The myth of 200 daily food decisions
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development have critically examined the basis for a frequently cited figure: that people make more than 200 unconscious decisions about food every day. This figure has circulated in scientific publications, the media, and health promotion campaigns for nearly 20 years without ever being empirically validated. An article published in the journal Appetite shows why a more nuanced view of eating behavior is needed.
Virtual forest bathing alleviates stress
A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB) and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) has demonstrated in a recent pilot study that virtual forest bathing can improve emotional well-being – especially if the virtual natural environment appeals to multiple senses, such as hearing, sight and smell, at once. The results have now been published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
How artificial intelligence is transforming psychology
Psychologist Dirk Wulff believes that artificial intelligence (AI) will not only make psychological research more efficient, but also challenge and redefine fundamental concepts. A conversation about opportunities, challenges, and the future of psychology, where AI is already proving indispensable.
Anti-Autocracy Handbook released
The newly released Anti-Autocracy Handbook is intended to serve as a guide for researchers dealing with democratic backsliding and the rise of authoritarianism. It is particularly aimed at scientists whose work is under threat from political interference. The Center for Adaptive Rationality at the MPI for Human Development was also involved in creating the handbook.
Sina Schwarze has been awarded the Otto Hahn Medal 2025
Sina Schwarze, postdoc at the Center for Lifespan Psychology, was awarded the Otto Hahn Medal 2025 for her dissertation in the Human Sciences Section.
In her dissertation, completed in the context of the International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (LIFE), she explored how and why cognitive flexibility changes during childhood.
Human–AI collectives make the most accurate medical diagnoses
Artificial intelligence (AI) can effectively support doctors in making diagnoses. It makes different mistakes than humans—and this complementarity represents a previously untapped strength. An international team led by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development has now systematically demonstrated for the first time that combining human expertise with AI models leads to the most accurate open-ended diagnoses.
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
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.
New videos 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 the next episodes: Catalin Goanta, Gérman Johannsen and Clara Iglesias Keller.
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.
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.
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Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development have critically examined the basis for a frequently ...
A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB) and the University Medical Center ...
Artificial intelligence (AI) can effectively support doctors in making diagnoses. It makes different mistakes than ...
Events
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