iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 31/07/2026

The result of "I am an adult with adult money" 😁

Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 29/07/2026

The only time I ever went viral on social media was with a meta-analysis on the beneficial effects of touch on our health that Julian Packheiser and I led together 💚 Look at that @altmetric.com score though 😍 Read it: doi.org/10.1038/s415... #openscience #metascience #PsychSciSky #AcademicSky

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 24/07/2026

My "brain-cell-extending" @univie.ac.at cup with placebo black tea and this lovely crab will support me in doing figures today 💙

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 21/07/2026

During my holidays, the office plant has decided to find their own way 🌱

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 26/05/2026

Science moodboard for all the emotions 😭🤩😱😡

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 11/05/2026

Seit letzter Woche ist unser Museumsexponat "Die Kraft der Erwartung" auf der MS Wissenschaft ausgestellt. Nun tourt es in den nächsten Monaten durch Polen, Deutschland und Österreich 🛳️

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 20/04/2026

Today I signed my unlimited contract to continue working at @neurologieessen.bsky.social / @unidue.bsky.social as a senior postdoc and science communicator 🤩 Two things that do not often come together in science - to find a job you truly enjoy doing and the opportunity to do that job longterm.

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 23/03/2026

🌟 I am both a scientist and a science communicator 🌟 Never have I felt this more than this year, because the wonderful #scicomm team of the @sfb-trr-289.bsky.social is creating their first museum exhibit about treatment expectations for the MS Wissenschaft (@w-i-d.de), a traveling museum boat! 🚢

A sketched drawing of one side of the exhibit. Old-fashioned telephones in different colors and a barometer with different texts.

Prototypes for a museum exhibit. A barometer needle and old telephone in black on a white stand.

A sketched drawing of one side of the exhibit. A hand holding a silver-colored pressable button.

A sketched drawing of one side of the exhibit. a 3D-printed square with a lid that can be moved up and down, hiding and revealing text underneath.

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 16/03/2026

Back again, letting my students torture me with painful stimuli 😂 #postdoclife

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 10/02/2026

Here is a short interview with me on why I do research: www.uni-due.de/2023-08-10-h...

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 20/01/2026

Day 2 is all about how we learn, how we teach, and what makes a good workshop! ♥️

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 19/01/2026

So happy to finally be at one of the @nawik.de trainer days! 💙 ➡️ Meeting many new and old great people 👥 ➡️ Updates and future plans for the NaWik ➡️ Discussing about how to best teach science communication 💪

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 18/01/2026

I'm finally in southern Germany since a loooong time and can order a Colaweizen without a weird look (it's wheat beer and coca cola) 🍺 And also I had the best, lightly caramelized Kaiserschmarrn 😍 Best start to the two upcoming @nawik.de trainer days starting tomorrow! ✨

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 18/01/2026

Of course the scanned fruit and vegetables from my time in Vienna @scanunit.bsky.social moved to the new place with me and found a fitting place in the kitchen ✨ Can you guess all of them? 😁 Shout-out to @lukaslengersdorff.bsky.social, my PhD-partner-in-crime 🧠🧲

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 13/01/2026

Currently reviewing some new "In a nutshell" videos for our @sfb-trr-289.bsky.social YouTube channel! 🤩 Some cool videos coming up feat. @janhaaker.bsky.social, @jlaferton.bsky.social and Christine Knaevelsrud! 🤯 For now, stay tuned and subscribe: youtube.com/@sfb-trr_289...

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 13/01/2026

What did we find? Mainly mixed and inconsistent effects, meaning some types of pain modulation sometimes increased or decreased social cognition abilities, with the most consistent and replicated result being that placebo analgesia reduces empathy for others’ pain.

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 13/01/2026

The paper also features an absolutely insane table of all the different ways researchers have operationalized social emotions and behaviors in these studies - from emotional face processing over empathy to prosocial behavior! 😱 We hope this overview is helpful to many social cognition researchers!

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 13/01/2026

What manipulations did we investigate? 🤔 Previous studies used substances like opioids, acetaminophen, cannabinoids, placebos, alcohol, or hypnosis to directly or indirectly change participants' pain processing and then look at its social consequences.

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 31/12/2025

Today I went to the Corpus museum in Leiden where you (literally) travel through the human body. Favourite location? Ofc the brain 🧠

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 03/12/2025

Now we wrote a piece about many things we always wanted to say about replications. How they are used, tracked and valued by the science community. And how we can evaluate their results, whatever those may be 🤔 Read the preprint 📃 osf.io/preprints/me... Browse the Hub 🌐 forrt.org/replication-...

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 03/12/2025

It has been a while since @flavioazevedo.bsky.social asked me to take over the Reversals project at @forrt.bsky.social... It has since evolved beyond my wildest dreams, mostly thanks to @aufdroeseler.bsky.social & @lukaswallrich.bsky.social. We are very proud of the Replication Hub & Database ♥️

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 02/12/2025

Early bird today to make it to @nawik.de's @wisskon.bsky.social in time ✨ Book, tea and stickers - I'm ready for a day of #scicomm fun 💙 Watch me present @scienceandfiction.net later at 16:00: www.nawik.de/wisskon-netz...

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 29/11/2025

I knit a t-shirt for the first time and it actually turned out quite nice 💕🧶 I present: the #poppytee by #PetiteKnit (which was a wild ride because the original instructions don't account for stripes!)

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 11/10/2025

So very happy to be a part of the group of trainers giving #scicomm workshops for the @nawik.de 💚 I never imagined that I would enjoy presenting and teaching... 🤔 Since then I've discovered that helping others discover the joys of science communication is truly rewarding 😍

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 03/10/2025

This is my 1st year participating in Letters to a Pre-Scientist 🤩 Today I received a letter from a middle schooler in Los Angeles who's interested in science! 😱 Over the next few months, I hope to share my life as a psychologist and neuroscientist who studies brains in pain! 🧠 #SciComm

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 19/09/2025

Back at the MRI scanner today to test the first participant of @rebeccalutz.bsky.social's new study! 🧲🧠 This never gets any less exciting! 🤩 #PsychSciSky #NeuroSkyence @neurologieessen.bsky.social @unidue.bsky.social

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 18/09/2025

Today and tomorrow I am giving my first #scicomm workshop all on my own 😱 It's all about communicating science through fictional short stories (like in @scienceandfiction.net) and on social media! 🤩

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 02/08/2025

Another fantastic gift dropped this weekend, from the DGPs Interest Group Open and Reproducible Science (@igor-dgps.bsky.social) for my 2-year work as coordinator together with @gordonfeld.bsky.social 😭💙 Thanks so much to everyone who made this time memorable (& to everyone who signed this bag!)

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 01/08/2025

Today I'm double- and triple-checking that my scripts correctly extracted the onsets and durations of all events during my task for MRI analysis 🫠 Super tedious but very necessary 😫 #PostdocLife #AcademicSky #PsychSciSky #NeuroSkyence

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 30/07/2025

Such a lovely present from @biodgps-dgpa.bsky.social for my two year term as deputy early career researcher representative 😭✨ Huge thanks especially to the dream team @mfjsperl.bsky.social, Marie Mückstein, @annesaulin.bsky.social, @tinalonsdorf.bsky.social, Nina Alexander, and Christian Merz 💙

A light-up brain and message saying "The section Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology of the German Association for Psychology thanks Helena Hartmann for her work as an early career researcher representative".

The light-up brain next to a computer screen and plants.

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 08/07/2025

What to expect on this account: - #Postdoclife on pain⚡, expectations 💊, & the (social) brain 🧠🧲 - #ECR at @biodgps-dgpa.bsky.social - #SciComm/#WissKomm at @nawik.de & @scienceandfiction.net 🗣️ - #OpenScience at @forrt.bsky.social & @igor-dgps.bsky.social 👩‍💻 - Team #Knitting 🧶 - #TeamGIF ✨

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 08/07/2025

Heute besuche ich selbst mal einen @nawik.de Workshop zum Thema Evaluation von #WissKomm mit @ricardaz.bsky.social & Cecilia Buz‬ 💪 Ich freue mich auf drei Tage Input & Austausch, damit @ulrikebingel.bsky.social, Sven Benson & ich unser @sfb-trr-289.bsky.social Teilprojekt gut evaluieren können! 🤩

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 16/05/2025

How many researchers does it take to change the cooling fluid of the heat pain stimulator? 😅 (Answer: Three who learn by doing and one taking the picture) Love our little #TeamEmpathy at the Bingellab @sfb-trr-289.bsky.social preparing two really cool new studies ❤️ #PsychSciSky #AcademicSky

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 14/05/2025

I should give #scicomm talks at @unidue.bsky.social more often 😁 Huge thanks to @ankehinney.bsky.social and Luisa Rajcsanyi for this lovely thank-you package! ❤️ #AcademicSky

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 10/05/2025

More wool has (un)fortunately been bought 😬

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 09/05/2025

Just people analysing MRI data things 🫠 (aka the data is so large that I need multiple harddrives to even hold all the data and all its processing steps) #AcademicSky #Neuroskyence #PsychSciSky

Two hard drives with labels "Helena 1" and "Helena 2".

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 29/04/2025

A graduate student wrote to @clauslamm.bsky.social and me because they successfully reproduced our @scanunit.bsky.social paper "Placebo Analgesia Reduces Costly Prosocial Helping to Lower Another Person’s Pain" with the code and data I uploaded! 😱 #PsychSciSky #AcademicSky

An e-mail reading: "I was tasked with selecting a published study and attempting to reproduce its data as part of a broader learning exercise in research analysis. I chose your study, "Placebo Analgesia Reduces Costly Prosocial Helping to Lower Another Person’s Pain," and after working carefully through the procedures, I wanted to let you know that I was successfully able to reproduce the data as presented. This exercise was both valuable and insightful, and I appreciate the quality and clarity of your original work. Thank you for your time and contributions to the field."

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 22/04/2025

I always think of my "Hey humans" short story when I see these birds looking at me 🪿🦆🐦‍⬛ Read it here: scienceandfiction.net/stories/25_h... (switch between German and English on the top right!)

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 10/04/2025

Just scientist things I guess 🤷‍♀️

A list of files in a Google Drive folder, all relating to scientific manuscripts and revision letters. The last file says "Scanner sex".

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 15/03/2025

It's a dream come true to write my own article for @spektrum.de Gehirn & Geist magazine - and then it's even on the title page 😭❤️

The cover of Gehirn & Geist magazine (February 2025 edition) with two hands clasped.

My article in Gehirn & Geist magazine (February 2025 edition) with two hands clasped.

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 05/03/2025

Die Fachgruppe Biologische Psychologie und Neuropsychologie der Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs) e.V. und die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychophysiologie und ihre Anwendung (DGPA) schreiben drei Förderpreise für #Wisskomm in der Biologischen Psychologie aus! @biodgps-dgpa.bsky.social

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 26/02/2025

What did we find? 🤔 Studies report inconsistent results, with findings generally showing small effects in both directions, i.e., an increase or decrease of social emotions or abilities. The strongest and most consistent effect was observed for placebo analgesia decreasing empathy for pain.

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 26/02/2025

We included and synthesized 50 out of 2060 screened studies. 👩‍🔬 Included studies investigated the effects of opioids and opioid antagonists, acetaminophen, capsaicin, cannabinoids, ketamine, alcohol, placebo analgesia and hypnotic analgesia.

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 14/02/2025

Yesterday and today @christineblume.bsky.social and I are giving a @nawik.de seminar about science communication in grant applications 🤩 It is a real pleasure to teach when all participants are that motivated and engaging in activities/discussions! 😍 Info on all seminars: www.nawik.de/seminare/

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 07/02/2025

There is nothing more satisfying than getting ggplot to plot what you want it to plot. Any guesses what it is? 😁 #PsychSciSky #AcademicSky #neuroskyence #WomeninSTEM

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 06/02/2025

What to expect on this account: - #Postdoclife on pain ⚡, placebos 💊, & the (social) brain 🧠🧲 - #SciComm/#WissKomm at @scienceandfiction.bsky.social 📚 - #OpenScience at @forrt.bsky.social & @igor-dgps.bsky.social 👩‍💻 - #ECR at @biodgps-dgpa.bsky.social - #Planttwitter obsession 🪴 - #TeamGIF ✨

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Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her) @helenahartmann.com · 31/01/2025

Our tutorial on how to use ARIADNE to make your research life easier is now finally published in AMPPS! 🤩 Read it: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... Check out the tool: igor-biodgps.github.io/ARIADNE/grap... Supported by IGOR (www.dgps.de/fachgruppen/...) and @zpid.bsky.social ❤️

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