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People on the ice with backpacks and ice drills.

What ice-fishing competitions reveal about human decision-making

An international team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the Cluster of Excellence “Science of Intelligence” at TU Berlin and the University Eastern Finland in Joensuu has carried out an unusual study in the frozen landscapes of Finland. The researchers used ice-fishing competitions as a natural setting to investigate human foraging behavior. The results of the study have been published in Science.

Ralph Hertwig in front of a black background

ZEIT-Podcast „Nur eine Frage“ with Ralph Hertwig – Is the internet destroying democracy?

In the latest episode of the german podcast “Nur eine Frage” (Just a question), psychologist Ralph Hertwig, director of the Center for Adaptive Rationality, answers questions from ZEIT editor-in-chief Jochen Wegner.

This picture shows the launch of the mobile MRI of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.

Max Planck Institute for Human Development celebrates new mobile MRI

The Max Planck Institute for Human Development’s new mobile MRI scanner brings state-of-the-art imaging directly to the field—without compromising data quality. The highly sensitive 1.5 Tesla enables researchers to study environmental influences on the brain in real conditions; trips into nature and to rural and remote regions are planned.

Our Institute in the media

Here you can find links to selected articles, radio- and TV reports about the activities of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in 2025.

Join our research – become part of our studies

The Max Planck Institute for Human Development is always looking for adults and children of all ages, who would like to take part in studies.

About our Institute

Get to know us – our Research Center and Groups, our service structure, and what drives us in our scientific work.

Newsroom

Green radio with antenna and loudspeaker.

Deutschlandfunk – Gletscherseen / Eisfischen / Langlebigkeit

January 30, 2026

During ice fishing competitions in eastern Finland, an international research team investigated real-life foraging strategies in a large-scale field experiment.

What ice-fishing competitions reveal about human decision-making

January 29, 2026

ARC News

International research team conducts large-scale field experiment in Finland

Drawing of a green radio with a loudspeaker, antenna and two buttons on a blue background.

Die Zeit – Zerstört das Internet die Demokratie, Ralph Hertwig?

January 28, 2026

ARC Media Media Echo Media Echo Landing Page Misinformation

In the ZEIT podcast ‘Nur eine Frage’ (Just one question), Ralph Hertwig, Director of the Center of Adaptive Rationality, discusses the various effects of digital media on democratic societies.

Blue hair, futuristic outfit with transparent and yellow accents.

Helena Nikonole joins Artist & AI Residency

January 22, 2026

CHM News

Artist Helena Nikonole will participate in the Artist & AI Residency at the Center for Humans and Machines (CHM) from January to March 2026. Her work explores utopian visions of post-human futures and critical reflections on the dystopian present.

Four elderly people are sitting on a park bench.

Treasure trove of data on aging accessible

January 12, 2026

Ageing LIP News

The data of the Berlin Aging Study (BASE) are now available to researchers worldwide at the Research Data Center of the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID)

This picture shows the mobile MRI of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.

On the move: MRI goes mobile

CEN News

Max Planck Institute for Human Development celebrates new mobile MRI

Latest Publications

Journal Article

Daugherty, A. M., Carr, V., Canada, K. L., Rådman, G., Brown, T., Augustinack, J., Amunts, K., Bakker, A., Berron, D., Burggren, A., Chetelat, G., de Flores, R., Ding, S.-L., Huang, Y., Johnson, E., Kanel, P., Keresztes, A., Kedo, O., Kennedy, K. M., Lee, J., Malykhin, N., Martinez, A., Mueller, S., Mulligan, E., Ofen, N., Palombo, D., Pasquini, L., Pluta, J., Raz, N., Riggins, T., Rodrigue, K. M., Saifullah, S., Schlichting, M. L., Stark, C., Wang, L., Yushkevich, P., La Joie, R., Wisse, L., Olsen, R., Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, & Hippocampal Subfields Group. (2026). Harmonized protocol for subfield segmentation in the hippocampal body on high-resolution in vivo MRI from the Hippocampal Subfields Group (HSG). Hippocampus, 36(2), Article e70073. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.70073

MPG.PuRe

DOI

publisher-version

supplementary-material

Journal Article

Klimesch, A., Ascone, L., Thomalla, G., Cheng, B., Petersen, M., Schäfer, I., Gallinat, J., & Kühn, S. (2026). Echoes of childhood trauma: The relationship between adverse childhood experiences, brain structure, and mental health in aging adults. Translational Psychiatry, 16, Article 52. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-03811-2

MPG.PuRe

DOI

publisher-version

Journal Article

Ma, I., Sultan, M., Kozyreva, A., & van den Bos, W. (2026). Understanding the impact of misinformation on adolescents. Nature Human Behaviour, 10(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-025-02338-8

MPG.PuRe

DOI

Latest Events

Exhibition by Elise Garnaut | Concentric Circles in Nature

Nov 20, 2025 06:00 PM (Local Time Germany) - Feb 18, 2026 06:00 PM

Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: 1. OG, ARC corridor

Helena Nikonole | POWER VECTORS – Ideology embeddings of LLMs

Jan 22, 2026 08:00 PM (Local Time Germany) - Feb 27, 2026 06:30 PM

Art Laboratory Berlin Prinzenallee 34, 13359 Berlin

Exhibition by Peter Weitzner | Schritte ins Unbekannte (steps into the unknown)

Feb 6, 2026 06:00 PM (Local Time Germany) - Apr 10, 2026 06:00 PM

Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: Foyer

LIP External Colloquium:Stefan Krohn, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin - "Fractal analysis of brain shape formation predicts age and genetic similarity in human newborns"

Stefan Krohn, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

Feb 18, 2026 01:00 PM - 02:30 PM (Local Time Germany)

Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: Small Conference Room

LIP External Colloquium: Dave Clewett, University of California, Los Angeles, USA - "Title TBA"

Dave Clewett, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

May 20, 2026 01:00 PM (Local Time Germany)

Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Room: 299

Further Publications

Further Events

Current Research Results

Cover of the book "Krebs fühlen. Eine Emotionsgeschichte des 20. Jahrhunderts"

Cover of the book "Die Politik der Demütigung"

Cover of the book "Deliberate Ignorance"

Cover of the book "Classification in the wild"

Cover of the book " The long-term proficiency of early, middle, and late starters learning English als a foreign language at school: A narrative review and empirical stud"

Cover of the book "Klick. Wie wir in einer digitalen Welt die Kontrolle behalten und die richtigen Entscheidungen treffen"

Cover of the book "Lost dynamics and the dynamics of loss"

Cover of the book "Zur Zukunft der Demokratie"

Cover of the book "Grüne Fahren SUV und Joggen macht unsterblich"

Cover of the book "Jahrbuch Deutsche Einheit 2022"

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.

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.

The title of the book is in the middle in a white box. Outside are many different adjectives in colorful letters.

The title of the book is Does prefrontal connectivity during task switching help or hinder children’s performance

Cover of the Book The integrity of dopaminergic and noradrenergic brain regions is associated with different aspects of late-life memory performance

Cover of the book "The Intelligence of Intuition"

Cover of the book "Elgar Companion to Herbert Simon"

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.

Cover of the book "Geschichte und Gesellschaft. Zeitschrift für Historische Sozialwissenschaften"

Cover of the book "Environmental Neuroscience"

The image shows the dummy from the cover From Animal Models to Human Individuality: Integrative Approaches to the Study of Brain Plasticity

Cover of the book "Verfassungsgefühle. Die Deutschen und ihre Staatsgrundgesetze"

Current Job Openings

We are looking for qualified and motivated professionals to join our Research Center and Services. Here you can find all open positions along with details about responsibilities and requirements.

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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 Max Planck Institute for Human Development provides many opportunities for predocs. Among others, the two International Max Planck Research Schools at the Institute as well as the Max Planck School of Cognition provide an excellent training context.