معرفی
Karin Weman is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Health and Welfare at Halmstad University, Sweden. She specializes in exercise psychology, motivation, and e-health, with a particular focus on applying self-determination theory to understand and promote sustainable physical activity behaviors. Her work bridges psychology, digital technology, and health promotion, with significant contributions to both academic research and practical applications in healthcare and community settings.
Weman earned her PhD in Psychology specializing in sport and exercise from the University of Gothenburg. Her dissertation, "You don't have to love it - Exploring the mechanisms of exercise motivation using self-determination theory in a digital context" (2016), laid the foundation for her ongoing research. She has worked at Halmstad University since 2007, where she has developed courses in exercise psychology and written educational materials.
Weman's primary research interest centers on understanding the psychological mechanisms behind exercise motivation, particularly through the lens of self-determination theory. She investigates how digital tools can support autonomous motivation for physical activity, examining factors like psychological need satisfaction, motivational regulations, and how these relate to exercise behavior. Her work often takes a person-centered approach, recognizing individual differences in motivation patterns. She has made significant contributions to understanding how gender and age moderate the relationships between motivation and behavior, and how digital interventions can be designed to support sustainable exercise habits.
Her research has evolved through several major projects. The GoDIS project (Digital Innovations in self-determined exercise motivation) developed and tested a digital prototype based on self-determination theory, showing positive effects on motivation to exercise, need satisfaction, and exercise quantity and intensity. The follow-up project, GoFaR, integrates AI systems to further improve personalized digital tools for motivation to physical activity and health. Weman has also established the WemanMotivation brand, registered with the Swedish Patent and Registration Office, to create evidence-based quality assurance methods for health promotion.
Weman has received recognition for her collaborative work, particularly in interdisciplinary research that bridges psychology, information technology, interaction design, and innovation science. She has worked with various partners including Health Profile Institute, Kairos Future, SportCompetence, and Västra Götalandsregionen.
Weman has been active in public discourse, contributing to Swedish debates on Corona strategy and providing practical motivation tips for sustainable exercise habits. She has given public lectures, participated in radio interviews, and created educational content including a YouTube video "5 tips för hållbar motivation till motion" (5 tips for sustainable motivation to exercise).
She leads an active research group including Magnus Lindwall (Professor of Psychology), Mark B. Andersen (Professor of Psychology), Esbjörn Ebbesson (PhD in Interaction Design), Jesper Lund (PhD in Interaction Design), and Fawzi Halila (Associate Professor in Project Management), among others.
