Virtual forest bathing alleviates stress

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.

The photo shows the portrait of Dirk Wulff in front of a gray and white wall.

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.

Cover Anti-Autocracy Handbook

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. 

The picture shows Sina Schwarze (female) standing between two men in suits with blue jackets. On the far left, there is another smiling woman in a black dress. Sina is happily holding her medal up to the camera while the man to her right presents her with her certificate. Sina is wearing a dark blue jacket with flowers on it and black trousers. Her long blonde hair falls in soft waves over her shoulders.

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.

The image shows a drawing of a female doctor and an AI (depicted as a robot) shaking hands.

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. 

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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.

 

On the picture: Catalina Goanta, Gérman Johannsen and Clara Iglesias Keller.

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.

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. 

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.  




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.
 
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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
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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
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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
Cover Anti-Autocracy-Handbook

News

News

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 ...

The Institute will be opening its doors on Saturday 28 June as part of the Long Night of Science. To mark its 25th ...

Events

Johannes Niediek, TU Berlin

Sep 10, 2025 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: Small Conference Room

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

Roberto Cabeza Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, USA

Jul 9, 2025 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: Small Conference Room

Viola Störmer, Dartmouth College, USA

Jul 2, 2025 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
Max Planck Dahlem Campus of Cognition, Dillenburger Straße 53, 14199 Berlin, Room: Open Campus Space

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Job Offers

Subject line “Postdoctoral Position on Democratic Alienation and Misinformation”
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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