Johannes Pohl

Johannes Pohl is a researcher at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, affiliated with the Faculty of Philosophy I and the Department of Clinical Psychology. Since October 2017, he has focused on environmental psychology, particularly the stress effects of wind turbines and social acceptance of renewable energy. His work spans interdisciplinary collaborations with institutions like the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Bielefeld.

• Education:
  • Dr. phil. in Psychology (1993, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg)
  • Diploma in Psychology (1985, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf)

Pohl's research explores:

• Environmental stressors from wind turbines (noise, shadow flicker, obstruction lighting)
• Biopsychology of stress hormones, emotions, and interoception
• Neuropsychological diagnostics in schizophrenia and depression
• Religiosity and spirituality in health contexts
• Renewable energy acceptance across cultural and geographic boundaries

His recent publications focus on community responses to wind turbine noise and visual pollution, employing multivariate data analysis and cross-country comparisons. He has contributed to frameworks like the Integrated Acceptance Model and evaluated interventions for noise mitigation. Pohl's work also includes pharmacopsychology studies on stress modulation and botulinum toxin therapy effectiveness in movement disorders.

Selected projects include:

• BMU-funded studies on wind turbine obstruction lighting impacts
• KfW Bank wind turbine shadow flicker analysis
• Multi-institutional TremAc project on inland wind turbine emissions
• Wind turbine noise annoyance modeling with acoustic and meteorological data
• Participatory approaches for offshore wind park planning

Pohl has extensive experience in environmental and health psychology, having led research at the University of Kiel (1992-2000) and Würzburg (1985-1991). His Health and Environmental Psychology Working Group (since 2007) integrates psychological and physiological measurements to assess renewable energy impacts.