affective.brain

We are the Affective Brain Lab – Tali Sharot’s lab at UCL. Updates on our work on the brain, emotion, belief, learning and other interests of lab members

[affective.brain @affectivebrain]

People desensitize to horrible things & so fail to act and change them, but also get used to great things & so don't enjoy them any longer.
Can we dis-habituate?
Announcing my new book out 2/27 co-authored with @CassSunstein. Thread🧵

[Michael Hanegan @mhanegan]

Just started reading this paper. What a fascinating approach, and with so many applications going forward! I’m going to be thinking about how to apply this to my work in cognitive load and pedagogy in the coming months.

[Moshe Glickman @Moshe_Glickman]

📄 New preprint with @affectivebrain: AI-assisted discovery of unknown cognitive biases: Humans systematically undervalue information under complexity

We introduce a framework for discovering biases in any task with a normative benchmark.

Link: https://t.co/SQ0EFt3HLJ 1/6 🧵

[Thriving Minds @Thriving_Minds_]

In this episode of Thriving Minds, I sit down with Dr Tali Sharot, one of the world’s leading cognitive neuroscientists, to understand how optimism, emotion, and anticipation shape the decisions we make and the memories we keep. Now live: https://t.co/f6Y2kS7Edr
#MIT #UCL

[affective.brain @affectivebrain]

For more information on the MMI: https://t.co/GrVPaO9Am1

[affective.brain @affectivebrain]

Applications for the 2026 PhD program are now open for the Mind & Machine Initiative at UCL! Candidates should have a background in neuroscience and/or psychology. Applicants will be evaluated on a rolling basis. To apply follow this link: https://t.co/bHPPxcP2gf

[Communications Psychology @CommsPsychol]

Using virtual reality to simulate physical risk, we show that over time risk taking escalates while emotional responses to risk habituate. The greater the emotional habituation, the steeper the risk escalation.
https://t.co/pNoKuDIsWJ

[Science Advances @ScienceAdvances]

In a new Editorial, Tali Sharot and Cass R. Sunstein describe how neuroscientific and psychological phenomena, such as habituation and relative judgement, can lead people to become numb to the decline of democracy. https://t.co/JxSRgIE1iw

[UCL Brain Sciences @UCLBrainScience]

We're delighted to announce that Prof. Tali Sharot (@UCLPALS, @affectivebrain) has been awarded £3.5m as part of @wellcometrust Discovery Award scheme to investigate the 'joy of thinking’.

https://t.co/gYzquUoARR

[affective.brain @affectivebrain]

Postdocs can be based at either UCL (London) or MIT (Cambridge, MA) or both. Start date is flexible.

[affective.brain @affectivebrain]

We are looking to hire 2 postdocs (see description of 2nd post in thread). To apply email CV and links to 2 representative publications.
Postdoc 1: Experience in computational neuroscience of reward processing or decision-making or info-seek or language. https://t.co/PUmjLVFmfN

[affective.brain @affectivebrain]

Postdoc 2: Experience in app and plug-in development + experience in computational aspects of and/or neuroscience of info-seek/decision making. Experience with NLP - advantage. Will use web browsing data to study info-seek and well-being. https://t.co/V3PjJrb27h

[Emily G. Jacobs 🦋 @emilyjacobs.bsky.social @emilyjacobs]

THRILLED to see this SI now out addressing the power and potential of focusing our lens on women. H/t to Tali for making space for these ideas to flourish and for a dream team of investigators to contribute!!

[affective.brain @affectivebrain]

@emilyjacobs Thank you @emilyjacobs for your invaluable help in curating this issue!

[Business Today @business_today]

#BTAtDavos2025 | Tali Sharot (@affectivebrain), Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, @ucl, sheds light on the growing challenges of misinformation & disinformation in today’s social media-driven world.
@rahulkanwal
@AP_EDB @InvTelangana
Watch #BTTV Live: https://t.co/seZEdGuo66

[Business Today @business_today]

#BTAtDavos2025 | @ucl Professor Tali Sharot delves into whether the current trends in trust towards democratic institutions are temporary and poised for change or if they signal a deeper, worsening shift.
@rahulkanwal
@AP_EDB @InvTelangana
Watch: https://t.co/seZEdGuo66

[Nature Human Behaviour @NatureHumBehav]

.@Moshe_Glickman and @affectivebrain reveal a human-AI feedback loop, where AI amplifies subtle human biases, which are then further internalized by humans. This cycle increases human bias over time across domains.
https://t.co/hyGntC4sNt

[Moshe Glickman @Moshe_Glickman]

📢 New publication with @affectivebrain in @NatureHumBehav
Key finding: Human-AI interactions create feedback loops, where AI amplifies human biases, which are then further internalized by humans across perceptual, emotional & social domains.
https://t.co/kOTCiN9yZP
🧵1/6

[TIME @TIME]

"Just as we now glance at nutrition labels without a second thought, we could one day check content labels before diving into a news article or blog post."

Column: Why the internet needs content labels 📝 Tali Sharot and Christopher A. Kelly https://t.co/sGyepASLet

[Chris Kelly @chris_a_kelly]

Excited to share our new article w/@affectivebrain in @NatureHumBehav.

Key finding: consuming more negative content online is tied to poorer mental health—and vice versa. 💻🧠

Article link: https://t.co/OZ8W42exq0

🧵 Read on for more insights from the study

[Laura Globig @laura_k_globig]

🚨 New paper alert! 🚨
“Considering information-sharing motives to reduce misinformation” out now in Current Opinion in Psychology with @affectivebrain.
https://t.co/xhJ7BkC6zE
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