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.
Boosting decision-making skills
In the face of growing global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and threats to democratic values, traditional behavioral policy approaches are increasingly coming into question. In response, boosts are gaining importance. These interventions are designed to enhance individuals' decision-making and self-control skills, as scientists from the MPIB explain in the Annual Review of Psychology.
How people make life's biggest decisions
Some decisions in life are so significant that they have a massive impact on the course of a person's future. Whether it's the decision to emigrate, quit a job, end a long-term relationship, or report a sexual assault, these choices are transformative. They shape personal identities and life trajectories in unpredictable and often irreversible ways. A new conceptual paper by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development offers a framework for understanding and studying these life-changing decisions.
This is us: Hannes Diemerling
Hannes Diemerling is a predoctoral fellow at the International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (IMPRS LIFE) and works in the Center for Lifespan Psychology.
His research focuses on machine emotion recognition. He is developing software that can analyze emotions in audio and video recordings. In our "This is us" format, colleagues share insights into their work and motivation.
Organ donation: Opt-out defaults do not increase donation rates
A recent study by the MPI for Human Development, in collaboration with the MSB Medical School Berlin and the Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, shows that switching to an opt-out organ donation policy, where all adults are presumed organ donors unless they explicitly opt out, does not increase donations from deceased donors. The results of the study have been published in the journal Public Health.
Empowering Individuals: A Comprehensive Toolbox for Combating Online Misinformation
How can we protect ourselves from online misinformation? A toolbox offers nine evidence-based strategies—ranging from warning and fact-checking labels to media literacy techniques—to help users identify and counter false information. Developed through a collaborative effort by researchers from 25 institutions and universities, this open-access resource is crafted for a broad audience.
New Publication: Ute Frevert, Verfassungsgefühle. Die Deutschen und ihre Staatsgrundgesetze. Göttingen: Wallstein 2024.
75 years after its adoption, Germany’s Basic Law is more popular than ever. But how did these feelings come to be, and what is their power to bind us?
Simone Kühn: A Pioneering Spirit is Important
As of July 2024, Simone Kühn leads the newly founded Center for Environmental Neuroscience. Her goal: to understand how our physical environment influences the brain and mental health. In this interview, she talks about why her research is so relevant in the face of climate change and urbanization, the innovative methods she uses – such as mobile MRI and twin studies – and why it takes a pioneering spirit to delve into this still largely unexplored field. With YouTube video.
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.
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Experiencing nature can relieve acute physical pain - even without actually being in nature. Just watching virtual ...
Fears about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace vary substantially across occupations and ...
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