Lukas J. Wolf

I am a social psychology lecturer/assistant professor at the University of Bath since 2017.

My research focuses on human values (e.g., freedom, security) and I am particularly interested in value similarities. This work builds on my findings that individuals typically share values far more than they realise, even across entrenched group boundaries (e.g., US Republicans and Democrats), and shows that recognising these similarities has a range of positive ramifications, including improved social cohesion and reduced prejudice, pro-social behaviour, and higher well-being. This research has widespread practical relevance in the face of growing threats from societal crises (climate change, Covid-19) that urgently require citizens to see past their differences and coordinate their efforts around a common purpose.

A second line of my work focuses on adults’ attitudes and motivations towards children and teenagers; topics that past research has surprisingly ignored. One project has shown that the salience of children elicits broad pro-social motivation and behaviour in adults. For example, I found that when more children were present on a shopping street, adults were more likely to donate for a cause unrelated to children. This line of my work addresses important practical questions about the role of children and teenagers in society and the benefits of integrating them (e.g., in the workplace; child parliaments).