Dr. Peter Zeier

Curriculum Vitae | Publications | Posters | Ad hoc Peer Reviewer | Research interests | Methods | Teaching

Curriculum Vitae

09/2021 PhD in psychology, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz; Thesis: Emotion Regulation in Detail – Investigating the Predictors of Effective Cognitive Reappraisal
09/2020 Licensed Psychotherapist for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Since 06/2020 Research assistant, Department of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Psychological Institute, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
06/2017 - 09/2021 PhD student, Department for Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology,
Psychological Institute, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz
06/2015 - 09/2020 Postgraduate Training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz
2013 - 2015 M. Sc. Psychology, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg
Master thesis: The Perils of Aiming too High: Discrepancy between Goals and Performances in People with Mild Depression
2010 - 2013 B. Sc. Psychology, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg
Bachelor thesis: Blaming the Victim’s Character: Effects of Construal Level on Trait Causality

Publications

Zeier, P., Lange, F., Rowland, Z., Wessa, M., & Wenzel, M. (2025). A glimmer of hope: Pro-environmental behavior increases positive emotions after confrontation with environmental threat. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 103, 102575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102575

Philippi, K. F. A., Zeier, P., Brahmer, A., Neuberger, E. W. I., Sandner, M., Hagenah, M., Porten, T., Lenz, R., Ochmann, D. T., Wedekink, F., Wischhusen, J., Lutz, B., Lieb, K., Wessa, M., & Simon, P. (2024). Remote Exercise Training Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26, e53145. https://doi.org/10.2196/53145

Zeier, P. & Wessa, M. (2024). Measuring eco-emotions: a German version of questionnaires on eco-guilt, ecological grief, and eco-anxiety. Discover Sustainability, 5, 29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00209-2

Zeier, P., Sandner, M., & Wessa, M. (2024). Regulating emotions with experience - The effectiveness of reappraisal inventiveness depends on situational familiarity. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 37(1), 77–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2023.2200999

Ochmann, D. T., Philippi, K. F. A, Zeier, P., et al. (2021). Association of Innate and Acquired Aerobic Capacity With Resilience in Healthy Adults: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial of an 8-Week Web-Based Physical Exercise Intervention. JMIR Research Protocols, 10(11):e29712. https://doi.org/10.2196/29712

Zeier, P., Meine, L. E., & Wessa, M. (2021). It's worth the trouble: Stressor exposure is related to increased cognitive reappraisal ability. Stress and Health, 38(3), 602-609. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.3101

Sandner, M., Zeier, P., Lois, G., & Wessa, M. (2021). Cognitive emotion regulation withstands the stress test: An fMRI study on the effect of acute stress on distraction and reappraisal. Neuropsychologia, 157, 107876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107876

Sandner, M., Lois, G., Streit, F., Zeier, P., Kirsch, P., Wüst, S. & Wessa, M. (2020). Investigating individual stress reactivity: High hair cortisol predicts lower acute stress responses. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 118, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104660

Zeier, P., Sandner, M. & Wessa, M. (2020). Script-based Reappraisal Test - Introducing a new paradigm to investigate the effect of reappraisal inventiveness on reappraisal effectiveness. Cognition & Emotion, 34(4), 793–799. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2019.1663153

Arens, E. A., Zeier, P., Schwieren, C., Huisgen, H. & Barnow, S. (2018). The perils of aiming too high: Discrepancy between goals and performance in individuals with depressive symptoms. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 58, 12-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2017.07.002

Kowoll, M. E., Meyer-Kühling, I., Degen, C., Gladis, S., Zeier, P. & Schröder, J. (2018). Elderly migrants in outpatient and inpatient care services in Baden-Württemberg/Germany. Psychiatry Research, 260, 130-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.11.059

Talks and Posters

Zeier, P., Rowland, Z., Lange, F., Wessa, M., & Wenzel, M. (2025). Vulnerabilität für ökologische Krisen: der Zusammenhang von Depressivität und generalisierten Ängsten mit Eco-Anxiety und Eco-Guilt. In 4th German Psychotherapy Congress 2025, Berlin.

Zeier, P., Rowland, Z., Lange, F., Wessa, M., & Wenzel, M. (2024). Save bumblebees, feel better? An experimental investigation of the emotion regulation potential of pro-environmental behavior. In DGPPN Congress 2024, Berlin.

Zeier, P., Rowland, Z., Lange, F., Wessa, M., & Wenzel, M. (2024). Environmental action or distraction? Investigating the emotion regulation potential of pro-environmental behavior. In 53rd DGPs Congress/15th ÖGP Conference 2024, Wien.

Zeier, P. & Wessa, M. (2024). To treat or not to treat: Associations between eco-emotions, psychological distress, and pro-environmental behavior in Germany. In 3. Deutscher Psychotherapie Kongress 2024, Berlin.

Zeier, P. & Wessa, M. (2023). Keep calm and do nothing? Effects of emotion regulation on eco-anxiety and pro environmental behavior. In International Conference on Environmental Psychology 2023, Aarhus.

Zeier, P., Philipp, K. F. A., Brahmer, A., et al. (2023). Remote exercise training during COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown increases physical and psychological resilience. In Deutscher Psychotherapie Kongress 2023, Berlin.

Zeier, P., Philipp, K. F. A., Brahmer, A., et al. (2022). Remote exercise training during COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown increases physical and psychological resilience. In Resilience Symposium 2022, Mainz.

Zeier, P., Sandner, M. & Wessa, M. (2019). Being Inventive in Uncharted Territory – Context Familiarity moderates the Influence of Reappraisal Flexibility on Effectiveness. In Conference on Emotions 2019, Tilburg.

Zeier, P., Sandner, M., & Wessa, M. (2018). Emotion Regulation in the Face of Stress – Investigating Reappraisal Inventiveness as a potential Resilience Mechanism. In ISPNE 2018, Irvine, USA.

Zeier, P., Sandner, M. & Wessa, M. (2018). Cognitive emotion regulation scripts – experimental validation of a new paradigm to investigate cognitive reappraisal. In DGPPN Kongress 2018, Berlin.

Ad hoc Peer Reviewer

  • Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
  • Biological Psychology
  • Cognition & Emotion
  • Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
  • Psychological Research
  • Zeitschrift für klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie
  • SoSci Panel

Research interests

  • Emotionregulation in the face of stress (CRC 1193)
  • Investigating the details of Cognitive Reappraisal
  • Emotionregulation and pro-environmental behavior

Methods

  • Behavioral data assessment
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
  • Development of psychological tests and questionnaires
  • Neuropsychological assessment

Teaching

Winter 2024/25 Mechanisms of mental disease (MSc)
Experimental Standard Methods in Clinical Psychology (MSc)
Project seminar (MSc)
Summer 2024 Experimental Standard Methods in Clinical Psychology (MSc)
Applied Psychotherapy - Documentation & Evaluation of Treatments (MSc)
Winter 2023/24 Experimental Standard Methods in Clinical Psychology (MSc)
Project seminar bachelor thesis (BSc)
Summer 2023 Psychotherapy Research (MSc)
Summer 2022 Experimental Standard Methods in Clinical Psychology (MSc)
Winter 2021/22 Psychotherapy Research (MSc)
Experimental Standard Methods in Clinical Psychology (MSc)
Summer 2021 Clinical Models and Psychotherapy Research (MSc)
Disease and Treatment Progressions, Risks, and Decision-making (MSc)
Winter 2020/21 Psychotherapy research (MSc)