A Winning Performance
A major highlight of the conference was the recognition of Laura Bäuerl, who took home the Best Poster Prize! Her longitudinal study, "Longitudinal investigation of changes in mood symptoms and stress sensitivity in relation to the menstrual cycle," impressed the jury by utilizing computational modeling and behavioral tasks to track how hormonal fluctuations influence mental well-being and stress resilience.

Symposium

• The PI, Claus Lamm took part in a compelling symposium on a timely frontier: Leveraging social neuroscience for climate action. By exploring the neural underpinnings of prosocial behavior and identifying the psychological barriers that hinder sustainable choices, the session highlighted how brain science can be a powerful tool in the fight against the climate crisis.

Talks

The SCAN Unit's oral presentations covered a broad spectrum of human experience:

• Trust and Aging: Ronald Sladky presented findings on how aging and loneliness impair trust learning. His research links these difficulties to altered amygdala function and reward processing, providing a neural perspective on social isolation in older populations.

• Self-Other Distinction in BPD: Ekaterina Pronizius shared results from a multi-center study on Borderline Personality Disorder. The data revealed impaired self-other distinction in individuals with BPD, offering nuanced insights into how symptom severity affects social functioning.

• The Psychology of Heat: Moana Drüe discussed the "Hot Weather, Shifting Minds" project, which uses a multi-method approach to investigate how rising temperatures impact our cognition and our willingness to help others.

Poster Sessions

The poster hall was buzzing with SCAN Unit contributions that sparked deep discussions:

• Pain and Empathy: Julia Braunstein demonstrated that while sustained acute pain can increase empathy, it also shifts our motivation toward self-protection, potentially reducing the likelihood of helping others.

• Climate Suffering: Lukas Mayrhofer explored the affective responses to environmental degradation, examining how we emotionally process the suffering caused by climate change.

• The Case for Big Team Science: Ekaterina Pronizius also presented a call to action for the field, arguing that modern clinical psychology must embrace large-scale, "Big Team" collaborations to overcome ethical and practical hurdles.

Beyond the lecture halls and poster boards, the team made sure to embrace the spirit of Salzburg. Whether it was exploring the historic streets of the Old Town, bonding over dinner, or forging new connections with international colleagues during social events, the sense of community was palpable. It's this blend of high-level research and a supportive, fun-loving atmosphere that truly keeps our unit at the forefront of interdisciplinary psychological science.

Make sure to find us in 2028 in Graz!