Pride wins engagement in Hungary. Fails in Germany.
Stalls in Poland.
In a new analysis, MORES researcher Gabriella Szabó compares the three countries across two EP campaigns—and explains the risk of a “hubristic shift” when pride fuses with grievance and anger.
📊 bit.ly/4bXZ3Cb
#MORESresearch 🧪
Viktor Orban and Peter Magyar, wearing suits, stand at an auditorium of the European Parliament in 2024. Overlaid text introduces an analysis titled ‘When Fear Meets Hope’, by the EU-funded Horizon Europe MORES project. Image credit: Philippe Buissin/ EP/ EU
In Hungary, politics has long been structured by fear, resentment, and division. But a new challenger—Péter Magyar—is shifting the emotional logic of the game ahead of general elections in April.
Can he rewrite the emotional logic of Hungarian politics? 🧪
🧵
#MORESresearch #HorizonEurope #emotions
A woman holding a megaphone against a purple background, with the text ‘From Narrative to Norm’ and a MORES Horizon Project Glossary label. Image credit: Adobe Stock. Composition: MORES Project.
Some actors decide what is 'wrong'.
Moral entrepreneurs shape what societies see as acceptable by framing behaviours as moral problems, often through highly emotional narratives.
Our new analysis explores what Donald Trump and others have in common.🧪
🔗 bit.ly/4bvoMC4
#MORESresearch #AcademicSky
A young woman with long hair covers part of her face with her hand while smiling shyly, suggesting embarrassment. The image includes the text: ‘Embarrassment: When Political Identity Slips’ and a MORES glossary icon. Image credit: Tabitha Turner via Unsplash. Composition by MORES.
Embarrassment emerges when the identity we meant to project slips in plain sight.
In everyday life, it helps repair social norms. In politics, the emotion can be amplified to question credibility or authenticity. 🧪
Read more: bit.ly/40rdZDI
#MORESresearch #PoliticalCommunication
A woman stands against a white wall, wearing a long-sleeve mustard-yellow shirt and dark trousers, holding a smartphone in both hands and smiling. Bold text on the image reads: “Newsletter: Teaching AI to Read Human Emotion,” with a white speech bubble icon, small in size, positioned above the text within a yellow circle. The background features abstract gray shapes symbolising MORES's quotation mark icon. Photo: Adobe Stock; composition: MORES project.
The latest MORES newsletter is now live on our website.
Featuring our new AI tool, MORES Pulse, which detects emotions in text—plus an exclusive interview with the researchers behind it and open-access publications from our teams.
🔗Read + subscribe🧪: mores-horizon.eu/newsletter
#MORESresearch #AI
When far-right groups say “freedom,” what do they mean?
New article by MORES researcher Péter Krekó in the "Brown Journal of World Affairs" shows how authoritarian populists weaponise liberty to undermine democracy—and how freedom can be reclaimed.
Read: bit.ly/47NpiJE
#MORESresearch #Populism🧪
Can moral emotions help address polarization, or do they make it worse? 🤔
🎙️ In our latest podcast, Zsolt Boda discusses @mores-project.bsky.social exploring moralized political identities and democratic trust.
🎧 Listen to it here:
👉 tinyurl.com/2tteujsv
#MORESresearch
A portrait-style image featuring Bendegúz Plesz, a man in a brown blazer and striped shirt against a neutral background. Below the portrait, a quote is displayed in white text on a black background with blue quotation marks: "Polarisation is not only personal—it is structural. It reshapes institutions, media, and participation in ways that systematically weaken democratic accountability." The quote is attributed to Bendegúz Plesz, MORES researcher at ELTE Centre for Social Sciences. Credit: MORES.
A square graphic with a blue background featuring a Veronika Patkos, a woman dressed in a white shirt. A quote in white text and abstract white quotes are placed below. The quote itself reads: "Whether comparing countries or looking within them, the pattern is the same: higher polarisation goes hand in hand with weaker democratic accountability." The quote is attributed to Veronika Pathós, MORES researcher at ELTE Centre for Social Sciences. Credit: MORES.
A square graphic featuring a quote in white text on a blue background with abstract white quotation marks. The quote itself reads: "Our study shows that polarisation itself—through institutions, media, and participation—weakens democratic accountability even when partisanship is considered." The quote is attributed to Veronika Pathós, MORES researcher at ELTE Centre for Social Sciences. The design is minimalist, emphasizing the message with subtle visual accents. Credit: MORES.
New MORES study of 28 European democracies finds: higher polarisation weakens democratic accountability. As divisions grow, accountability further declines.🧪
Read more and download the study:
📖mores-horizon.eu/blog/when-democracy-erod...
#MORESresearch #Democracy
Just launched: MORES Pulse, a free, research-based AI tool that reveals emotions hidden in text.
Perfect for researchers, journalists, communicators & anyone curious about how emotions drive narratives.🧪
Learn more: bit.ly/4nsLvU9
#MORESresearch #AI #TechForGood #HorizonEU #emotions
#Tools
Can fiction teach us something real about politics? 🎬
MORES researcher @tscher.bsky.social at @viadrina.eu analyses 3 European TV shows—and explains how their protagonists turn anger into inclusive governance.🧪
▶️ Full explainer: bit.ly/47ErSmT
#MORESresearch #Populism #TVseries #Democracy
Smiling young woman with curly hair and eyes closed, radiating joy while raising her hand, overlaid with bold text that reads: “Joy. Pleasant, Powerful, and Political.” Credit: MORES project.
Joy is short-lived—but it forms lasting memories and can be deeply social.
We explore how joy strengthens group identity and brings people together in moments of political meaning. 🧪
Learn why joy matters for democracy: mores-horizon.eu/glossary/joy
#MORESresearch #Emotions #Society #HorizonEU
From #AnimalCrossing protests to #Pride parades in @worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com, political life is entering the metaverse.
Read about civic participation in virtual worlds—& stay tuned for a MORES experiment👉 mores-horizon.eu/blog/avatars...
@gameinsociety.bsky.social #MORESresearch #emotions🧪
📖 Read more about Assya Kavrakova and the ECAS team in our experts page: mores-horizon.eu/experts/assy...
#collaboration #teamwork #research #socialimpact #citizenengagement #crowdsourcing #survey #MORESresearch #emotions #politics #citizenship #policymaking #HorizonEurope @ecas-europe.bsky.social
Portrait of Assya Kavrakova, a woman with medium-length dark hair and a calm expression, standing against a plain light background. She wears a black top and gazes slightly to the side. Below her image is a black panel featuring a quote in white italicized text: “Democracy is much more than voting! It is about making citizens heard between elections. Our work in MORES contributes to that” — Assya Kavrakova, Executive Director & MORES Team Leader at ECAS. Three abstract blue speech-bubble-like shapes appear just below her neckline, adding a visual element that suggests dialogue or civic engagement. Credit: MORES. 🧪
Citizens shape policy! 🇪🇺
Meet Assya Kavrakova of @ecas-europe.bsky.social, a MORES partner working to amplify citizen voices in EU policymaking.
She and her team launched a survey to gather our views on war, climate, and more.
Join in: crowdsourcing.ecas.org/en/Mores
#MORESresearch #EUPolicy
A man with a scrunched face and furrowed brow expresses disgust, holding one hand up in a defensive gesture. He wears a textured orange sweater against a vibrant purple background, overlaid with abstract yellow and pink shapes. The image includes the text: “Glossary – Disgust: A Universal Emotion of Aversion” in bold white lettering. Image: MORES/ Photo: Adobe Stock.
New glossary post from MORES: Disgust.
This moral emotion evolved from food aversion to social condemnation. While it builds cohesion, it can also exclude others.
Explore how disgust shapes public norms and politics.
🧪🔗 mores-horizon.eu/glossary/dis...
#Science #MoralEmotions #MORESresearch
Anger, pride, fear. Moral emotions shape today’s politics. On Standard Time of @eurozine.bsky.social, researchers Boda, Szabó & Salmela from MORES and @pledge-project.bsky.social explore case studies—and why emotions matter.
📻 Watch: mores-horizon.eu/videos
#MORESresearch #Politics #Emotions
How do EU policies make you feel?
Colleagues from @mores-project.bsky.social project want your opinion on how key EU policies affect you.
Take part in their crowdsourcing effort and ensure your voice is heard!
➡️ crowdsourcing.ecas.org/en/Mores
#MORESresearch #PROTEMO #Emotions #Politics
The image shows researcher Gabriella Szabó, wearing glasses, a grey-blue scarf, and a light grey sweater, smiling at the camera. Below her image, a caption reads: "Moral-emotional expressions in politics are a double-edged sword, capable of uniting and dividing us. Our research helps uncover their influence on politics, society, and democracy". Below the quote, her credentials are given: "Gabriella Szabó, Senior Researcher at HUN-REN CSS and Deputy Principal Investigator of the MORES project". Credit: MORES.
Politicians often speak to our hearts.
Gabriella Szabó, deputy PI of MORES, is studying how political actors use emotional language to steer public discourse—and how that shapes our moral judgments.
👉 mores-horizon.eu/experts/gabr...
#MORESresearch #Emotions #Politics #Collaboration #HorizonEU
A group of people from the MORES project is seated around a U-shaped conference table in a meeting room at the Florence School of Transnational Governance in Florence, Italy. The participants, some using laptops and taking notes, engage in discussion while a presenter speaks. A large screen displays the institution’s name and logo. The room has a modern design, contrasting with the ornate Renaissance-style frescoed ceiling featuring classical figures and decorative elements. Bottles of water, papers, and name tags are scattered across the table.
🚀 Mid-Term MORES Meeting in Italy 🇮🇹
Our team gathered at the European University Institute to reflect on our research on moral emotions in politics—progress, challenges, and what’s ahead.
Exciting work ahead and preliminary results to share. Stay tuned!
#MORESresearch #science #horizoneu
Check out our sister project @protemo.bsky.social’s video on how it studies emotions and politics.
MORES and PROTEMO are studying this topic from multiple perspectives.
#MORESresearch #politics #science
A blue background with abstract curved shapes in different shades of blue. A small yellow circle with an 'i' icon is in the bottom left, next to the word 'GLOSSARY.' Large white text reads: 'When politics becomes too emotional.'
Moral outrage. Identity wars. Political disengagement creates a vacuum that extremists & populists fill, using moral emotions to divide rather than solve policy issues.
Read more on "overemotionalisation" in politics—and what it means for democracy: bit.ly/3Ftioia
#MORESresearch #CivicEngagement
A black background with a blue bar at the top. White bold text reads: 'How sympathy powers social change.' Below, white text states: 'Solidarity movements, such as those for civil rights, gender equality, or refugee rights, often begin with sympathy for victims of oppression or human rights violations.' To the right, there is a photograph of a protest scene where people are raising their hands, and a person holds a megaphone.
MORES explores the moral dimensions of emotions and their societal impacts. If you sympathise with those angry about politics, discover why sympathy, the most overlooked emotion of the quarter in our glossary, deserves a closer look.
Learn more: 🔗 bit.ly/3QF0qLU
#MORESresearch #socialimpact
A blue background with a single quotation mark in a lighter shade of blue. A yellow circular icon with an 'i' is labelled 'GLOSSARY.' Below it, white bold text reads: 'Can anger, pride, or fear turn moral – and become a trigger for political action?
What is the influence of moral emotions on politics—and democracy?
MORES is publishing plain-language glossaries explaining scientific terms related to morality and emotions to make our research accessible.
🤔 What's the most popular entry right now?
#MORESresearch #Politics #Emotions
How do emotions shape democracy?
Meet Zsolt Boda, MORES's coordinator. He studies how moral emotions influence public trust—and how politicians use them to persuade you.
📽️ Watch the video.
❇️Explore Boda's expertise: 🔗 bit.ly/4ifC33a
#MORESresearch #emotions #socialimpact #politics #research
