Male person in a blue and white striped shirt standing in front of a blurred background showing geometric shapes in blue and white.

Ulman Lindenberger elected Foreign Member of the Royal Society 

Ulman Lindenberger, Director of the Center for Lifespan Psychology, has been elected to the Royal Society. The prestigious British association recognizes his conceptual, methodological, and empirical contributions to lifespan psychology

Beyond Nudging—How Boosting Empowers Citizens to Make Good Decisions – New episode of the Unraveling Behavior podcast featuring Ralph Hertwig

Beyond Nudging—How Boosting Empowers Citizens to Make Good Decisions – New episode of the Unraveling Behavior podcast featuring Ralph Hertwig

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.

 

Journalism: Online headlines shift from concise to click-worthy 

Journalism: Online headlines shift from concise to click-worthy
 

Over the past 20 years, online news headlines have become longer, more negative, and increasingly focused on click-through rates—regardless of journalistic quality. This is the conclusion reached by researchers at the MPI for Human Development, who analyzed around 40 million headlines from English-language news outlets across the last two decades. Their study has been published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

New video online: How digital public spaces can strengthen democracy

New video online: How digital public spaces can strengthen democracy

In a workshop organized by the humanet3 research group, experts from various disciplines came together to discuss the future of digital spaces. The resulting video series offers new perspectives and provides impulses for shaping these spaces in a democratic way. Featured in this episode: Thorsten Thiel, Raffaela Kunz and Chaewon Yun.

For the 25th time in Berlin: The Long Night of the Sciences on 28 June 2025

For the 25th time in Berlin: The Long Night of the Sciences on 28 June 2025

We will be opening our doors to you from 5 p.m. to midnight, offering insights behind the scenes and the opportunity to experience research first-hand with our scientists. To mark its anniversary, the LNDW has a special offer for its guests: this time, tickets cost just 5 euros and children under the age of 6 are invited free of charge.

Social learning: People adapt their learning strategies dynamically

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.

word cloud with animal names

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.

The photo shows Muna Aikins (female) smiling in front of a concrete-like wall, which is divided diagonally and painted white in the upper right half.  She is wearing a long-sleeved black sweater. She has short, brown, curly hair.

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. 

A hand with a remote control points at a television. Visible are green treetops. The image is drawn and held in bright colors: purple, green, and orange.

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.   

The image shows an AI-generated drawing. You can see a robot hand lying on a laptop keyboard. The colours are green and pink.

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 

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)".

Strengthening democratic resilience 

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 

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

Our Research
The Max Planck Institute for Human Development is dedicated to the study of human development and educational processes across the lifespan and historical time. Researchers from diverse disciplines—including psychology, sociology, history, computer and information science, medicine, mathematics, and economics—work together on interdisciplinary projects. An overview of all research centers and groups can be found here.
 
Our Staff
Are you looking for a specific contact? Some 350 people from over 30 countries work at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. The institute comprises four research centers, six Research Groups, one Lise Meitner Research Group, and several service departments. The contact details of all staff members are listed here.

 
Participate in a Study
The Max Planck Institute for Human Development is always looking for men, women, and children of various ages who are interested in taking part in psychological studies. Here you can find out which projects are currently looking for participants and learn about the conditions for participation. If you have any questions on a specific study, please contact the person indicated. If you would like to participate in a study, please register by completing our contact form.
 

Current Research Results


Verfassungsgefühle. Die Deutschen und ihre Staatsgrundgesetze
Cover From Animal Models to Human Individuality: Integrative Approaches to the Study of Brain Plasticity
Environmental Neuroscience
The picture is predominantly in red. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan can be seen in side profile. A dark column runs through the center of the picture. The title of the book is in the center. A person looking up and bright lights can be seen in the background.
original
Insurgent Fandom. An Ethnography of Crowds and Unruly Sounds
The cover of Smart Management by Gerd Gigerenzer, Jochen Reb, and Shenghua Luan features a simple and modern design. The title is prominently displayed, highlighting the key theme of the book: "How Simple Heuristics Help Leaders Make Good Decisions in an Uncertain World." The overall aesthetic reflects a professional tone, suitable for a leadership and management guide, with clean lines and minimalistic colors that emphasize clarity and strategic thinking, in line with the book's focus on simplifying decision-making in complex environments.
ELGAR COMPANION TO Herbert Simon
Cover of the book
The Intelligence of Intuition
Cover of the Book The integrity of dopaminergic and noradrenergic brain regions is associated with different aspects of late-life memory performance
The title of the book is Does prefrontal connectivity during task switching help or hinder children’s performance
The title of the book is in the middle in a white box. Outside are many different adjectives in colorful letters.
In the center of the picture, an observatory on wheels can be seen, with people standing around it marveling. At the lower left edge, a speaker stands at the lectern and points into the sky.
It shows the Book Cover The Body Unburdened written by Esra Sarioglu. The upper third displays the book title and name, in the lower two thirds is a photo of a woman standing in the midst of police officers and the proud look is led away.
Cover of the book "Jahrbuch Deutsche Einheit 2022"
Grüne fahren SUV und Joggen macht unsterblich
Feeling Political.
Zur Zukunft der Demokratie
Fluid Feelings
Lost dynamics and the dynamics of loss: Longitudinal compression of brain signal variability is coupled with declines in functional integration and cognitive performance
Klick
Sex - right!
feeling different: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Federal Republic.
The long-term proficiency of early, middle, and late starters learning English as a foreign language at school
Classification in the Wild
Deliberate Ignorance: Choosing Not to Know
Mächtige Gefühle
Body, Capital, and Screens: Visual Media and the Healthy Self in the 20th Century
The politics of humiliation: A modern history.
original

News

News

Over the past 20 years, online news headlines have become longer, more negative, and increasingly focused on ...

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 ...

Events

Martin Lövdén, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Jul 15, 2025 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Room: Small Conference Room

Long Night of the Sciences 2025

Jun 28, 2025
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin

Agnieszka (Aga) Burzynska Colorado State University

Jun 11, 2025 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Room: Small Conference Room

Steven Boker, University of Virginia

Jun 4, 2025 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: Small Conference Room
Equal Opportunities
The Max Planck Institute for Human Development is committed to promoting equal opportunities for all genders. We take both organizational and personnel measures to facilitate the reconciliation of work and family life and to promote women’s careers. Our aim is to ensure a positive environment that promotes and supports excellence.
Research Schools
The MPI for Human Development provides several working opportunities for Predocs.
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