Wisdom

Picture © 2025, Dana Samson

There is a broad consensus in the literature that what makes wisdom unique is the combination of metacognitive reasoning processes—such as the ability to consider multiple perspectives, intellectual curiosity and humility, and cognitive flexibility—with a strong moral foundation, including an orientation toward the common good, self-transcendence, and ethical rigor.

Building on our extensive experience in studying perspective-taking and moral cognition, we have initiated a new line of research aimed at exploring the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying wisdom. More specifically, we are interested in how wisdom influences decision-making, how it can be fostered, and how we recognize wisdom in others' advice.