Vasily Klucharev
- Director :Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience
- Laboratory Head:Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience / International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology
- Programme Scientific Supervisor:Cognitive Sciences and Technologies: From Neuron to Cognition
- Tenured Professor (2016)
- Member of the HSE Academic Council
- Vasily Klucharev has been at HSE University since 2013.
Education and Degrees
- 2003
Candidate of Sciences* (PhD) in Neurobiology
Saint Petersburg State University
Thesis Title: Neurobiological mechanisms of emotions - 1994
Degree in Physiology
Saint Petersburg State University, Faculty of Biology
According to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 2011, Candidate of Sciences belongs to ISCED level 8 - "doctoral or equivalent", together with PhD, DPhil, D.Lit, D.Sc, LL.D, Doctorate or similar. Candidate of Sciences allows its holders to reach the level of the Associate Professor.
Student Term / Thesis Papers
- Bachelor
D. Balikoeva, Priming Influence on Human's Attention in Processing Neutral Information. Faculty of Social Sciences, 2020
M. Minaeva, Eye Tracking Study of Social Influence. Faculty of Social Sciences, 2020
P. Sivokhin, Eye tracking study of urban space: perception of internal courtyard during rental decision.. Faculty of Social Sciences, 2019
I. Morozova, A tDCS Study of Neural Mechanisms of Cognitive Dissonance. Faculty of Social Sciences, 2019
A. Kislov, A New Tool to Estimate Subjective Value Using EEG. Faculty of Social Sciences, 2017
E. Levchenko, EEG Markers of Emotional Reactions to Dynamic Visual Stimuluses. Faculty of Social Sciences, 2017
- Master
A. Kislov, Neuroforecasting of Consumer Choice. Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, 2019
E. Levchenko, Synchronization of Cortical EEG Signal During Natural Movie Viewing. Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, 2019
D. Kolotilova, Exploring the Role of Posterior Parietal Cortex in Risky Choice. Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, 2019
A. Ghambaryan, Cognitive Mechanisms of Social Influence: the Role of Motivation. Faculty of Social Sciences, 2018
E. Rybina, A study of Cognitive Dissonance Using Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation. Faculty of Social Sciences, 2018
M. Farshchi, The Impact of Positive Arousal on Memory Performance in Advertisements: Behavioral Effects and Neural Correlates. Faculty of Social Sciences, 2018
Courses (2017/2018)
- Career-oriented Seminar "Introduction to Psychology" (Bachelor’s programme; Faculty of Social Sciences; 1 year, 1, 2 module)Rus
- Introduction to Neuroeconomics (Mago-Lego; 3, 4 module)Eng
Courses (2016/2017)
- Career-oriented Seminar "Introduction to Psychology" (Bachelor’s programme; Faculty of Social Sciences; 1 year, 1, 2 module)Rus
- Introduction to Neuroeconomics (Mago-Lego; 3, 4 module)Eng
Courses (2015/2016)
- Decision Science and Neuroeconomics (Master’s programme; Faculty of Social Sciences; 2 year, 1, 2 module)Eng
- Introduction to Neuroeconomics (Mago-Lego; 3 module)Eng
Editorial board membership
2013: Member of the Editorial Board, Психология. Журнал Высшей школы экономики.
Conferences
- 2019Society for NeuroEconomics Conference 2019 (Dublin). Presentation: The N400 study of price perception
Society for NeuroEconomics Conference 2019 (Dublin). Presentation: Role of the rDLPFC in prosoc ial motivation and self maximization: rTMS study
Society for NeuroEconomics Conference 2019 (Dublin). Presentation: tDCS induced modulation of the feedback related negativity in the MID task
- 2018
Volga Neuroscience Meeting 2018 (Nizhny Novgorod). Presentation: Action in auctions: neural and computational learning mechanisms of repeated bidding
Volga Neuroscience Meeting 2018 (Nizhny Novgorod). Presentation: NEUROSCIENCE AND SOCIAL SCIENCE: THE GROWING LINK
- 2017Society for NeuroEconomics Conference 2017 (Toronto). Presentation: Fronto-parietal coupling of brain rhythms during third-party punishment
- Society for NeuroEconomics Conference 2017 (Toronto). Presentation: Short-term plas-c changes in the primary sensory cortex elicited by monetary
- Society for NeuroEconomics Conference 2017 (Toronto). Presentation: Transcranial magne-c s-mula-on of the right DLPFC modulates both risk aversion and probability weigh-ng
Publications40
- Article Gorin A., Krugliakova E., Nikulin V., Kuznetsova A., Moiseeva V., Klucharev V., Shestakova A. Cortical plasticity elicited by monetary losses: An ERP study // Scientific Reports. 2020. Vol. 10. No. 21161. P. 1-14. doi
- Article Jaaskelainen I., Klucharev V., Panidi K., Shestakova A. Neural Processing of Narratives: From Individual Processing to Viral Propagation // Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2020. Vol. 14. P. 253. doi
- Article Martinez-Saito M., Konovalov R., Piradov M. A., Shestakova A., Gutkin B., Klucharev V. Action in auctions: neural and computational mechanisms of bidding behaviour // European Journal of Neuroscience. 2019. Vol. 50. No. 8. P. 3327-3348. doi
- Article Yaple Z., Martinez-Saito M., Shestakova A., Klucharev V., Panidi K. Depletion of executive control during risky decision making reveals a correspondence between the reflection effect and trial-by-trial strategy formation // Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatelnosti Imeni I.P. Pavlova. 2019. Vol. 69. No. 4. P. 456-464. doi
- Article Krugliakova E., Gorin A., Fedele T., Shtyrov Y., Moiseeva V., Klucharev V., Shestakova A. The Monetary Incentive Delay (MID) Task Induces Changes in Sensory Processing: ERP Evidence // Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2019. Vol. 13. No. 382. P. 1-12. doi
- Article Zinchenko O., Belianin A. V., Klucharev V. The Role of the Temporoparietal and Prefrontal Cortices in a Third-Party Punishment: A tDCS Study // Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics. 2019. Vol. 16. No. 3. P. 529-550. doi
- Article Krugliakova E., Klucharev V., Fedele T., Kuznetsova A., Gorin A., Shestakova A. Correlation of cue-locked FRN and feedback-locked FRN in the auditory monetary incentive delay task // Experimental brain research. 2018. Vol. 236. No. 1. P. 141-151. doi
- Article Yaple Z., Shestakova A., Klucharev V. Feedback-related negativity reflects omission of monetary gains: Evidence from ERP gambling study // Neuroscience Letters. 2018. Vol. 886. P. 145-149. doi
- Chapter Rybina E., Colosio M., Klucharev V. Influence of cathodal and anodal tDCS of the pMFC on choice-induced preference changes, in: Восьмая международная конференция по когнитивной науке: тезисы докладов. М. : Институт психологии РАН, 2018. P. 893-895.
- Article Colosio M., Rybina E., Shestakova A., Klucharev V. Neural Mechanisms of Post-Decisional Spreading of Alternatives // Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics. 2018. Vol. 15. No. 3. P. 606-614. doi
- Article Yaple Z., Martinez-Saito M., Novikov N., Altukhov D., Shestakova A., Klucharev V. Power of Feedback-Induced Beta Oscillations Reflect Omission of Rewards: Evidence From an EEG Gambling Study // Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2018. Vol. 18. P. 1-11. doi
- Preprint Colosio M., Rybina E., Shestakova A., Klucharev V. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Of The Medial Frontal Cortex Modulates Choice-Induced Preference Changes / Издательский дом НИУ ВШЭ. Series WP BRP "PSYCHOLOGY". 2018. doi
- Book Ключарев В. А., Никогосян К. С. Зеленая инфраструктура городской среды: современное состояние и перспективы развития: Сборник статей II международной научнопрактической конференции. ООО "Конверт", 2018.
- Article Зинченко О. О., Белянин А. В., Ключарев В. А. Нейробиологические механизмы поддержания социальной нормы справедливости: обзор междисциплинарных исследований // Журнал высшей нервной деятельности им. И.П. Павлова. 2018. Т. 68. № 1. С. 16-27.
- Preprint Nedelko A., Лупова О. А., Gorin A., Kuznetsova A., Klucharev V., Shestakova A. AN ANALYSIS OF BRAND ASSOCIATION PERCEPTION USING N400 EVOKED POTENTIAL / Издательский дом НИУ ВШЭ. Series WP BRP "PSYCHOLOGY". 2017. No. 77.
- Article Zinchenko O., Klucharev V. Commentary: The Emerging Neuroscience of Third-Party Punishment // Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2017. No. 11. P. 1-3. doi
- Article Zubarev I., Shestakova A., Klucharev V., Ossadtchi A., Moiseeva V. MEG Signatures of a Perceived Match or Mismatch between Individual and Group Opinions. // Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2017. Vol. 10. No. 11. P. 1-9. doi
- Chapter Rybina E., Colosio M., Klucharev V. Modulation of choice-induced preference changes using tDCS, in: Когнитивная наука в Москве: новые исследования. Материалы конференции 15 июня 2017 г. Буки Веди, 2017. P. 462-466.
- Article Colosio M., Shestakova A., Nikulin V., Evgeny Blagovechtchenski, Klucharev V. Neural mechanisms of cognitive dissonance (revised): An EEG study // Journal of Neuroscience. 2017. Vol. 37. No. 20. P. 5074-5083. doi
- Article Yaple Z., Martinez-Saito M., Feurra M., Shestakova A., Klucharev V. Transcranial alternating current stimulation modulates risky decision making in a frequency controlled experiment // eNeuro. 2017. P. 1-10. doi
- Article Ключарев В. А. Свобода воли: Нейроэкономический подход // Журнал высшей нервной деятельности им. И.П. Павлова. 2017. Т. 67. № 6 (in press)
- Chapter Zinchenko O., Klucharev V. Neurobiological mechanisms of social punishment, in: Materials of the IEEE International Symposium «Video and Audio Signal Processing in the Context of Neurotechnologies». СПб. : ООО "Издательство ВВМ", 2016. P. 47-49.
- Article Huber R., Klucharev V., Joerg R. Neural correlates of informational cascades: brain mechanisms of social influence on belief updating // Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 2015. Vol. 10. No. 4. P. 589-597. doi
- Chapter Shestakova A., Klucharev V. Social Influence and Persuasion and Message Propagation, in: Brain Mapping: An Encyclopedic Reference. San Diego : Academic Press, 2015. doi
- Chapter Klucharev V., Shestakova A. Social Influence and Persuasion and Message Propagation. Brain Mapping: An Encyclopedic Reference. Academic Press, 2015.Academic Press: Elsevier, 2015; ISBN: 978-0-12-397025-1, in: Brain Mapping: An Encyclopedic Reference. San Diego : Academic Press, 2015. P. 251-257. doi
- Book V Международная научная конференция «Психология индивидуальности»: сборник материалов / Сост.: А. С. Елисеенко; под общ. ред.: В. Д. Шадриков, В. А. Ключарев, Д. А. Леонтьев, Е. Б. Старовойтенко, А. К. Болотова, И. Н. Семенов, В. П. Серкин, А. В. Россохин, А. Н. Татарко, Б. В. Чернышев, В. А. Штроо, Н. Ю. Новицкий, О. Н. Молчанова, А. С. Елисеенко, С. С. Кургинян. М. : Литературное агентство "Университетская книга", 2015.
- Preprint Zubarev I., Ossadtchi A., Klucharev V., Shestakova A. MEG signature of social conformity: evidence from evoked and induced responses. / Центр Нейроэкономики и когнититвных исследований. Series 1 "1". 2014.
- Article Hytönen K., Baltussen G., van den Assem M. J., Klucharev V., Sanfey A. G., Smidts A. Path Dependence in Risky Choice: Affective and Deliberative Processes in Brain and Behavior // Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. 2014. Vol. 107. P. 566-581. doi
- Article Ключарев В. А., Зубарев И. П., Шестакова А. Н. Нейробиологические механизмы социального влияния // Экспериментальная психология. 2014. Т. 7. № 4. С. 20-36.
- Article Shestakova A., Rieskamp J., Tugin S., Krutitskaya J., Klucharev V., Ossadtchi A. Electrophysiological precursors of social conformity // Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 2013. Vol. 8. No. 7. P. 756-763.
- Chapter Zubarev I., Shestakova A., Klucharev V., Ossadtchi A. MEG study of social conformity, in: The 19th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM), June 16-20, 2013 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle, WA, USA. Сиэттл : [б.и.], 2013.
- Chapter Shestakova A., Klucharev V., Zubarev I., Ossadtchi A. Resting state brain activity predicts individuals’ conformity, in: Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, November 9-13, 2013, San Diego, California. San Diego : , 2013.
- Chapter Zubarev I., Shestakova A., Ossadtchi A., Rieskamp J., Klucharev V. The modification of judgments in a group situation: MEG correlates of conformity, in: Society for Neuroeconomics Annual Meeting, 27-29 September at EPFL, 2013, Lausanne, Switzerland. Lausanne : , 2013.
- Article Klucharev V., Munneke M., Smidts A., Fernandez G. Downregulation of the posterior medial frontal cortex prevents social conformity // Journal of Neuroscience. 2011. Vol. 31. No. 33. P. 11934-11940.
- Article Ключарев В. А., Шмидтс А., Шестакова А. Н. Нейроэкономика: нейробиология принятия решений // Экспериментальная психология. 2011. Т. 4. № 2. С. 14-35.
- Article Stallen M., Smidts A., Rijpkema M., Smit G., Klucharev V. Celebrities and shoes on the female brain: The neural correlates of product evaluation in the context of fame // Journal of Economic Psychology. 2010. Vol. 31. No. 5. P. 802-811.
- Article Klucharev V., Hytonen K., Rijpkema M., Smidts A., Fernandez G. Reinforcement learning signal predicts social conformity // Neuron. 2009. Vol. 61. No. 1. P. 140-151.
- Article Klucharev V., Smidts A., Fernandez G. Brain mechanisms of persuasion: how 'expert power' modulates memory and attitudes // Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. 2008. Vol. 3. No. 4. P. 353-366.
- Article Alexandrov Y., Klucharev V., Sams M. Effect of emotional context in auditory-cortex processing. // International Journal of Psychophysiology. 2007. Vol. 65. No. 3. P. 261-271.
- Article Klucharev V., Möttönen R., Sams M. Electrophysiological indicators of phonetic and non-phonetic multisensory interactions during audiovisual speech perception. // Brain Research. 2003. Vol. 18. No. 1. P. 65-75.
Field of studies/research
Neuroeconomics; social, emotional and cognitive neuroscience
Methods: fMRI, EEG, depth and scalp ERP, TMS, MEG
Educаtion and sciеntific activity
1994 High School Diploma
Major: Physiologist, Dept. of Higher Nervous Activity, Faculty of Biology, Saint Petersburg State University, Russia
1996 – 2000 Postgraduate student of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of the Human Brain, Saint Petersburg, Russia
12.06.2000 PhD in Neuroscience, Saint Petersburg State University
Thesis Title: Neurobiological mechanisms of emotions.
Supervisor: Dr Prof. Natalia Bechtereva, Full Member of the Academy of Russian Sciences, MD
2000 – 2004 Researcher (Postdoc) at Helsinki University of Technology, Lab. of ComputationalEngineering
2004 – 2009 Researcher at Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (Nijmegen) and Erasmus Research Institute Management (Rotterdam)
from 2009 – senior researcher and lecturer at the University of Basel, Economic Psychology Group
from 2013 – Dean of the Faculty of Psychology at the Higher School of Economics
Professional activities and societies
- Member, Society for Neuroeconomics
- Member, Society for Neuroscience
- Invited reviewer, Psychological Science
- Invited reviewer, Neuron
- Invited reviewer, Social Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience
- Invited reviewer, Frontiers Neuroscience
- Invited reviewer, Human Brain Mapping
- Invited reviewer, Neuroimage
Major Funds
- Saint Petersburg State University’s grant for innovative multidisciplinary research on decision making: Psychological and neural mechanisms . RUB 15.000.000, 2012-2015
- FACI (Federal Agency for Science and Innovation, Russia), 2012-2013. 2-year project grant: MEG study of social influence. RUB 1 800 000. 2012-2013.
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) New light on Social Influence: Psychological and neural mechanisms CHF 200 000. 2011-2013
- FACI (Federal Agency for Science and Innovation, Russia), 2-year grant: Neuroscience of social influence. RUB 1 500 000. 2010-2011.
- European Commission Tempus IV programme, 2010.€ 984 000. Co-applicants: K. Kaila, (Helsinki U)., I. Pavlov (UCL), A. Shestakova (St. Petersburg U.), Y. Shtyrov (MRC CBU) et al.
- Postgraduate training network in biotechnology of neurosciences: 4-year project grant, 2010-2013.
- European Commission Tempus III programme, 2010.€ 500 000. Co-applicants: I. Pavlov (UCL), A. Shestakova (St. Petersburg U.), Y. Shtyrov (MRC CBU) et al. English Speaking Master Program in Neuroscience at S-Petersburg University, Russia 3-year project grant, 2004-2007.
'Going to HSE Seemed Like a Great Way to Pursue My Interests’
September 4, 2019 was a day of firsts for the School of Psychology and the Centre for Cognition and Decision Making. Zachary Yaple, who was born in the United States and grew up in England, defended his dissertation, 'Neurophysiological Correlates of Risky Decision-Making'. His defense marked the first PhD to be prepared at the Centre for Cognition and Decision Making and the first PhD to be awarded to an international student by the Doctoral School of Psychology.
HSE to Participate in Moscow Urban Forum
The Moscow Urban Forum will take place from July 17 to 22 at Zaryadye Park. This year’s topic is ‘Megacity of the Future: New Space for Living’. HSE representatives will participate in the forum’s expert discussions.
HSE Opens New Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience
The new institute is headed by Vasily Klucharev, a professor at the Higher School of Economics, who previously worked as Head of the School of Psychology. Vasily Klucharev told the HSE news team about what the School managed to achieve in four years, what the new institute will do and how attitudes towards psychology and neuroscience are changing.
'Other Cities' Book Available for Hospice Donation
On its 25th anniversary, HSE has published a book - Other Cities - a collection of stories by the University’s staff about over 80 cities throughout Russia and the rest of the world, where the authors used to live and work, and which directly contributed to their personal and academic paths. The book won’t be on sale, but we will give it to you by making a donation to a hospice.
Coursera: 'Over 70% of Those Who Enrol in HSE's Online Courses Are Outside of Russia'
A team of specialists from the educational platform Coursera visited the Higher School of Economics for the first time ever this April. The group was made up of Coursera’s Regional Manager Inessa Roman-Pogorzhelskaya, Content Partnerships Manager Nathan Hite, and Teaching & Learning Specialist Alexandra Urban, and during their time at the university they met with HSE Vice Rector Sergey Roshchin, Online Learning Director Evgeny Kulik, and staff from the eLearning Office. The two teams discussed Coursera’s development strategy, as well as HSE’s future cooperation with the online platform.
'Sooner or Later, Someone Needed to Write a Manual for Self-management'
Anton Zainiev and Daria Varlamova, recent HSE graduates, have written a popular science book This is Crazy! A guidebook of psychological disorders for a big city resident. The authors told us why an urban resident needs to understand how their head works, how journalism can be turned into a non-fiction book, and why bipolar disorder seems fashionable. Anton and Daria also told us how and why they decided to write the book.
New Tenured Professors at HSE
On April 29, 2016 at the Academic Council meeting 25 HSE Professors were conferred the status of Tenured Professor.
Neuroscientists Know How Much You’re Willing to Pay for Something
A project developed by a group of three HSE psychology students received the award for best biotech project at the Entrepreneurial Breakthrough of the Year competition held by the Skolkovo Moscow Business School. A grant to study at Skolkovo was awarded to Andrei Kislov, Egor Levchenko, and Egor Selivanov for their work on neuromarketing technology that determines the subjective cost of a good based on electroencephalographs.
Discover Neuroeconomics, Key Science of the Coming Decades
On 17th October the HSE School of Psychology is holding Welcome Lab Day as a continuation of the Nauka O+ festival. Head of School Vasily Klucharev talks to us about what will be on display, which areas of psychology are most popular today and whether it is possible to use brain stimulation to make people conform.
HSE Takes Part in Nationwide Science Festival NAUKA 0+
It’s become fashionable to take an interest in science and research, and there are lots of researchers and academics at HSE who do in addition to carrying out research are gifted enough to be able to explain it in an engaging way to other people. You can meet them and learn about the latest research breakthroughs at the NAUKA 0+ festival, which gets underway in Moscow on October 9. Here’s an outline of what HSE offers as part of NAUKA 0+.
HSE — Mapping the Brain's Potential
Can the brain be linked directly to the computer? What areas of the brain are involved in speech recognition? What impacts on decision-making and how to other people influence this process? Can you calculate people's inclination to take risks? Participants in the 'Cognitive Control, Communication and Perception: Psychological and Neurobiological Aspects' conference, which took place September 29-30, 2015 at the Center for Neuro-economics and Cognitive Research at HSE.
9
lectures will be delivered by HSE scholars at Gorky Park as part of HSE Day. Lectures will be delivered in both Russian and English.
HSE Hosting Workshop on the Neurobiology of Social Influence
On August 30th and 31st, the Higher School of Economics is hosting the first international workshop on the neurobiology of social influence. The event is being organised by the HSE Centre for Cognition & Decision Making.
Vasily Klucharev: ‘Our Brain Identifies Losing Money and Standing out from the Crowd as Catastrophes’
There are numerous ways of impacting people’s decisions, you can convince, intimidate, hypnotise, or use particular tools on certain parts of the brain. Why do scientists do this and what do these experiments show? Vasily Klucharev, Head of HSE’s School of Psychology answers questions posed by Olga Orlova, who hosts the Hamburg Score programme on Russia’s Public Television Channel.
HSE Scholars Co-author International Encyclopaedia of the Brain
HSE Scholars Co-author International Encyclopaedia of the Brain Vasily Klucharev, Leading Research Fellow at the HSE Centre for Cognition & Decision Making, and Anna Shestakova, Director of the Centre, have become co-authors of a chapter in ‘Brain Mapping’, a three-volume encyclopaedic collection.
Global Expert to Speak on Advances in Neuroeconomics
On March 25, Samuel McClure, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, will give a lecture called ‘Neuroeconomics: Cognitive and Neural Processes in Delay Discounting’ at HSE. Samuel McClure recently agreed to speak with the HSE news service about his research and what he aims to accomplish in terms of collaboration with specialists at HSE.
The Brain Values Individuals' Own Information
When people have a choice, they can either rely on their own information or on that received from those around them. The more emotional an individual's relationship with their own data, the higher the likelihood that, when making a decision, they will be led by that rather than by other people's opinions. This also applies to investors' activity on the financial markets – as research by HSE Psychology Faculty Dean Vasily Klyucharev, and researchers from the University of Basel Rafael Huber and Jörg Rieskamp
Smart Guys Turning to Online Courses
Will internet education replace traditional universities? Where are lectures harder to give – in the classroom or in front of the camera? Would George Clooney be convincing in the role of a real teacher? The Dean of the HSE’s Faculty of Psychology Vasily Klyucharev, who conducts a neuroeconomics course on Coursera, provides answers to these questions.
HSE Postgraduate Students in Psychology to Conduct World-Class Psychophysiological Research
This year the Postgraduate School of Psychology will admit 10 individuals for state-funded spots. Those selected will attend courses that correspond with their areas of academic interest and work in laboratories using the most modern equipment.
Our New Master’s Programme Will Help You Become a Specialist in Cognitive Psychology and Neurobiology
From June 1 to August 15 the HSE will be accepting applications from Russian citizens for the English language Master’s programme ‘Cognitive sciences: from neurons to cognition’ (international students can file applications at any time until July 15). A competition for funded places is open to students with a wide variety of specialisations and will be judged on their portfolios.
Our Brain Is Highjacked by the Herd Mentality
The fact – well known to political consultants – that people tend to go along with the crowd can be explained by a brain mechanism which has helped our survival as a species. Every time we differ from others, our brain responds by triggering an 'error signal', causing us to change our opinion in favour of the majority, reveals a study by Vasily Klucharev