Igor Grossmann

Welcome! I’m Igor Grossmann.

I study how people navigate life’s most difficult decisions—and how we might do so wisely. My research spans from ancient philosophical questions to cutting-edge AI, from tracking cultural evolution to forecasting societal change.

Having lived through societal collapse and transformation myself, I’m driven to understand how humans find wisdom amid uncertainty. My work appears in Science, Nature Human Behaviour, PNAS, and beyond, reaching audiences through research, public writing, and the On Wisdom podcast.

I direct the Wisdom and Culture Lab at the University of Waterloo, lead international research collaboratives, and collaborate with scholars from philosophy, to economics, to computer science.

Curious? Explore my research, writings, or get in touch.

Projects

World After Covid

How do we navigate the changes ahead? Since June 2020, I have interviewed 55+ world leaders in behavioral & social sciences about their forecasts and advice for the world, creating a time-capsule of hopes and worries about the post-Covid future.

Wisdom

Many people have ideas about wisdom, but is it anything more than a pipedream? How can we identify and train wisdom, while avoiding misconceptions about it?

cultural change

One key cultural universal is that cultures and societies constantly change. How can we quantify societal transformations in psychological and cultural dimensions? Which dimensions change faster and why?

forecasting

Is humanity progressing or regressing? How do experts and the public estimate changes in the ever changing world? My colleagues and I evaluate accuracy of forecasts, comparing different models against actual change over time.

News

"Social scientists look to AI models to study human behavior " - Axios article on the new Science perspective about AI-assisted social science research.
"Illeism: The ancient trick to help you think more wisely" - BBC coverage of the research on training wisdom-related meta-cognition via illeist journaling.
"Generative AI: A plagiarism machine, or a creator of equal opportunity?" - QS magazine interview on opportunities and perils of Gen AI for higher education.
"Psychologists find a mindset that can foster positive feelings amid interpersonal conflict" - Two longitudinal studies found evidence that using wise reasoning when thinking about an anticipated interpersonal conflict leads to better relational outcomes.
"How to show your project’s worth in social science and humanities research proposals" - University Affairs interview about tips for prospective grant applicants when writing a successful grant proposal in social sciences.
"Science of wisdom featured on ABC radio" - Amanda Vanstone from ABC's "Counterpoint" talks to Igor on the show about his latest AEON article on wisdom.