MORES

Image shows a woman holding a microphone and pointing her other forward. Title reads: "Moral Emotions to Defend Civil Society. Date: 10-12 September. Local: Online: Time: 10AM-12PM CET". Subtitle: Sign up on our website today. Credit: MORES/Colin Lloyd, Unsplash

Emotions move politics. But NGOs can learn to move people—ethically.

Join MORES’ FREE online Master Class (Sept 10–12) and learn how to:

✨ Activate emotions for good
🛡 Counter toxic manipulation
💪 Lead with resilience

Based on MORES research🧪

Apply by Aug 31: bit.ly/3UPiG7m

#CivilSociety #NGO

Photo shows an image of a white man covering his face, embarassed. Over it, the caption title reads: "(Don't) Fear the Bad Leader". An icon shows "Journal Article". Credit: MORES/Adobe Stock.

Another peer-reviewed article from MORES is out in Frontiers in Political Science🧪

Rudolf Metz debunks three myths on poor political leadership. It's not always a personality flaw; leadership, followers, and permissive environments contribute.

👉 mores-horizon.eu/publications
#leadership #emotions

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 stylised image of a man sitting on a couch, his hand covering his face in a gesture of emotional strain or contemplation. The lighting casts a warm, moody tone with deep shadows and a greenish-yellow backdrop. Abstract dark blue shapes overlay the frame, adding visual weight. In the lower left corner, a blue circular icon labeled “Glossary” accompanies bold white text that reads: “Guilt and the Politics of Moral Repair.” Photo: Nik Shuliahin/Unsplashed. Image: MORES.

Guilt arises from actions we think have harmed others. But it also shapes politics, from apologies to blame games. The new MORES glossary entry looks at this complex moral emotion & how politicians use (or avoid) it in public life.

Read more: mores-horizon.eu/glossary/guilt 🧪

Follow us for more🙏

Whether it's hope, anger, pride, or frustration, your emotions are powerful forces in shaping democracy. Through @mores-project.bsky.social, we're exploring how emotions influence public opinion and political decision-making across Europe.

🗣️ Share your perspective: crowdsourcing.ecas.org/en/Mores

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

💙Today on Emotion Awareness Day, we highlight the power of emotions in shaping democracy.

@mores-project.bsky.social @protemo.bsky.social @cidape.bsky.social ape.bsky.social‬ @encodemotion.bsky.social

#EmotionAwarenessDay #EmotionsInDemocracy

A close-up of a hand placing a smiley-face block in front of a neutral-face block, overlaid with abstract yellow and blue shapes. Text reads: “Let’s share our feelings about Europe! Submit your ideas by 31 August!” A megaphone icon appears beside the message. Credit: MORES.

Anger, pride, contempt—these moral emotions shape how we engage with politics.

🔍 We launched a crowdsourcing activity to learn how emotions affect your views on important EU policies.

Your opinion makes a difference. Have your say:

🔗https://mores-horizon.eu/news/have-your-say-about-eu-policies 🧪

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 extremist groups use emotion to shape online discourse?

On 20 May, MORES researcher Thomas Scherer hosts a discussion on how social media shapes Islamist and right-wing extremist narratives in Germany.

📍 Zoom
📧 Sign up: vcgms[at]listserv.dfn.de
🔗Programme: bit.ly/4kqgQVv

#Webinar

Two men (Konrad Berkowicz, Polish politician on the right) in suits are sitting in a funny, homemade Flintstones-style car—a barrel serves as the front wheel, and it has a fabric roof. Amused onlookers snapped photos as the scene unfolded on the city street. Photo Credit: Social Media Reproduction/ MORES.

🚨 New analysis!

To understand the narrative driving the radical right in Poland, start with the joke. And then look at the anger just beneath the laughter.

MORES co-investigator Artur Lipiński explains the strategy and emotions behind the Confederation's TikTok stunts.🧪

Learn more👉 bit.ly/4iVWJNO

👇🧪

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 smiling person with hands crossed over their chest in a gesture of gratitude, accompanied by the title: "Gratitude: A Moral Emotion that Connects." Credit Image: Fizkes. Credit composition: MORES.

We express gratitude when saying “thanks”. But it is also a moral emotion that reinforces prosocial behaviour.

Gratitude creates a sense of moral responsibility. The twist: it can draw the line between “us” & “them.”

💬 How do you experience gratitude in your community?

Learn more🧪👉 bit.ly/3Y0LnjP

MORES News - Introducing MORES: How Emotions Drive Politics Explore the MORES project, examining how emotions shape political unity and division in Europe. Discover the science for fostering productive political debates.

Thanks for sharing and reading our study! New research and tools coming soon to our site. Thanks for joining us on #Bluesky.

mores-horizon.eu/news/introdu...

#Emotions #Politics #Research #News #Democracy

A close-up of a hand pressing a smiling face block while a sad face block sits blurred in the background, accompanied by the title: “Can Flawed Democracies Seem Functional?” Image credit: Adobe Stock / iHumnoi

New MORES research finds that, in illiberal contexts, people with authoritarian tendencies actually believe democracy is doing better than it is—an illusion that can weaken democratic safeguards.

🧪Read the full study by Márton Hadarics and MORES co-investigator Péter Krekó: bit.ly/3EeP7aP

A person in a crowd holds up a booklet featuring a portrait of Viktor Orbán against a backdrop of blurred spectators. The image has a yellow overlay, and the text overlay reads "The Charismatic Leader’s Spell," indicating a blog post about political charisma and leadership influence. Photo credit: Social media reproduction.

🚨New MORES research!

Why do some political leaders inspire devotion while others are outright rejected?

Researchers Rudolf Metz & Bendegúz Plesz explore the links between emotional attachment, charismatic leadership, populist attitudes, and polarisation.

🧪 mores-horizon.eu/blog/the-cha...

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

Our first session featured a great presentation on political emotions by @isabellareb.bsky.social. Continuing that theme this week, @catherinebouko.bsky.social will discuss fascinating research on the expression of political emotions online.

Register here: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/c3b599...

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 protest scene with a yellow color overlay. A diverse group of people, including a person wearing sunglasses, a face mask, and a white t-shirt, hold signs. One prominent sign features a raised fist and the words 'NO JUSTICE NO PEACE.' A child in a hoodie and wearing a mask stands next to the person holding the sign. White bold text at the bottom reads: 'Can feelings shape our views on politics?

Many avoid political debates to escape conflict. But your emotions about politics can shape your community in powerful ways.

MORES Project Coordinator Zsolt Boda, Research Professor at HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, explains how—and what the project aims to uncover🧪

Read more: bit.ly/4kIRYJg

A portrait of Marta Azevedo Silva, a woman with long dark hair, wearing a light green blazer and black top, smiling at the camera. Below, a quote reads: "MORES will equip citizens with resources to recognise emotional political manipulation and engage critically with social media content." Her name and role as a MORES participant and Communications Manager at the European Citizen Action Service are also displayed.

📲 Why is the far right winning on TikTok?

They have mastered TikTok’s algorithm, using emotional, engaging, and divisive videos to mobilise voters—bypassing traditional media.

Marta Azevedo Silva's blog explains the implications for democracy.

Read more👉 bit.ly/43ky6WQ

@ecas-europe.bsky.social

A visual representation questioning "Is politics becoming more emotional?", with two persons debating passionately. Above the text, blue icon represents a publication, while a smaller text reads, "working paper". Credit: MORES project.

Emotions like joy & fear are increasingly shaping Hungarian politics.

Zsolt Boda & colleagues (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences) analysed millions of sentences from Hungarian parliamentary speeches.

They've found evidence of increasingly emotional debates since 1998🧪

Download: bit.ly/3QKCsPC

This programme by @psapolpsychology.bsky.social looks very interesting, with discussions exploring themes currently being examined by MORES. Starting this week! 👇

Thank you so much for adding us to the Science feed, @emmmilygz.bsky.social! We'll do it! With best wishes, from the MORES team.

MORES's co-investigator Péter Krekó has just published a paper with @authlibeu.bsky.social 🤝

His paper argues for rethinking propaganda & promoting digital literacy to counter disinformation. See below.

Stay tuned for Krekó’s upcoming papers with MORES and #AUTHLIB on #emotions & #illiberalism.

MORES - Home Explore MORES, a project studying how moral emotions in politics unite and divide society. See how research fosters dialogue and strengthens democracy.

Hello, Prof @emmmilygz.bsky.social! We'd love to be included in the Science 🧪 feed.

MORES (Moral Emotions in Politics: How They Unite, How They Divide) is an EU-funded project on a mission to explore how emotions affect democracy.

More information about us: mores-horizon.eu
Thank you!
MORES team