Love, Art, and Cannibalism: Psychologists at the Ends of the World

For decades, psychology has primarily studied inhabitants of wealthy Western societies. Meanwhile, Piotr Sorokowski’s team has for years traveled to places where psychologists rarely set foot — from Amazonia and Papua to Africa, the Himalayas, and the Pacific Islands. It is precisely there that one can test what in human nature is truly universal and what turns out to be merely a product of Western culture.

During the meeting, Piotr Sorokowski will talk about research on art, Marta Kowal will take us into the world of love, relationships, and emotions, and Michał Misiak will show how people in different parts of the world think about morality, social norms, and the boundaries between good and evil.

This will be a story about psychology outside the laboratory, about research conducted in places where you are more likely to meet shamans than scientists. You will hear about journeys through jungles, mountains, and oceans, but above all, about the attempt to answer one of the most fascinating questions: what does it mean to be human?

During the event, we will also showcase unique objects — rarely publicly displayed artifacts from the Asmat region of Papua. We won't reveal all the surprises beforehand — some are left for the participants to discover.