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Psychology - Social Sciences - 15.06.2020

The psychology behind toilet paper hoarding
Following the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Europe and North America in March 2020, many people around the world began hoarding goods such as toilet paper. Some companies reported an increase in toilet paper sales of up to 700 percent, despite calls from governments to refrain from "panic buying". Which groups of people primarily hoarded all the toilet paper? Psychologists from the universities of St. Gallen and Münster and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig investigated this question.

Social Sciences - Environment - 11.06.2020

Protecting scientific diversity
International researchers demand the active protection and support of diversity, equity and inclusion in science In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists are facing great challenges because they have to reorient, interrupt or even cancel research and teaching.

Social Sciences - 14.10.2019

Integration of refugees: Germans in east and west show similar willingness to help
In discussions in Germany on immigrants, particularly eastern Germany is often associated with attacks on foreigners and hate crimes against refugees. Research data and surveys also indicate that prejudices against immigrants are often stronger in the east of the country than in the western half. But are these differences also reflected in small acts of everyday help? This question was looked at in detail by researchers at the University of Münster, the University of Bielefeld and the University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration and management of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Social Sciences - 14.10.2019

How Does Interracial Contact in Childhood Impact Adult Interracial Relationships?
Findings by Researchers at the University of Antwerp, the Paris School of Economics, and Freie Universität Berlin No 299/2019 from Oct 14, 2019 According to a recent study, interracial contact in childhood leads to more diverse social relationships in adulthood. In particular, racial composition in schools impacts romantic relationships later in life.

Social Sciences - 25.09.2019

Fourth DFG center for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences for Universität Hamburg
Romanization and Islamication in Late Antiquity Fourth DFG center for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences for Universität Hamburg The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) has authorized funding for a new DFG center for advanced study in the humanities and social sciences at Universität Hamburg: Romanization and Islamication in Late Antiquity-Transcultural Processes on the Iberian Peninsula and in North Africa.

Social Sciences - 24.09.2019

As of age 8, children demonstrate influence of social norms when choosing between selfishness and generosity
Prospective Students Students and Doctorate Alumni and Supporters Continuing Education Findings of international study including Freie Universität published in "Nature Human Behaviour" No 277/2019 from Sep 24, 2019 According to a recent study, children at the age of eight are influenced by social norms when choosing between selfishness and generosity.

Social Sciences - History / Archeology - 10.09.2019

9,000-Year-Old Grave with Rich Grave Goods in Jordan Yields New Insights into Early Hierarchies
Prospective Students Students and Doctorate Alumni and Supporters Continuing Education International research team led by Freie Universität publishes results of a two-year study No 263/2019 from Sep 10, 2019 An international team of researchers led by a team from Freie Universität Berlin has excavated a 9,000-year-old grave and its contents in the south of Jordan and interpreted the findings.

Career - Social Sciences - 12.06.2019

"Interdisciplinary research takes time"
It seems that new scientific institutions and research projects are all about "interdisciplinarity". Is it all hype? It is not all hype, not at all. We are increasingly encountering issues that cannot be resolved using the methods of any one discipline. As a matter of fact, interdisciplinarity was already enabling major leaps forward even before it was intentionally promoted: After the Second World War, several physicists transferred to biology in the wake of the atomic bomb shock.

Life Sciences - Social Sciences - 23.05.2019

German Research Foundation Extends Funding for Two Collaborative Research Centers at Freie Universität Berlin
Researchers study the dynamics of living together and the scaffolding of membranes No 146/2019 from May 23, 2019 The German Research Foundation (DFG) has extended the funding for two Collaborative Research Centers (CRC) at Freie Universität. One is CRC 958, where scientists study the molecular mechanisms by which dynamically organized protein-protein assemblies scaffold cellular membranes.

Social Sciences - Psychology - 21.05.2019

A refugee’s personality is a factor that decides how successful integration is
Refugees who are more willing to take risks, who tend to reciprocate friendliness, and who are more strongly convinced than others are that they are in control of their lives integrate into society faster. This is the result of a study undertaken on the basis of the "IAB-BAMF-SOEP Survey of Refugees in Germany" which researchers from the University of Münster, Saarland University and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute of Economic Research (DIW) devised.

Social Sciences - 29.04.2019

New Provenance Research Project on National Socialist Period
Art collection of a Jewish manufacturer being studied at Freie Universität Berlin No 113/2019 from Apr 29, 2019 The German Lost Art Foundation has approved a new research project at Freie Universität Berlin designed to reconstruct the art collection of the toy manufacturer, collector, and patron Abraham Adelsberger (1863-1940).

Social Sciences - Economics / Business - 23.07.2018

More than two thirds of Chinese take a positive view of social credit systems in their country
Team of scholars at Freie Universität Berlin surveyed 2,200 citizens/ Particularly high level of approval among older and better educated No 198/2018 from Jul 23, 2018 About 80 percent of Chinese internet users take a positive view of the governmental and commercial social credit systems in their country.

Social Sciences - 15.05.2017

Big Data Has Its Faults
Scientists from Freie Universität Involved in New EU Research Project on Processing Mass Data â?- 120/2017 from May 15, 2017 Scientists from the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology at Freie Universität Berlin are involved in a new project being funded by the European Union to investigate the distortions of "big data" approaches in information processing.

Social Sciences - 31.03.2017

German Research Foundation Supports New Centre for Advanced Studies at Freie Universität Berlin
Investigation of Tension between Ancient Oriental Despotism and Enlightened Democracy ‘ 066/2017 from Mar 31, 2017 The German Research Foundation (DFG) is setting up one of nationwide only two new Centres for Advanced Study at Freie Universität. It is entitled "Rethinking Oriental Despotism - Strategies of Governance and Modes of Participation in the Ancient Near East" and directed by Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum and Jörg Klinger from the Department of History and Cultural Studies, as the DFG announced on Friday in Bonn.

Career - Social Sciences - 03.03.2017

Defying the skills shortage with family-friendly HR policies: The Family-Friendly HR Policy Research Centre at Münster University publishes a study on family-friendly measures at Münster University Hospital
The Family-Friendly HR Policy Research Centre at Münster University publishes a study on family-friendly measures at Münster University Hospital Can family-friendly measures undertaken by companies can be innovative and, at the same time, a worthwhile social investment? This is the question asked in a study just published entitled “Balancing career and family with the audit berufundfamilie programme - a case study at Münster University Hospital”.

Life Sciences - Social Sciences - 22.12.2016

How Social Factors Can Influence Hunting
Due to a shortage of natural predators, wild animal populations are often controlled through hunting. Whether a hunter shoots at an animal depends not only on specific hunting criteria, but is also significantly influenced by social factors - such as competition with other hunters. This was demonstrated in a study directed by Florian Diekert, economist at Heidelberg University.

Social Sciences - Health - 24.10.2016

Reacting to the tell-tale signs
Can search engines save lives? LMU researchers are working on an approach which would enable search engines to more effectively identify users who are at risk of suicide and provide them with information on where to find help. Search engine queries not only reveal a lot about the user's interests and predilections, they also contain information relating to their mood or state of health.

Social Sciences - Economics / Business - 02.06.2016

No 187 from Jun 02, 2016 Study: Corporate Social Responsibility on the Rise - Despite Globalization, Cross-country Differences Persist Study by Social Scientists of Freie Universität Berlin with Support of the Bertelsmann Foundation
Study by Social Scientists of Freie Universität Berlin with Support of the Bertelsmann Foundation No 187/2016 from Jun 02, 2016 Corporations from OECD countries are increasing their corporate responsibility efforts according to a study by researchers at Freie Universität Berlin. Prof. Gregory Jackson und Julia Bartosch have created a new Corporate Responsibility Social Index, showing that corporations from Spain and the UK are among the leaders, whereas German firms fall on average into the intermediate range compared to other countries.

Life Sciences - Social Sciences - 07.03.2016

Talk about Yourself on Social Media?
New Study Published by Scientists at Freie Universität and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Reveals Brain Network for Sharing Self-related Information on Facebook A network of brain regions involved in self-disclosure on Facebook has been determined, according to a new study published in the open-access journal  Scientific Reports .

Social Sciences - 29.02.2016

Friendship wins out over fairness
When children decide to share, the giver's relationships with the pool of recipients determine who gets how much. They will give more to a wealthy friend than to a needy stranger - at least in cases where wealth is measured in stickers. Even young children share things with others. In numerous studies, child psychologists have sought to identify the factors that motivate children's sharing decisions, and determine how their sharing behavior changes as they get older.