Uta Sailer
Professor
-
Department of Behavioural Medicine

Norwegian version of this page
Phone
+47 22851032
Room
2161
Username
Visiting address
Sognsvannsveien 9
Domus Medica
0372 Oslo
Postal address
Postboks 1111 Blindern
0317 Oslo
Academic interests
My current research focus is on the experience, processing and effects of rewards. This includes the processing of feedback and reinforcement and its relationship to learning, as well as the processing of events that produce a pleasant or positive affective experience. In particular, I investigate processes related to pleasant odours and touch, and the factors that underly and affect experienced pleasantness. To unravel these mechanisms, we use psychophysical methods, peripheral physiological measures, endocrine measures and fMRI.
Uta is also the institute’s Head of Postgraduate Studies (PhD Coordinator).
Courses taught
Background
Academic Qualifications
- 2013: Professor, Dept. of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- 2009 Docent (“Habilitation”, venia legendi) in Psychology, University of Vienna, Austria
- 2003: PhD from Dept. of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany (thesis title “Eye-hand coordination in time and space”)
- 1998: M.Sc. (diploma) in psychology, University of Munich, Germany
Professional history
- Since 2016: Professor at the IMB, University of Oslo
- 2011-2016: Associate professor (until 2013), then full professor at the Dept. of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- 2005-2011: University of Vienna, Austria, Section for Biological Psychology. Research fellow of the German Research Foundation (DFG) (2003-2005), thereafter postdoc, associate professor, and vice head of the Dept. of Clinical, Biological and Differential Psychology
- 2003-2005: Postdoc at the University of Umeå, Sweden, Dept. of Integrative Medical Biology, Section for Physiology
- 2002: Guest researcher, Dept. of Experimental and Work Psychology, University of Groningen, Netherlands (3 months)
- 1999-2003: PhD student at Dept. of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich
- 1998 – 1999: Research assistant, Dept. of Psychology, section for neuropsychology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, and Max-Planck Institute for Psychiatry, Dept. of Neuropsychology, Munich
- 1997-1998: Student research assistant, Faculty of Psychology, Technical University Munich
- 1997: Research internship, Dept. of Psychology, University of Durham, UK (3 months)
Publications
-
Sailer, Uta & Leknes, Siri (2022). Meaning makes touch affective. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. ISSN 2352-1546. 44. doi: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.101099.
-
Bendas, Johanna; Ree, Anbjørn; Pabel, Luise; Sailer, Uta & Croy, Ilona (2021). Dynamics of affective habituation to touch differ on the group and individual level. Neuroscience. ISSN 0306-4522. 464, p. 44–52. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.12.024. Full text in Research Archive
-
Eckstein, Monika; Mamaev, Ilshat; Ditzen, Beate & Sailer, Uta (2020). Calming effects of touch in human, animal, and robotic interaction — Scientific state-of-the-art and technical advances. Frontiers in Psychiatry. ISSN 1664-0640. 11, p. 1–17. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.555058. Full text in Research Archive
-
Sailer, Uta; Hausmann, Marlene & Croy, Ilona (2020). Pleasantness Only?: How Sensory and Affective Attributes Describe Touch Targeting C-Tactile Fibers. Experimental Psychology. ISSN 1618-3169. 67(4), p. 224–236. doi: 10.1027/1618-3169/a000492. Full text in Research Archive
-
Ree, Anbjørn; Benda, Johanna; Pabel, Luise; Croy, Ilona & Sailer, Uta (2020). Right between the eyes: Corrugator muscle activity tracks the changing pleasantness of repeated slow stroking touch. Physiology and Behavior. ISSN 0031-9384. 222. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112903. Full text in Research Archive
-
Croy, Ilona; Bierling, Antonie; Sailer, Uta & Ackerley, Rochelle (2020). Individual variability of pleasantness ratings to stroking touch over different velocities. Neuroscience. ISSN 0306-4522. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.03.030. Full text in Research Archive
-
Schéle, Erik; Pfabigan, Daniela M.; Simrén, Joel; Sailer, Uta & Dickson, Suzanne L. (2020). Ghrelin Induces Place Preference for Social Interaction in the Larger Peer of a Male Rat Pair. Neuroscience. ISSN 0306-4522. 447(1), p. 148–154. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.01.027. Full text in Research Archive
-
Bessler, Ria; Bendas, Johanna; Sailer, Uta & Croy, Ilona (2019). The “Longing for Interpersonal Touch Picture Questionnaire”: Development of a new measurement for touch perception. International Journal of Psychology (IJP). ISSN 0020-7594. doi: 10.1002/ijop.12616. Full text in Research Archive
-
Strauss, Timmy; Rottstädt, Fabian; Sailer, Uta; Schellong, Julia; Hamilton, J. Paul & Raue, Claudia [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2019). Touch aversion in patients with interpersonal traumatization. Depression and Anxiety. ISSN 1091-4269. 36(7), p. 635–646. doi: 10.1002/da.22914. Full text in Research Archive
-
Ree, Anbjørn; Morrison, India; Olausson, Håkan; Sailer, Uta; Heilig, Markus & Mayo, Leah M (2019). Using Facial Electromyography to Assess Facial Muscle Reactions to Experienced and Observed Affective Touch in Humans. Journal of Visualized Experiments. ISSN 1940-087X. 145. doi: 10.3791/59228. Full text in Research Archive
-
Triscoli, Chantal; Croy, Ilona & Sailer, Uta (2019). Depression predicts interpersonal problems partially through the attitude towards social touch. Journal of Affective Disorders. ISSN 0165-0327. 246, p. 234–240. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.12.054. Full text in Research Archive
-
Ree, Anbjørn; Mayo, Leah M; Leknes, Siri & Sailer, Uta (2018). Touch targeting C-tactile afferent fibers has a unique physiological pattern: A combined electrodermal and facial electromyography study . Biological Psychology. ISSN 0301-0511. 140, p. 55–63. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2018.11.006.
-
Rosenberger, Lisa Anna; Ree, Anbjørn; Eisenegger, Christoph & Sailer, Uta (2018). Slow touch targeting CT-fibres does not increase prosocial behaviour in economic laboratory tasks. Scientific Reports. ISSN 2045-2322. 8(1). doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-25601-7. Full text in Research Archive
-
Sailer, Uta & Ackerley, Rochelle (2017). Exposure shapes the perception of affective touch. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. ISSN 1878-9293. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.07.008.
-
Triscoli, Chantal; Croy, Ilona; Steudte-Schmiedgen, Susann; Olausson, Håkan & Sailer, Uta (2017). Heart rate variability is enhanced by long-lasting pleasant touch at CT-optimized velocity. Biological Psychology. ISSN 0301-0511. 128, p. 71–81. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.07.007.
-
Triscoli, Chantal; Croy, Ilona; Olausson, Håkan & Sailer, Uta (2017). Touch between romantic partners: Being stroked is more pleasant than stroking and decelerates heart rate. Physiology and Behavior. ISSN 0031-9384. 177, p. 169–175. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.05.006.
-
Kogler, Lydia; Sailer, Uta; Derntl, Birgit & Pfabigan, Daniela (2017). Processing expected and unexpected uncertainty is modulated by fearless-dominance personality traits - An exploratory ERP study on feedback processing. Physiology and Behavior. ISSN 0031-9384. 168, p. 74–83. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.10.016.
-
Sailer, Uta; Triscoli, Chantal; Häggblad, Gisela; Hamilton, Paul; Olausson, Håkan & Croy, Ilona (2016). Temporal dynamics of brain activation during 40 minutes of pleasant touch. NeuroImage. ISSN 1053-8119. 139, p. 360–367. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.06.031.
-
Pfabigan, Daniela M.; Ree, Anbjørn & Sailer, Uta (2021). Being hungry decreases the pleasantness of touch.
Published Apr. 13, 2016 1:18 PM
- Last modified Nov. 30, 2021 11:45 AM