Prof. Dr. Lea Boecker

21335 Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, C6.220
Fon +49.4131.677-2452, lea.boecker@leuphana.de
Juniorprofessor*in, Junior professorship of Psychology, in particular Social Transformation

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Vita

Lea Boecker is a Junior Professor of Psychology, in particular Societal Transformation at the Institute for Management and Organization. She studied psychology at the University of Würzburg and earned her Ph.D. at the Social Cognition Center Cologne. Her research focuses on the interactions between social cognition (e.g., social comparisons), social emotions (e.g., schadenfreude and envy), and motivation, as well as their diverse impacts on societal transformation processes. A particular emphasis of her work is the application of these insights to socially relevant areas such as health behavior, sustainability, sports, and politics.

Additional research fields include the study of emotional facial expressions, prosocial behavior, status (dominance and prestige), social norms, and inequality. In her research, she combines self-report measures with psychophysiological assessments such as electromyography (EMG) and emotion recognition using artificial intelligence.

Academic career and education

  • Since 07/2024: Junior Professor of “Psychology, in particular the Transformation of Society,” Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany
  • 09/2018 – 07/2024: Assistant Professor at Leuphana University Lüneburg, Department of Social, Economic Psychology & Methods, Germany
  • 01/2014 – 07/2018: Research Associate and PhD Student at the University of Cologne, Social Cognition Center Cologne (SoCCCo), Germany
  • 03/2013 – 12/2013: Research Associate at the University of Würzburg, Department of Biological, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, Germany
  • 10/2007 – 03/2013: Diploma Studies in Psychology, University of Würzburg, Germany

Publications

Journal contributions

  1. How the timing of texting triggers romantic interest after the first date: A curvilinear U-shaped effect and its underlying mechanisms
    Lars Teichmann (Author) , Hannes Marwin Petrowsky (Author) , Lea Boecker (Author) , Meikel Neumann (Author) , David Demian Loschelder (Author) , 01.02.2026 , in: Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 43, 2 , p. 570-593 , 24 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  2. The power and peril of first offers in negotiations: A conceptual, meta-analytic, and experimental synthesis
    Hannes Marwin Petrowsky (Author) , Lea Boecker (Author) , Yannik Andrea Escher (Author) , Marie-Lena Frech (Author) , Malte Friese (Author) , Adam D. Galinsky (Author) , Brian Gunia (Author) , Alice J. Lee (Author) , Michael Schaerer (Author) , Martin Schweinsberg (Author) , Meikel Neumann (Author) , Roderick Swaab (Author) , Eve Sarah Troll (Author) , Marcel Weber (Author) , David Demian Loschelder (Author) , 01.11.2025 , in: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 191 , 30 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  3. Concession patterns in dyadic negotiations: Empirically contrasting sunk cost, loss aversion, and rationality predictions
    Yannik Andrea Escher (Author) , Hannes Marwin Petrowsky (Author) , Lea Boecker (Author) , Peter L. Stöckli (Author) , David Demian Loschelder (Author) , 22.08.2025 , in: Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, 18, 3 , p. 165–203 , 39 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  4. The interplay of social rank perceptions of Trump and Biden and emotions following the U.S. presidential election 2020
    Lea Boecker (Author) , Hannes Marwin Petrowsky (Author) , David Demian Loschelder (Author) , Jens Lange (Author) , 01.12.2024 , in: Cognition and Emotion, 38, 8 , p. 1210-1228 , 19 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  5. How perfect is (too) perfect? Illuminating why the perfectionism-performance-relationship is (non-)linear
    Lea Boecker (Author) , David Demian Loschelder (Author) , Tilman Nols (Author) , Sophia A. Kohlenberg (Author) , Sebastian B. Klein (Author) , Ashtyn E. Cross (Author) , 01.10.2024 , in: Personality and Individual Differences, 228 , 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

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Activities

  1. A threefold meta-analysis of economic first-offer effects in negotiations
    Hannes Marwin Petrowsky (Speaker) , Yannik Andrea Escher (Speaker) , Lea Boecker (Coauthor) , Marie-Lena Frech (Coauthor) , Malte Friese (Coauthor) , Brian Gunia (Coauthor) , Alice J. Lee (Coauthor) , Michael Schaerer (Coauthor) , Martin Schweinsberg (Coauthor) , Meikel Neumann (Coauthor) , Roderick I. Swaab (Coauthor) , Eve Sarah Troll (Coauthor) , Marcel Weber (Coauthor) , David Demian Loschelder (Coauthor)

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

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Press / Media

  1. Die These: Brexit - Schadenfreude ist okay
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  2. Donald Trump hat Corona - eine Psychologin erklärt die Schadenfreude darüber
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  3. Warum Schadenfreude gut für uns ist
    1 time cited

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  4. Schadenfreude in der Psychologie
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  5. Schadenfreude ist besser als ihr Ruf
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

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Courses