Altruism is a fundamental building block of our society. Emerging evidence indicates a major role of acute stress and stress-related neuromodulators in social behavior and decision-making. How and through which mechanisms stress may impact altruism remains elusive. We observed that the stress hormone cortisol is linked to diminished altruistic behavior. This effect is mediated by … More New paper on how stress affects altruism and the brain’s self-control areas (especially in people who take others’ perspectives!)

People differ in their ability to navigate social landscapes and to build and maintain strong social ties. Why? The lab received a new SSHRC Institutional Grant (SIG) grant to investigate the role of social attention and social behavior outside of the laboratory. We will combine gaze behavior and measures of social behavior and social ties … More New SSHRC Grant on Social Attention in the Real World

We congratulate John-Dennis (Jack) Parsons on the successful oral defense of his M.Sc. thesis on neurobiomakers of dietary success! Covid-related restrictions on in-person testing made it difficult to realize the project, but Jack managed to pull it off! His oral examination committee congratulates him on this success.

We are excited to welcome three new senior undergraduate students!

Lisa Bas’ new article reviews insights from computational models and social neuroscience into motivations, precursors, and mechanisms of altruistic decision-making. The paper introduces theoretical and methodological tools, discusses potential pitfalls, and provides recommendations for researchers interested in applying a computational approach to their research. The review also discusses the utility of this approach to study … More Great new review on neurocomputational models of altruism and social motives

The Neuroeconomics laboratory is happy to announce the award of an ORF John R. Evans Leader fund for its research on neurocomputational mechanisms of decision-making. This successful application adds to the excellent track record of our department in attracting infrastructure funding. We are proud to be among the selected projects funded and supported by the … More ORF John R. Evans Leader fund award for the lab’s research

A pilot project entitled “Charting the neurobiology of social distancing: Exploring the causal effects of social isolation on the brain and the impact of staying digitally connected online” has been selected for funding! Our ability to connect people online has fundamentally changed the nature of social life. As millions worldwide struggle with the effects of … More New grant studying the neurobiological effects of social isolation and protective effects of staying digitally connected

The Interdisciplinary Symposium on Decision Neuroscience brings together a range of constituencies involved in the use of neuroscience techniques to understand decision making: world-renowned academics, neuroscience research companies, marketing research executives, and industry leaders. It offers an opportunity to learn, present and discuss the latest breakthroughs in using neuroscientific and physiological measures to inform decision … More Upcoming keynote lecture at the 11th Interdisciplinary Symposium on Decision Neuroscience (ISDN).

Congratulations to Remi Janet, who got awarded the competitive Queen’s Research Opportunities Funds – Post- Doctoral Fund. Remi’s work represents the breadth and depth of research and scholarship at Queen’s. The award recognizes his academic excellence. Well done!

Upcoming talk at the Centre for Neuroscience Studies (CNS) Virtual Seminar Series(http://neuroscience.queensu.ca/) on how our capacity to understand others affects social functioning and decision-making in the real world (e.g., social network size, prosociality). Seminar Zoom Link: https://queensu.zoom.us/j/95639521142? pwd: seminarInformal post-talk chat for graduate and post-doc trainees: 12:00-12:30