Social learning: People adapt their learning strategies dynamically
Those who skillfully alternate between their own learning and observing others achieve the greatest learning success. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team involving the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. Using the popular video game Minecraft, the researchers investigated how people combine personal and social information during a virtual foraging task.
Verbal fluency in old age is an indicator of higher life expectancy
Older people who can easily list animals or different words beginning with the same letter are more likely to live longer. In a new analysis of the Berlin Aging Study an apparently simple task proves to be a particularly predictive measure of life expectancy in old age.
This is us: Muna Aikins
How does racism experienced in childhood affect our health across a lifetime? Muna Aikins from the MPRG Biosocial is investigating this question.
In this interview, she explains how early experiences of racism leave lasting marks on both physical and mental health.
As the lead researcher of the Afrozensus research project, she helped deliver the first comprehensive survey capturing the experiences of Black people in Germany.
Virtual nature videos help relieve physical pain
Experiencing nature can relieve acute physical pain - even without actually being in nature. Just watching virtual nature videos can have this effect, as an international research team led by the University of Vienna and involving the Max Planck Institute for Human Development has discovered. These findings, published in Nature Communications, underscore the potential of nature-based therapies as complementary approaches to pain management.
How Brains, Peers, and Environments Fuel Risky Behaviors in Teens – New episode of the Unraveling Behavior podcast featuring Simon Ciranka
Our science podcast Unraveling Behavior delves into the world of human judgment and decision making, exploring how people make decisions, how they handle risk, and how our surroundings shape our behavior.
How do people feel about AI replacing human jobs?
Fears about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace vary substantially across occupations and countries, researchers led by the MPIB have found in a representative study. They examined public attitudes in 20 countries toward AI in six occupations, including doctors, judges, and journalists. The findings, published in American Psychologist, can help anticipate how new AI developments will be received in different nations, and address fears in a principled yet culturally sensitive manner.
Graduate program with a future: IMPRS LIFE to be established permanently
The Max Planck Society has approved the continuation of the LIFE doctoral program. From January 1, 2026, the program will be established permanently at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and continue under the new name "International Max Planck Research School on Learning, Institutions, and Future Evolution (LIFE)".
Educated but easily fooled? Who falls for misinformation and why
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development have identified who is most susceptible to online misinformation and why. Their meta-analysis reveals surprising patterns on how demographic and psychological factors affect people’s ability to assess the accuracy of information. The work, published in the journal PNAS, provides important information for theory building and designing interventions.
Debate on the possible amendment of the Transplantation Act
On January 29, the Health Committee of the German Bundestag met to discuss a possible amendment to the Transplantation Act that would introduce an opt-out system, where all adults are presumed organ donors unless they explicitly withdraw their consent. During the debate, Ralph Hertwig, Director of Center for Adaptive Rationality at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, was invited to provide expert testimony.
Strengthening democratic resilience
Democracies worldwide are under pressure and increasingly at risk of sliding into autocracy. But democratic structures often prove resilient: protective mechanisms and the engagement of civil society prevent them from ultimately failing. Researchers from the University of Potsdam, the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the University of Bristol have used historical examples to examine how such crises arise and how they could be averted.
The evidence is piling up: Digital media threatens democracy
Digital media are increasingly shaping the political landscape worldwide. A new replication study takes a closer look at earlier research on the influence of digital media on democracy and confirms worrying developments. Although digital media offer opportunities for political participation and access to information, they also contribute to polarization, declining trust in institutions, and the spread of misinformation.
The Institute
News
News
Those who skillfully alternate between their own learning and observing others achieve the greatest learning success ...
Older people who can easily list animals or different words beginning with the same letter are more likely to live ...
Digital media are increasingly shaping the political landscape worldwide. A new replication study takes a closer look ...
Events
Media Echo
EVZ | Euphorie oder Angst: wie wirken Geräusche auf den Menschen?
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Max Planck Forschung | Schöne neue Netzwelt
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Der Standard | Holt Spitzenforschung aus den USA nach Europa!
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