• Propaganda is one of the most destructive and polarizing phenomena in society.
  One of our recent studies illustrates how, even in peaceful Finland, a certain type of media incitement against people who have chosen not to get vaccinated against the coronavirus causes people's minds to think more negatively about the unvaccinated, leading to long-term polarization.

Extreme ingroup and outgroup perspectives counter-intuitively impact intergroup polarisation at the level of neural oscillations

Kluge & Levy 2025, Cortex

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2024.12.020

• Perspective taking is one of the most complex and advanced human abilities, and allows us, through a complex mental process of “stepping outside ourselves", to understand the world from another person’s perspective, and to grasp their thoughts, feelings, and intentions. Perspective taking is very challenging, especially when it comes to someone we dislike or even an enemy.
  One of our recent studies illustrates a creative way to take perspective between Israelis and Palestinians using VR technology:

Virtual regulation: Can immersive virtual reality be used to assist intergroup interventions? The moderating effect of political ideology

  Adler et al. 2025 Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302251324892