Prof. Claus Lamm - Leveraging social neuroscience for environmental neuroscience and climate action
Lunedì 20 Ottobre 2025
Abstract: The field of social neuroscience has generated major new insights into the
neurobiological basis of social cognition, affect and behavior. We now have a better
understanding of the basic mechanisms of when, why and how people engage in prosocial
emotions and behaviors, such as empathy, compassion, or helping others in need,
respectively. Relatively little research has, however, been dedicated to investigate how social
neuroscience may be leveraged to address one of the major challenges of our time and day,
the climate crisis/emergency. In my talk, I will provide an overview of emerging studies and a
roadmap towards how neuroscience in general and social neuroscience specifically can be
beneficial to understand how the changing climate acts on our (social) brain and how
neuroscience research may contribute to a better understanding of the drivers and obstacles
of individual and collective climate action.