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22, 250-255. [link]
Rutjens, B. T., van Harreveld, F., van der Pligt, J., Kreemers, L. M., & Noordewier, M. K. (2013). Steps, stages, and structure: Finding compensatory order in scientific theories. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 142, 313-318. [link]
2012
Rutjens, B. T., van der Pligt, J., & van Harreveld, F. (2012). Regulating psychological threat: The motivational consequences of threatening contexts. In K. J. Jonas & T. A. Morton (Eds.), Restoring civil societies: the psychology of intervention and engagement following crisis (Social issues and interventions) (pp. 38-56). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. [link]
Vail, K. E., Juhl, J., Arndt, J., Vess, M., Routledge, C., & Rutjens, B. T. (2012). When death is good for life: Considering the positive trajectories of terror management. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16, 303-329. [link]
2011
Schneider, I.K., Rutjens, B.T., Jostmann, N.B., & Lakens, D. (2011). Weighty matters: Importance literally feels heavy. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2, 474 – 478. [link]
Wojtkowiak, J., & Rutjens, B. T. (2011). The postself and terror management theory: Reflecting on after death identity buffers existential threat. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 21, 137-144. [link]
2010
Rutjens, B. T., van der Pligt, J., & van Harreveld, F. (2010). Deus or Darwin: Randomness and belief in theories about the origin of life. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46, 1078-1080. [link]
Rutjens, B. T., van Harreveld, F., & van der Pligt, J. (2010). Yes we can: Belief in progress as compensatory control. Social Psychological and Personality Science , 1, 246-252. [link]
Wojtkowiak, J.,Rutjens, B. T., & Venbrux, E. (2010). Meaning making and death: A Dutch survey study. Archive for the Psychology of Religion, 32, 363-373.
Rutjens, B. T., & Loseman, A. (2010). The society-supporting self: System justification and cultural worldview defense as different forms of self-regulation. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 13, 241-250.
2009
Rutjens, B. T., van der Pligt, J., & van Harreveld,F. (2009). Things will get better: The anxiety-buffering qualities of progressive hope. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 535-543. [link]
van Harreveld, F., Rutjens, B. T., Rotteveel, M., Nordgren, L. F., & van der Pligt, J. (2009). Ambivalence and decisional conflict as a cause of psychological discomfort: Feeling tense before jumping off the fence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45, 167-173. [link]