Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
My interest and expertise lie in the field of behavioral genetics, mental health and musical engagement. My work addresses factors that influence mental health and musical expertise as well as the relationship between the two, with a focus on gene-environment interplay. By using genetically informative designs, I am able to strengthen causal inferences and adjust for familial confounding when studying factors influencing mental health or when studying phenomena of interest in the field of music research, such as sensitive periods in music acquisition, the importance of the childhood environment for adult musical achievement and the relationship between playing an instrument and mental health. Additionally, making use of molecular genetic techniques, I work on investigating specific genetic variants and their potential pathways affecting musicality and music-related traits.
I obtained my PhD in 2018 at the Biological Psychology Department of the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. I studied genetic and familial factors that influence the development and persistence of childhood psychopathology. During my final PhD year I spend 6 months at the University of Queensland in Brisbane. After obtaining my PhD, I continued research in the field of behavioral genetics as a post-doc at the Department of Neuroscience at the Karolinska Instititute in Stockholm, where I studied gene-environmental interplay underlying musical expertise and the relation between music and mental health. One day per week, I work at the Social Psychology Department of the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, where I conduct genetic analyses for a variety of research projects on, among other things, disgust sensitivity, vegetarianism, socio-sexuality, personality and romantic jealousy.
I work at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt at the Behavioral Genetics unit in collaboration with the Department of Psychiatry at Amsterdam UMC, where I am located and able to work closely together with the psychiatric genetics lab lead by Prof. Karin Verweij.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
External positions
Assistant Professor, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics
1 Mar 2022 → 1 Mar 2025
Post-doctoral researcher, Karolinska Institutet
1 Mar 2018 → 1 Mar 2022
Keywords
- M Music
- QH426 Genetics
- RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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The Psychological Underpinnings of Nonpharmaceutical Interventions
Tybur, J., Kamiloğlu, R., Sun, H., Pelica, S. & Wesseldijk, L.
1/12/2022 → 30/11/2027
Project: Research
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The Human Behavioral Immune System: Consequences for Health and Innovation.
Karinen, A., Tybur, J., Çınar, Ç., Wesseldijk, L. & van Huijstee, D.
1/07/2016 → 30/06/2021
Project: Research
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2_GENETIC INFLUENCES ON STABILITY AND CH
Wesseldijk, L. & Boomsma, D.
1/12/2010 → 2/08/2017
Project: Research
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Adolescent Psychedelic Use and Psychotic or Manic Symptoms
Simonsson, O., Mosing, M. A., Osika, W., Ullén, F., Larsson, H., Lu, Y. & Wesseldijk, L. W., 13 Mar 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: JAMA Psychiatry.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access -
Can flow proneness be protective against mental and cardiovascular health problems? A genetically informed prospective cohort study
Gaston, E., Ullén, F., Wesseldijk, L. W. & Mosing, M. A., Dec 2024, In: Translational Psychiatry. 14, 1, p. 144 144.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access -
Heritability of adult picky eating in the Netherlands
Koenders, E. A., Wesseldijk, L. W., Boomsma, D. I., Larsen, J. K. & Vink, J. M., 1 Apr 2024, In: Appetite. 195, 107230.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access -
Notes from Beethoven's genome
Wesseldijk, L. W., Henechowicz, T. L., Baker, D. J., Bignardi, G., Karlsson, R., Gordon, R. L., Mosing, M. A., Ullén, F. & Fisher, S. E., 25 Mar 2024, In: Current biology. 34, 6, p. R233-R234Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access -
A comprehensive investigation into the genetic relationship between music engagement and mental health
Wesseldijk, L. W., Lu, Y., Karlsson, R., Ullén, F. & Mosing, M. A., Dec 2023, In: Translational Psychiatry. 13, 1, p. 1-8 8 p., 15.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus)
Activities
- 2 Lecture / Presentation
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Evolution and Genetics for Psychology
L.W. Wesseldijk (Speaker)
29 Jun 2015Activity: Lecture / Presentation › Academic
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Spouse and parent-offspring correlations for psychiatric symptoms in a clinical sample
L.W. Wesseldijk (Speaker), R.J.L. Lindauer (Speaker), N.M. Batelaan (Speaker), F.C. Verhulst (Speaker), D.I. Boomsma (Speaker), G.C. Dieleman (Speaker) & C.M. Middeldorp (Speaker)
18 Jun 2014Activity: Lecture / Presentation › Academic