Researcher, Speaker, Teacher, Curator
Prof. Dr. Tania Singer
Professor Tania Singer is a social neuroscientist and psychologist, world-renowned for her work on empathy, compassion, and the psychological and neuroscientific underpinnings of human social behavior. For over three decades, she has studied the foundations and trainability of social skills, human connections, cooperation, psychological well-being and resilience. She has a passion for bridging disciplines that usually do not interact, such as linking social psychology with neuroscience, neuroscience with economics, science with the arts, or research with contemplative wisdom traditions from the East.
Her research and public communication focus on how scientific findings can make a difference to personal and social change.
“Raising compassion would solve most of our world’s problems.”
Her activities range from cutting-edge international research and public lectures to executive seminars and workshops, up to ReConnect! Here, together with cooperation partners, Tania offers various evidence-based, two-month mental training courses based on her research. These scalable programs, based on dyadic practices, foster social skills, resilience and mental health and have since been further developed for use in healthcare, education and the workplace.
In addition, Tania pursues her passion for art and culture by curating large conferences, where she organizes multiday programs with a balanced mix of cross-disciplinary panels and debates, interactive workshops and performances of art and music.
Tania Singer combines more than three decades of international research in social neuroscience and psychology with neuroeconomics and cognitive science. Her work focuses on social skills such as empathy and compassion, human relations, social behaviour, mental health and resilience, as well as decision-making processes, consciousness and the conditions for societal change.
With more than 400 talks and lectures worldwide, Tania Singer has spoken on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, the OECD and the Dalai Lama conferences, as well as at universities around the world, including Stanford, Oxford, ETH and MIT, about the social brain, collaboration, mental health and the future of organizations and societies.
Executive Masterclasses & Workshops
Tania Singer works with managers and management teams as well as with health and education professionals in the fields of mental health, compassionate leadership, teamwork, resilience and agility—combining scientific findings, practice exercises and concrete prompts for leadership and collaboration.
ReConnect! offers 2-month long evidence-based mental training programs based on dyadic exercises that promote social skills, resilience and mental health. Journey, Masterclass and Online Courses are different formats with different intensity, designed for different target groups and sectors, such as health care, education and business.
Mental Training Studies
Selected Research Projects
Tania Singer has been developing international research projects since the turn of the millennium, with particular emphasis on neuroplasticity and the trainability of the social brain, as well as mental health and resilience. Here is a selection of the most important studies in the field of psychological training:
- 2013-2019 ReSource Project
One of the largest mental training studies in the world, examining the effects of three 3-month mental training modules (Presence, Affect, Perspective) on the brain, the mind, the body and behavior. - 2019-2023 CovSocial Project
Development and evaluation of a scalable, low-dose online 10-week dyad program for resilience, mental health and social cohesion during the COVID-19 pandemic - 2024-present Edu:Social Project
Research into evidence-based socio-emotional online training based on dyad work in education, health and business. - >2024-present Edu:Social School
An 8-week intensive dyad program to support the resilience and social skills of school teachers. - 2025-present Edu:Social Health Care
Cooperation with the Paracelsus Medical Private University (PMU) to investigate the effects of 8-week online dyadic programs in healthcare professions.
ReConnect! Programs
Dyad Work for Society
ReConnect! offers evidence-based training programs based on the dyad work developed from Singer’s extensive research and the studies described above. All formats are based on an 8-week online training program with daily dyads, weekly online coaching sessions, and certified dyad facilitators. They differ primarily in the intensity of the initial phase:
- ReConnect! Masterclass
3.5 days of silent retreat + 8 weeks of online training - ReConnect! Journey
1.5-day kick-off event + 8 weeks of online training - ReConnect! Online Program
Fully online onboarding sessions + 8 weeks of online training - ReConnect! in Companies
ReConnect! formats for organizations and teams - ReConnect! Train-the-Trainer
Training of certified dyad teachers - ReConnect! Community
Continued shared sustainable dyad practice after completion of a course
More information is available on the ReConnect! website
Our 2-month ReConnect! Perspectives Masterclass begins with an intensive 3.5-day silent retreat with Professor Tania Singer and Günter Hudasch at the beautiful St. Virgil in Salzburg from September 2nd to 5th, 2027. This retreat introduces participants to parts work, as well as various practices for perspective-taking and the Perspective Dyad, which is then practiced daily by phone for 8 weeks. Further information: Brochure.
Our ReConnect! Compassion Journey begins with a 1.5-day live kick-off event with Professor Tania Singer and her team at St. Virgil in Salzburg on May 7th and 8th, 2027. This event introduces participants to the subsequent daily dyad work via telephone over 8 weeks. During this time, participants will be supported by Katharina Schacht and Oliver Kirchhof in weekly 1.5-hour online coaching sessions. Further information: Brochure.
The 10-week, fully online dyad program begins with two 1.5-hour online onboarding sessions with Julia Darbinjan (between May 13 and July 15, 2027). Following this introduction, you will conduct 13-minute dyads daily by phone for 8 weeks. Julia Darbinjan will also provide support in eight weekly 1.5-hour online coaching sessions to deepen your understanding. Further information: Brochure.
From Research to Practice
Executive Masterclasses & Workshops & Seminars
Tania Singer is deeply committed to translating her research into formats for professionals, managers and decision-makers in business, politics, health care, education and other social spheres. For this reason, she combines accessible scientific information with selected mental exercises and hands-on learning in her executive masterclasses, workshops and seminars. She addresses subjects such as social intelligence and team-building, compassionate leadership, mental health, cooperation, motivation, values, and resilience in times of uncertainty, and how these can lead to a more humane and sustainable work and organizational culture.
For more information, click here.
For Workshops, Masterclasses, Seminars, and Talks
Selected Topics
- Training the Social Brain
- Compassionate Leadership
- Together and Connected: The Power of Dyad Work
- Multiperspectivity and Conflict Resolution
- Strengthening Mental Health and Resilience
- From Loneliness to Greater Human Connectivity
- Resilience: From Empathic Stress to Compassion
- Self-Leadership and Self-Regulation
- Decision-Making in Times of Uncertainty
- New Economic Models: Caring Economics
- From Inner to Societal Change
- Social Cohesion in Times of Change
The Training of the Social Brain
Caring Economics
About Tania Singer
Tania is head of the Social Neuroscience Lab of the Max Planck Society in Berlin. She investigates Human Social Behaviour as well as social emotions such as empathy and compassion and their trainability. To this end, she has developed numerous mental training programs that promote the social brain, resilience, and mental health. Tania Singer has published the results of her work in more than 160 scientific articles and book chapters. In addition, she has given hundreds of presentations at institutions such as World Economic Forum, MIT, Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, ETH Zurich, and Fortune 500 companies. A more personal biography as well as her full academic CV can be found here.
- Studies of Psychology and Media Counseling at the University of Marburg and Technical University of Berlin.
- PhD in Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin.
- Postdoctoral years at the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging & Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College, London.
- Assistant and full Professorships in Social Neuroscience & Inaugural Chair in Neuroeconomics & Co-Director of the Laboratory for Social and Neural System Research at the University of Zürich.
- Directorship, Department of Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig.
- Scientific Head, Social Neuroscience Lab, Max Planck Society, Berlin.
- More than 160 publications, book chapters, and books. More than 50,000 citations, h-index >95. For several years, the research platform Research.com has listed her among the top 40 psychologists in Germany and among the top 1000 worldwide.
- Developer of ReConnect!, which brings her evidence-based dyad programs for improving social skills, resilience, and mental health to society.
Latest News & Upcoming Events
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ReConnect Perspective Masterclass
Through Heart2Business, we are now offering a ReConnect! Perspective Masterclass in September 2027! The Masterclass begins with a 3.5-day retreat led by Prof. Dr. Tania Singer and her team at the beautiful St. Virgil in Salzburg from September 2 to 5, 2027, followed by 8 weeks of online coaching. For more information on prices, the schedule, and coaching times, see the flyer. Further information, including registration details, is available on the website.
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ReConnect! Compassion Journey
With Heart2Business, we are once again offering a ReConnect! Compassion Journey in spring 2027! The dyadic journey begins with a 1.5-day kick-off event featuring Prof. Dr. Tania Singer and her team at the beautiful St. Virgil in Salzburg on May 7 and 8, 2027. For more information on prices, the schedule, and coaching times, see: Flyer.
Recent Talks & Podcasts
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Mind and Life Podcast
May 15, 2025 – In this episode, Wendy from Mind and Life speaks with social neuroscientist and contemplative researcher Tania Singer. about her research on empathy and compassion, and her pioneering work on the interpersonal aspects of the brain and contemplative practice.
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The Mindfulness Podcast
December 12, 2023 – In this podcast Tania Singer and David Black talk about the CovSocial project and specifically explore results comparing mindfulness training against a dyad interventions regarding thought and affect patterns.
Latest Scientific Publications
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Singer, T.
A neuroscience perspective on the plasticity of the social and relational brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, S. 1 – 23. (2025)
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Matthäus, H., Heim, C., Voelkle, M. & Singer T.
Reducing Neuroendocrine Psychosocial Stress Response Through Socio-emotional Dyadic but not Mindfulness Online Training. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 15. (2024)
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Godara, M. & Singer T.
10-Week Trajectories of Candidate Psychological Processes Differentially Predict Mental Health Gains from Online Dyadic Versus Mindfulness Interventions: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(11), 3295. (2024)