Dr. Tania Singer

A lack of compassion is arguably the cause of humankind’s biggest failures.

Vita

Dr.Tania Singer is the Director of the Department of Social Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig since 2010.

Her research focus is on the foundations of human social behavior and the neuronal, developmental, and hormonal mechanisms underlying social cognition and emotions (e. g, empathy, compassion, and fairness).

She is recognised as a world expert on empathy and compassion.

Moreover, she investigates the psychological and neuroscientific effects of compassion and meditation training, and other mental training techniques, having published her research work in many renowned journals (e.g., Science, Nature).

World Economics

Tania also examines how biology and psychology can inform economic decision-making in addressing global problems also by presenting her ideas of a caring economics at the World Economic Forum or the Global Economic Symposium.

Mind and Life Institute

In her function of Board Member of the Mind and Life Institute (situated in Hadley, USA) she has curated the Mind and Life Institute Conferences “Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems” in Zurich, 2010, and  the Power and Care Conference, Brussles 2016 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She is currently also a Member in the Mind and Life Europe Committee.

The world’s leading scientists, contemplative scholars, and healthcare, educational and management practitioners are working on creating an open and interdisciplinary dialogue between modern sciences and contemplative practices and share our findings with the world.

https://www.mindandlife-europe.org

The ReSource-Project

The ReSource Project is a unique, large-scale study on Eastern and Western methods of mental training. Over a period of eleven months, participants practiced a wide range of mental exercises that are designed to enhance attentional control, body- and self-awareness, healthy emotion regulation, self-care, compassion, empathy, and perspective taking. Overall, the aim of the training is to improve mental health and social skills. It may reduce stress, improve mental clarity, increase life satisfaction, and lead to a better understanding of others’ views, values and actions.

The ReSource Project is a secular program developed by a team of experienced meditation teachers, scientists, and psychotherapists. It was conducted from 2012-2016 in Leipzig and Berlin as part of a research project of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences.

The Principal Investigator of the project is Prof. Dr. Tania Singer, Director of the Social Neuroscience Department at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig. The project is supported by funds from the European Research Council and the Max Planck Society.

https://www.resource-project.org/en/

Improving qualities like compassion could be a key for happiness and could be more important in a globalized world than pursuit of power.