In collaboration with the @mpicbs.bsky.social, Seung-Cheol Baek found that the brain represents acoustic cues and speech categories in parallel—rather than serially—for both phonemes and prosody, revealing a shared neural principle. Read the paper at @natcomms.nature.com: s.gwdg.de/Al4Vfq

The application period for our Artist-in-Residence program INHABIT 2027 starts today! Artists from various disciplines are invited to develop a new project at our Institute or to further explore an existing one. Submit your application here by September 1, 2026: ae.mpg.de/inhabit

Thinking Design: Christine A. Knoop on developing Fechner's aesthetics “from below” beyond the classical lab. 📅 July 09, 2026 🕕 6:30 p.m. 📍 MPIEA ArtLab Foyer, Frankfurt am Main 🎟️ Free admission; the talk will be held in English. 🔗 More information: https://s.gwdg.de/BkxcYY

New study: A research team involving members of our Institute has shown that our brains process musical structures independently of their temporal regularity. Read the full paper here: doi.org/10.1111/ejn.70481

Is there a link between listening to music and mental health? @laurawesseldijk.bsky.social, Fredrik Ullén, and Miriam A. Mosing found that the connection is not as clear-cut. Read the full paper in Journal of Affective Disorders Reports: doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2026.101066

Why are women considered the “fairer sex” when, in most animal species, it is the males that are more striking? This question leads to a new study on factors influencing our assessment of attractiveness. Out now in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

Thinking Design: Christopher Dell on musical spatial thinking—with insights into his current studies. 📅 June 08, 2026 🕕 6:30 p.m 📍 MPIEA ArtLab Foyer, Frankfurt am Main 🎟️ Free admission; the talk will be held in English More info: s.gwdg.de/RV4kGe

How do we tell the difference between a human voice and a computer-generated one? A recent study shows that our perception depends not only on the quality of the voice, but also on the content and our own language skills. Out now in #SpeechCommunication: doi.org/10.1016/j.specom.2026.103398

Congrats, Laura! A very interesting topic. 👏

@laurawesseldijk.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The question I get most after talks about music and mental health: "But what about people who just listen to music?" Most of us never pick up an instrument, we engage with music through listening... So we studied it. New paper on music listening, mental health & genetics 🎵 doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...

Neuroscience, music, and exciting discussions at the CoBIC Scientific Opening Symposium: From April 20 to 21, 2026, renowned international speakers provided two days of fascinating presentations and scientific exchange. Many thanks to all guests and partners!

What makes a design a classic? At our Library Talks with Viktoria Heinrich, we explored how objects like the Ulm Stool or Mayday lamp carry stories and become icons over time. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to such a great evening!

The first talk of our #ThinkingDesign series is approaching: On April 23, Anke Haarmann from Leiden University (NL) will discuss “Epistemological #Aesthetics: How Practices of Design Lead to Insights.” Join us on at 6:30 p.m. in our ArtLab Foyer. More info: s.gwdg.de/gKAjol

The #CoBIC Scientific Opening Symposium — two days of scientific exchange, fresh ideas, and collaboration with distinguished speakers. 📍 Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main 📅 April 20-21, 2026 Click here to register: indico.ae.mpg.de/event/39/

During our next #LibraryTalk, Design Historian Viktoria Lea Heinrich will talk about displaying design objects in museums and how to convey their history and meaning. Join us! 📅 April 16, 2026, 6 p.m. 📍 MPIEA Library, Frankfurt am Main 🗣️ Talk in German More: ae.mpg.de/LibraryTalks

We’re excited to launch our discussion series Thinking Design! As part of the World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026, we explore how design shapes perception, generates knowledge and influences social processes. More info: ae.mpg.de/ThinkingDesign-en

Unfortunately, the concert had to be canceled at the last minute for health reasons. Further information will be provided in due course.

At the “Creative Musical Dialogues Between Humans and Machines” concert, pianists David Dolan and Fredrik Ullén will improvise live with the AI system JHAIMI, which was developed by Oded Ben-Tal. 📍 Tuesday, March 31, 2026, MPIEA More info & registration: ae.mpg.de/musicaldialogues

Welcome to Frankfurt, Oleg! We are super happy to have you here @ae.mpg.de and look forward to many exciting research projects! 🤩

Oleg Sobchuk 🇺🇦@sobchuk.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Yay! This week I started working at the MPI for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt as a group leader. Lots of work ahead, but super exciting kind of work 🔥

#FrankfurtHatHirn – Live took place yesterday evening at jugend-kultur-Kirche sankt peter in Frankfurt. Our booth and flash talks by Julia F. Christensen and Sophie Perizonius offered insights into our research on the human brain. Thanks to everyone making this event possible!

We’re hiring!📢 We are offering a postdoctoral position at the Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology. More information here: ae.mpg.de/7teslajob

Live lebt! 🎶 #Musik in Konzerten aktiviert das #Gehirn stärker und löst mehr #Emotionen aus als z. B. in der gestreamten Version. Ein toller #Podcast mit Melanie Wald-Fuhrmann und Nikita Kudakov (alias Coodiny) @ae.mpg.de im ART-Lab in Frankfurt 🎧 www.swr.de/swrkultur/wi...

Live-Musik – Warum Konzerte unersetzlich bleiben

Trotz Streaming-Boom erlebt Live‑Musik eine Renaissance, weil sie Körper, Gehirn und Gemeinschaft stärker aktiviert als jede Aufnahme.

swr.de

An evening of conversations and inspiration.💬 At #LibraryTalks, we discussed with Thomas Meincke the intersections of his novels and music, collective writing processes with the audience, and an AI that recognizes itself in the title “I as Text.” Thanks to everyone involved!

What influences our concert experience? 🎵 Researchers at our Institute, with the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media and the @unicologne.bsky.social, have found that the aesthetic experience varies depending on the concert format. Read the Paper: doi.org/10.1057/s415...

If you are in London, don’t miss this exciting event where human musicians and AI-inspired systems come together! Performance and research-led discussion with our Director Fredrik Ullén, David Dolan, and Oded Ben-Tal at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. More information 👉 s.gwdg.de/q8Zoc1

When Scientific Research Meets Human Creative Spontaneity and AI on the Concert Stage

A unique evening hosted in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute, featuring concert pianist and cognitive neuroscientist Fredrik Ullén alongside David Dolan and Oded Ben-Tal.

s.gwdg.de

#Author and #Musician Thomas #Meinecke works at the intersection of literature and music and will share insights into his writing process during our next Library Talk. Don't miss it! 📅 Feb 5, 2026, 6pm 📍MPIAE Library, Frankfurt am Main 🗣️Talk in German More: s.gwdg.de/h1uy03

New paper alert! 🎉 Congrats to the whole team! 👏

@laurawesseldijk.bsky.social · 6mo ago

We did dance and mental health research 💃🕺 Professional, but not recreational dancers, have higher risk for mental health problems (anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion). Dance achievement was more heritable in females (60%) than males (29%) 🧬 doi.org/10.1016/j.ss... @ae.mpg.de

Congratulations! @giacomobignardi.bsky.social receives the Frank X. Barron Award for his superior contributions to the psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts as a student. The American Psychological Association honors his research on genetic effects on the perception of art🎶

Distinguished visitors at the MPIEA: our Scientific Advisory Board is here! Six experts from leading universities worldwide are visiting to review our research and exchange ideas—joined by the Vice President of the @maxplanck.de. Looking forward to three exciting days!

So, what exactly is a #researchreport? 🤔 A research report documents the progress and results of research projects and is usually published by an institute itself, not sold in bookshops. Our latest one is out now—a great snapshot of what’s happening at our Institute. 🤩 Read it online: ae.mpg.de/rr

At Christmas, we enjoy the little joys – like singing carols together. This fits perfectly with our Institute, where we explore why music and art move us. In this spirit, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a joyful start to 2026! 🎄✨