News | Research Group of Social Neurosciences

MeTAzeit Podcast

March 8, 2024 - In this podcast with Tina Schultze-Fulton, Tania Singer reports on her research findings, the effects of meditation and we learn that different mediations have different effects on our brain. (German only) more

On Dyads and Mental Practices

August 2023 - This documentation with comments by Maria Kluge, Tania Singer, Gert Scobel, Dirk Bräuninger und Mike Sandbothe shows how the combination of mental practices (mindfulness, dyads and social presencing theater) affects mental well being. (German only) more

Essay for Mind and Life Institute Series “Insights”

January 12, 2024 - Contemplative dyads training the mind and deepening our connection through relational practices. more

The Mindfulness Podcast

December 12, 2023 - In this podcast Tania Singer and David Black talk about the CovSocial project and specifically explore results comparing mindfulness training against a dyad interventions regarding thought and affect patterns. more

World’s Meeting of Values

October 27, 2023 - Tania Singer presents a keynote and workshop at the Worlds Meeting of Values in Monterrey, Mexico. (Spanish) more

Talk at Entrepreneur Summit 2023

October 21, 2023 - In her keynote at the Entrepreneur Summit in Berlin, Tania Singer talks about how increasing empathy and compassion enhance the workplace environment. more

Interview in the ZDF Morning Show

October 19, 2023 - In this Interview Tania Singer talks about strategies how to cope with current negative news and pictures. (German only) more

Interview in zeit online

October 17, 2023 - In this interview Tania Sinegr talks about the differences in consuming terrible news and which stategies are helpful to cope with them. (German only)

Podcast Let‘s Staat

August 11, 2023 - In this podcast, Tania Singer and Dorit Bosch talk about how empathy and changing perspectives are existential skills for sustaining democracy. (German only) more

rebelPodcast

July 19, 2023 - In this Podcast Tania Singer and Jonas Höhn talk about how increasing empathy and compassion may change the workplace environment for the better. (German only) more

Scobel - The dark side of empathy

May 11, 2023 - In the TV series Scobel, Gert Scobel, Hartmut Rosa and Tania Singer talk about empathy, compassion and resonance and how they can be strengthend. (German only) more

Research.com Scientist’s Ranking

May 10, 2023 - According to the renowned science platform Research.com, Tania Singer is ranked 38th in Germany in the field of psychology in 2023. The ranking only includes prominent scientists and is based on international citation indices that refer to the influence of their research publications. more

Interview Global Compassion Coalition

May 03, 2023 - Tania Singer talks about what her research into the cultivation of compassion has taught her and how we can use it to build a world that's based on compassion. more

Creating a Compassionate World Interview Series

March 13, 2023 - In this Interview with Paul Gilbert, Tania Singer talks about her research on compassion. more

Article in moment by moment

March 10, 2023 - Tania Singer reports on the latest findings from dyad research.

Global Joy Summit with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

November 17, 2022 - Tania Singer together with Richard Davidson took part in the Special Session Discussion on Altruism as a Source of Inner Strength as part of the Global Joy Summit, Nov. 13 – 16. more

TUP Special Issue 2022

September 14, 2022 - In the current TUP special issue of AWO, in her article Hannah Matthäus suggests ways out of the loneliness pandemic. more

Interview with IMD

August 03, 2022 - In an IMD interview Tania Singer talks about compassionate leadership. more

Talk at CCARE Lab in Stanford

May 25, 2022 - As part of the Meng-Wu Lecture Series Tania Singer talks about the Neuroscience of Motivation, Care and Compassion. more

Interview and report in rbb Praxis

May 25, 2022 - The special edition of the programme rbb Praxis by Angelika Wörthmüller contains an interview with Tania Singer on the topic of how positive emotions make us healthier. (German) more

Workshop at the International Boston Trauma Conference

May 18, 2022 - Tania Singer and Ron Siegel present a joint workshop focussing on the topic: From Empathic Distress to Compassion: Building Resilience in the Face of Trauma. more

Research.com Scientist Ranking

May 06, 2022 - According to the prominent academic science platform Research.com, Tania Singer has been ranked in 2022 among the top 1000 Scientists worldwide and top 30 in Germany in the area of Psychology. The ranking includes only prominet scientists and is based on international citations indices refering to the impact of her research publications. more

Interview for tk aktuell

April 27, 2022 - In this interview with Wiebke Knoche for tk aktuell, Tania Singer talks about the difference between empathy and compassion and their trainability. (German only) more

Two CovSocial Publications

April 20, 2022 - The Berlin University Alliance reports on two new publications within the CovSocial project. (German only) more

Interview in taz

April 02, 2022 - In this interview with Antje Lang-Lendorff from taz Tania Singer talks about limits and chances of empathy. (German only) more

Interview in tip Berlin

March 30, 2022 - In an interview with Erik Heier of tip Berlin, Tania Singer talks about the CovSocial project and the impact of pandemic lockdowns on the mental health of Berlin's population. (German) more

Podcast World of Wisdom

March 24, 2022 - In the Podcast World of Wisdom Tania Singer and Amit Paul talk about Neuroscience, Caring Economics and the Brain Plasticity of Human beings. more

BBC Interview

March 22, 2022 - In this interview featured by the BBC, Tania Singer talks about the difference between empathy and compassion. more

Interview at LAS

March 14, 2022 - Tania Singer in conversation with Gesine Bocherd as part of the LAS exhibition of Robert Irwin Light and Space. (German only) more

Interview Pioneers of Change Summit

March 14, 2022 - As part of the Pioneers of Change Summit, Tania Singer talks in an interview with Hemma Rueggen about the increasing loneliness among young people and the need to strengthen caring and love as a motivation for action on the big issues of our time. (German only) more

Interview in FURIOS, the campus magazine of the Free University Berlin

February 15, 2022 - In an Interview with Elisa Starck, Tania Singer talks about the CovSocial project and how the Berliners' state of mind changed from Lockdown to Lockdown. (German only) more

Interview for radioeins

February 12, 2022 - Tania Singer reports in a live interview with Stephan Karkowsky at the radioeins scientific magazine on the current results of the CovSocial project. (German only) more

Interview in ZDF heute

February 04, 2022 - In an interview by Susanne Gindorf-Litz for ZDF heute Tania Singer talks abour the Covsocial project and the effects of the lockdowns on mental health. (German only) more

Interview in rbb Abendschau

February 02, 2022 - Tania Singer in the studio of the rbb Abendschau talks with Sarah Oswald about the effects of the past lockdowns on the mental health of the Berlin population. (German only) more

Five Questions to Tania Singer

January 31, 2022 - In an interview by Valerie Zöllner and Barbara Abrell for Max Planck Forschung magazine, Tania Singer answers Five Questions about mental health in times of Corona and the CovSocial project. (German only) more

Report in Bonner Generalanzeiger

January 30, 2022 - A report in the Bonner Generalanzeiger by Johanna Lübke cites Tania Singer on the effects that the pandemic shows on mental health. (German only) more

Interview in ZEIT ONLINE

January 23, 2022 - In an interview with Nora Burgard-Arp from ZEIT ONLINE, Tania Singer talks about the CovSocial project and how empathic listening makes us more resilient to crises. (German only) more

Interview in moment by moment

December 08, 2021 - In this interview with Norbert Classen, Tania Singer talks about how the results of the Resource Project can be transferred into business and society. (German only)

We have moved!

December 7, 2021 - The Social Neuroscience Lab has moved into new rooms. Please be aware of our new address and phone number.

Mental health during Covid-19

November 24, 2021 - This MPG announcement reports on the CovSocial project, which examines the consequences of pandemic-related restrictions for Berlin's population. more

CovSocial feature in Berliner Morgenpost

November 22, 2021 - The Berliner Morgenpost reports on the CovSocial Project and how the pandemic situation affects mental health. (German only)

Podcast "Forschungsquartett" (Research Quartet)

November 18, 2021 - In this Podcast, Tania Singer talks about the CovSocial Project and the influences of pandemic restrictions and alleviation on mental health and social cohesion. The interview was done by Valerie Zöllner. (German) more

CovSocial Brochure Release

November 15, 2021 - Release for the first edition of the CovSocial Broshure. It summarizes initial descriptive results of the CovSocial Project focussing on mental health and social cohesion in Berlin during Covid pandemics. more

11th Empathy Conference

October 22, 2021 - Tania Singer and Sarita Silveira present on resilience and social cohesion during the 11th Empathy Conference, organized by the German American Institute (DAI), Heidelberg.

Lecture for How to Academy

October 20, 2021 - In this livestream talk, Tania Singer shares accessible, evidence-based tools to reduce stress and improve your mental health. more

Hair analysis shows: Meditation training reduces long-term stress

07 October 2021 - Mental training that promotes skills such as mindfulness, gratitude or compassion reduces the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol in hair. This is what scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and the Social Neuroscience Research Group of the Max Planck Society in Berlin have found out. more

Report in LaVie

September 30, 2021 - An article in LaVie reports on the research of Tania Singer, in which Matthieu Ricard participated. It was shown that empathy, the ability to feel the emotions of others, can also be painful. They explain how to prevent this. (French)

Article in Zeit Magazin (zeitonline)

August 18, 2021 - War, Flooding, Wirldfires: from a distance, we feel empathy. Neuroscientist Tania Singer explains how empathy develops and why we need to train it. Interview: Sara Tomšić. Image by Tim Marshall/unsplash.com (German) more

Empty Thoughts

July 23, 2021 - In an article in the online edition of Science Notes on the topic of "Nothingness," Tania Singer reports on the importance of continuous mental training in the search for silence in the mind. (German only) more

Tania Singer is awarded the "Danke-Skulptur"

July 20, 2021 - The awarding of the "Danke-Skulptur" to Tania Singer highlights the appreciation and recognition for her commitment to the community. The following link lists the worldwide reactions of the people/institutions that have already received the "Danke-Skulptur". more

Lecture at SWR Teleakademie

July 11, 2021 - Tania Singer gives a lecture on the neurobiology of empathy and compassion at the SWR Teleakademie. (German only) more

Workshop betterplace co:lab

June 09, 2021 - In a workshop for the betterplace co:lab X, Tania Singer sheds light on how empathy, compassion and a change of perspective can revolutionize our work culture. Three main bullet points are summarized in a blog. (German only) more

Mindful in May

June 01, 2021 – Tania Singer and Elise Bialylew have a conversation on the research background of Tania Singer and how mental training can improve empathy and compassion. more

Keynote Boston International Trauma Conference

May 28, 2021 - Tania Singer gives a keynote lecture at the Boston Internationa Trauma Conference and talks about the results of the ReSource project. more

New Publication with NeuroImage

May 02, 2021 - Online release of a new publication on meditation-based mental training interventions that show physical and mental health benefits.

Talk European Commission

April 27, 2021 - In a presentation invited by the European Commission, Tania Singer talks about the different impact of mental training and the results of the ReSource project. She also reports on the CovSocial project and the according research on social cohesion within the Berlin population.

Pioneers of Education

March 24, 2021 - In a dialogue moderated by Silke Weiss at the Pioneers of Education Summit 21, she talks with Tania Singer about mindfulness, compassion, and empathy in education. more

Podcast TABULARASA

March 03, 2021 - In the tabularasa podcast, Tania Singer talks about the results of the ReSource project. She also discusses the social and psychological effects that a week-long lockdown could have in times of COVID-19. The challenges and necessary measures to make digitization socially acceptable. (German only) more

Burnout in times of pandemics

January 25, 2021 - In this interview with Miray Caliskan of the Berliner Zeitung, Tania Singer suggests ways to prevent health care worker’s burnout in the pandemic. (German only) more

Podcast SWR Wissen

January 17, 2021 – This podcast is based on a recording of Tania Singer's keynote talk at the 10th Empathy Conference in December 2020. In this podcast, Tania Singer provides an overview on the difference between compassion and empathy and the important role of compassion in economics. (German only) more

Upper Story

January 19, 2021 - This movie shows three decades of collaboration between Western scientists and Buddhist scholars including interviews with and features of Tania Singer’s research. This long-term collaboration has revealed techniques that allow us to develop our mental well-being and improve the impact we have on our planet. (A German version is planned to be released in February 2021.) more

Article in anders handeln – Nächstenliebe

January 2021 – This article in the January issue of anders handeln - Nächstenliebe reports on the ReSource project and how to train compassion and other social skills. The interview with Tania Singer was conducted by Sven Rhode. (German only)

Keynote: The Neurobiology of Empathy and Compassion

December 19, 2020 - The 10th Empathy Conference of the DAI Heidelberg in the framework of Geist Heidelberg took place with the title: "Empathy under pressure? How we experience empathy in crises and conflicts". In her presentation Tania Singer talks about empathy and compassion. Can mindfulness and social skills be trained? How do empathy and compassion differ? (German) more

Participating in the CovSocial Project

November 27, 2020 - Reporter Norbert Koch-Klauke reports on the CovSocial project, which is researching how the Corona crisis affects the well-being, behavior, stress experience and social cohesion of Berlin's population. (German) more

OWP Keynote talk

November 19, 2020 - Tania Singer gives a keynote on how to reduce burnout, stress, and depression by mental training. She emphasizes how this is even more important during turbulent times and how it relates to business leaders and organizations. (English) more

Radio Interview rbb88.8

October 27, 2020 - In this interview Tania Singer talks about the CovSocial Project on experiencing stress, social cohesion and resilience during the Corona crisis. The project launched in September 2020. (German only) more

Expedition 2025

September 25, 2020 - In an article by Barbara Esser on the subject of "When values become deeds", Tania Singer's research on increasing social cohesion and resilience is mentioned. (German) more

Launch of the CovSocial research project

September 10, 2020 - A Berlin research project on experiencing stress, social cohesion and resilience during the Corona crisis in cooperation with the Charite, the Humboldt University of Berlin and the MPI for Psychiatry, funded by the Max Planck Society and the Berlin University Alliance (BUA). more

Cuba Platform Interview with john a. powell and Tania Singer (Podcast)

July 22, 2020 - In this podcast, Sarah Stephens (Cuba Platform) continues a conversation with john a. powell (Othering and Belonging Institute) and Tania Singer on othering, brain science, and pathways to belonging, compassion, and care. more

Interview in Mindful Doctor Newsletter

July 22, 2020 - Prior to the Mindful Doctor Conference (September 04-06 in Berlin, Germany) an interview with Tania Singer has been released by the Mindful Doctor Newsletter. (German) more

H.H. the Dalai Lama's legacy on science to mark his 85th birthday

July 05, 2020 - Tania Singer was interviewed by the radio station RFATibetan on the occasion of the 85th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. A compilation of her and other contributions has been published on Youtube. (Tibetan) more

Online Keynote at IMD's Orchestrating Winning Performance

June 25, 2020 - Tania Singer talks about the growing importance of mental health and what research has shown how mental training can help increase resilience and cooperation in teams. more

Successful Fund Raising

May, 08th 2020 - Tania Singer and Mazda Adli from the Charite Berlin together with a consortium of five other Professors Christine Heim (Charité), Sonja Entringer (Charité), Elisabeth Binder (MPI), Felix Balnkenburg (FU) und Manuel Völkle (HU) have successfully raised funds in the CoVid-19 Pandemic Special Call for Proposals of the Berlin University Alliance (BUA). More details and news on the “CovSocial” project will follow shortly.

Interview with Ilios Kotsou

April, 14th 2020 - Tania Singer was interviewed by Ilios Kotsou from Emergence about the relevance of compassion and care in times of Covid-19 pandemics and how to apply her findings to help healthcare workers with everyday workplace challenges. (French) more

Understanding Empathy and Compassion

March, 11th 2020 - Tania Singer and Edwin Rutsch discuss on the benefits in people empathically listening to each other. more

TOP 100 Paper in Scientific Reports 2019

March, 11th 2020 - The research article Voluntary upregulation of heart rate variability through biofeedback is improved by mental contemplative training is placed as one of the top 100 downloaded neuroscience papers for Scientific Reports in 2019. more

The brain has two systems for thinking about others’ thoughts

March, 9th 2020 - In order to understand what another person thinks and how he or she will behave we must take someone else’s perspective. This ability is referred to as Theory of Mind. Until recently, researchers were at odds concerning the age at which children are able to do such perspective taking. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University College London, and the Social Neuroscience Lab Berlin shed new light on this question. Only 4-year-olds seem to be able to understand what others think. more

A courageous leadership team needs an awakened organizational heart

March 4th 2020 - Ahead of her keynote address at IMD’s LIVE-Orchestrating Winning Performance (online) on 25 June 2020 in Lausanne, neuroscientist Tania Singer outlines some of her research insights on building resilient and collaborative organizational teams. more

Podcast Sidewalk Talks

December 3rd 2019 - In this Podcast Tania Singer and Traci Ruble talk about the ReSource Project and how heart-centered listening makes us more compassionate than mindfulness alone. more

Bienestar Docente y Neurociencias

November 28th 2019 - Tania Singer presents her research on this conference hosted by the Goethe Schule in Buenos Aires, Argentina. more

Self-protection or selfishness? About the pros and cons of mindfulness practice

November 18th 2019 - In this report, broadcasted by rbbkultur (German only), Vera Block explores the question of whether the new social trend of mindfulness practice entails risks and interviews Tania Singer on her research and the ReSource Project. more

Contemplative Science Symposium

October 25th 2019 - Tania Singer presents her research at the Contemplative Science Symposium hosted by Mind and Life Europe. more

Science, Art & Meditation 2019 (SAM)

October 18th-19th 2019 - Tania Singer particpates in a panel discussion together with Thierry Janssen, Rose, Aurélie Godefroy und Frédéric Lopez. SAM 2019 took place in Strasbourg, France. more

Tania Singer presents research at the LEAD for GOOD Symposium

October 17th 2019 - The IFLP (Institut Francais du Leadership Positif) appoints executives who reinvent their leadership, accelerate their transformation and positively influence society. Theevent took place in Lyon, France. more

The Digital Table

October 14th 2019 - Online interview on the exploration of wellbeing in the digital age - over lunch. more

What is good for what? - Different forms of meditation: Mindfulness, Mindfulness and Compassion - Existential Consciousness Research Institute

May 18th 2019 - Tania Singer's interview at the Congress which took place at Akademie Heiligenfeld. (German only) more

Tania Singer in a report by Tagesspiegel online

August 29th 2019 - Tagesspiegel online reports on Tania Singers contribution at the Symposium „Online Psychotherapy – How? When? For whom?“. The symposium was hostet by the Berlin Fliedner clinic on 28. August 2019. more

Podcast of the Alfred Herrenhausen Society

August 16th 2019 - As part of this Podcast series, hosted by Lisa Rauschenberger, Tania Singer, Jamila Tressel and Alan Posener discuss whether the schoolsystem nowadays is able to face current challenges of the changing society. They further discuss possible directions of knowledge transfer that may include the communication of values such as responsibility, empathy and courage. The Podcast is available in German, only. more