WarmUp for the Empathy Conference

The current pandemic is a social and empathic challenge. In the course of the Empathy Conference 2020, social neuroscience and civil society research came together. Under the leadership of Tania Singer (MPG) and Edgar Grande (WZB & FU), researchers in Berlin are shaping current empathy research in times of Corona.

Civil Society and Cohesion: Initial Findings from the Pandemic

The concept of "social cohesion" has experienced a boom not only since the Corona crisis. But what is actually meant by this term? What about cohesion in times of crisis, especially in the current Corona pandemic? And what role does civil society play as a bearer, or even as a site of negotiation, of polarisation and cohesion?

Gesine Höltmann is a doctoral candidate at the Center for Civil Society Research (WZB & Freie Universität Berlin). In the research project SolZiv "Potentials of Civil Society: Solidary Behaviour in Crisis Management", she is investigating the short- and medium-term effects of the Corona crisis on informal and organised civil society.

The CovSocial Project: Social Cohesion and Mental Health during the Covid Pandemic

The CovSocial project is dedicated to the study of emotional well-being and social cohesion during the Corona crisis. Over a period of more than one year, 3500 Berliners were regularly interviewed about various aspects of their mental well-being and social experience before and during the different phases of the lockdowns and reopenings in 2020/21.

Prof. Dr. Tania Singer is scientific director of the Social Neuroscience Research Group of the Max Planck Society in Berlin. As a social neuroscientist and psychologist, she is known worldwide for her research on human social behavior, social cohesion and cooperation, and empathy and compassion.

Dr. Sarita Silveira is a postdoctoral researcher in the Social Neuroscience Research Group. Her research focuses on the impact of life crises on psychological well-being, social experience and behavior, and their modifiability.

View the program flyer or download it as a PDF here.

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