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Our Work Politics and Public Policy

Is the world as in(equal) as we believe? 

Is inequality as high/low as you believe it to be? Are your perceptions biased in any way? Do you think your beliefs are based on real data or broad assumptions you formed? Actual levels of inequality and citizens’ (mis)perceptions of those levels often differ significantly. Individuals’ estimates are consistently much lower than the actual level […]

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Our Work

From Activism to Slacktivism: How Social Media Affected Support for Social Causes

Recently, the so-called “social justice” slideshows and images have dominated our instagram feeds and stories. It seems as if adding a filter to profile pictures or sharing a ten slide powerpoint on a story is our generation’s response to every social injustice or political issue happening in the world. Online petitions, filters on social media, […]

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Everyday Life Our Work

Why do people procrastinate?

Etymologically, “procrastination” is derived from the Latin verb procrastinare — to put off until tomorrow. But it is more than just voluntarily delaying. Procrastination also comes from the ancient Greek word akrasia, which means doing something against our better judgment.  To understand what causes procrastination (outside of conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, where executive functioning […]

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Politics and Public Policy

Risk perception and risk regulation: the public and the experts 

Governments have always had a critical role in managing the chances of adverse outcomes on behalf of the public, relying on regulation to protect citizens from social, environmental, and economic risks.  Being risk analysis a political as well as a scientific enterprise, the public perception of risk greatly affects risk management and assessment by public […]

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Technology and Algorithms

AI is not the answer to biased hiring 

In recent years AI has become one of the most powerful tools in data analysis. It is being used in more and more areas of life, thanks to its ability to analyse massive amounts of data and recognise patterns in them that would be impossible to notice for humans. However, it is starting to show […]

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Everyday Life Our Work

Nutrition misinformation: the truth behind what we eat

How many times have you wished to find a diet which could allow you to lose weight without any effort required? People are often driven by the false hope that they can easily achieve maximum results with minimum effort. Nutrition misinformation is based on this common belief and on the easiness with which individuals are persuaded by fake news, misleading advertisements and […]

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Everyday Life Politics and Public Policy

Misperception of Social Norms given out by the market-based logic

One of the most pivotal changes that unfolded during the past three decades was the reach of markets and market values into spheres of life traditionally held sway over by nonmarket norms. Healthcare, education, public safety, and environmental protection are some examples of the sectors where the use of market logic was for the most […]

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Everyday Life

Music and the brain: a biased symphony

Music is a fundamental part of our every-day life. We either listen to it actively while walking, studying, relaxing, attending concerts and operas, or passively, being exposed to background music in bars, restaurants, waiting rooms and many other places. There exists a large amount of literature investigating music and its effects on our emotions and […]

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Everyday Life

A Guide to Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand someone else’s feelings and view a situation from their standpoint.   Types of empathy include cognitive empathy, emotional or affective empathy, and compassionate empathy. The first relates to understanding how a person feels and why they feel this way. The second refers to the ability to feel someone else’s emotions. […]

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Irrational Investments and Behavioural Finance

“Buy on rumors, sell on news”

Rumours run the market Every day we hear or read about companies being interested in buying other companies or announcing stock splits. These rumours are usually considered positively by investors and stocks rally. In the same fashion, when bad rumours spread, for example about earnings announcement below expectations, stock prices usually take a big hit. […]