How do we understand others?

What are the neural bases of our emotions?

How is our social behavior shaped by the brain?

 

These are just some of the questions the SCAN-Unit (Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience Unit) has been investigating since its formation in 2010. We are a group of international researchers who combine psychological theory with cutting edge neuroscientific methodology to study the biological basis of human's social and emotional life.

Our special research focus lies on the neuroscience of empathy. We have made and continue to make essential contributions to our understanding of how people share the feelings of others and take their point of view. This research enterprise is complemented by research activities in the fields of decision making, moral behavior, and mental health.

Further information on the research we do.

Information on our lab mission. 

 News

03.07.2026
 

The SCAN-Unit is superproud that former PhD student Magdalena Boch (https://magdalenaboch.com/), who recently returned to Vienna for a Tenure Track...
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 Media

20.06.2026
 

Politics Under the Spell of Emotions
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 Faculty News

15.06.2026
 

In ihrer neuen Rolle als Tenure-Track-Professorin für Soziale Kognition
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15.06.2026
 

Claus Lamm and Ekaterina Pronizius were ranked among the top three recipients of the Faculty Teaching Award in the category “Motivation Promotion –...
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09.05.2026
 

“A collaboration of several SCAN Unit members with colleagues at the University of Birmingham on the study ‘Psychological interventions that decrease...
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08.06.2026
 

Robert Böhm und Julia Holzer für hervorragende Lehrveranstaltungen ausgezeichnet
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08.06.2026
 

The SCANNies shook the academic world in Rome with an incredible range of topics spanning social neuroscience, climate change, decision-making under...
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09.05.2026
 

Our lab's research on the effects of nature on self-reported and neural measures of pain has been covered in El País, Spain's leading newspaper. The...
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01.06.2026
 

Diversität als Grundwert der Universität und unserer Fakultät
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