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Mind-Body-Emotion Group
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
The members of the Mind-Body-Emotion group investigate how the human body, brain, and mind interact—with a particular focus on how bodily rhythms, such as heartbeat and breathing, shape the way people perceive the world and their emotions. To study this complex interplay, the team members combine diverse methods—from psychophysiological lab experiments to virtual reality and experience sampling in everyday life. The group provides the required freedom and a supportive collegial environment to grow together, continuously develop our skills, constructively discuss, and openly share our insights within and beyond the group.
Strengths of the research environment
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Structurally embedded collaboration
A jointly developed "Living Lab" handbook sets out values, roles and working practices, and provides guidance throughout all phases of research. -
Open, reproducible and methodologically innovative
Open Science and the sharing of code, data and documentation are standard practice. -
Learning from one another, developing together
Shared infrastructure, a curated resource database and bottom-up interest groups promote onboarding, method development and knowledge exchange. -
Clear guidance, genuine support
Weekly one-to-one meetings, regular feedback processes and a strong focus on wellbeing create a reliable and sustainable working environment. -
Research with an impact both internally and externally
Involvement in science communication, open-source initiatives, professional societies and workshops on the further development of academic culture strengthens leadership skills and expands the network of team members.
Examples
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Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
These groups promote collaborative, bottom-up skills and knowledge exchange: a methodological SIG ("Brain-Body Analysis SIG") consolidates and standardizes pipelines for peripheral physiological signal analysis, while conceptual SIGs (e.g., "CSIG Reality+" for VR-related concepts, and "CSIG Affect" for emotion-related concepts) build within-group consensus on terminology and theory. -
CRON Jobs (Casual Reoccurring Organisational Non-scientific)
A system that rotates the responsibility for recurring, science-unrelated tasks, such as event planning, office cleaning, or lab inventory, distributing both housekeeping and CV-building opportunities fairly across lab members, without competition or micromanagement.
Together, SIGs and CRON jobs foster peer learning, shared responsibility, and a supportive, bottom-up research culture.
Contact persons
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Dr. Michael Gaebler, Principal Investigator (PI), Mind-Body-Emotion Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, gaebler@cbs.mpg.de
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Marta Gerosa, Doctoral researcher, Mind-Body-Emotion Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, gerosa@cbs.mpg.de
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Alexandros Kastrinogiannis, Scientific researcher, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, kastrino@cbs.mpg.de
Address
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Department Neurology
Stephanstraße 1A
04103 Leipzig