Research & Expertise

Life satisfaction is higher among those who engage in diverse leisure activities, researchers from HSE University have found. However, the specific types of activities people engage in are less important. The contribution of individual leisure activities to a sense of well-being accounts for no more than 2% of the variance. Only the diversity of leisure activities is significantly linked to overall life satisfaction and a sense of meaningful time usage. 

A unique approach to measuring human well-being has been developed at HSE University, opening up new opportunities for international collaboration. Russia and China, both of which have significantly reduced poverty in recent years, demonstrate a unique potential for joint efforts in this area. At an international forum in Kazan titled ‘SPROUTS: Russia and China–Mutually Beneficial Cooperation,’ HSE University representatives, including Vice Rector and initiator of the Human Capital Multidisciplinary Research Centre Lilia Ovcharova, and Deputy Vice Rector Maria Nagernyak, emphasised the importance of integrating the efforts of the two countries.

The importance of creative industries in driving economic development is undeniable today. Russian and foreign researchers came together at HSE University for the IIV International Academic Conference 'Creative Economy: Main Development Trends and State Policy' to discuss the factors and specific aspects shaping this field.

The IV International Scientific Conference "Interaction. Integration. Inclusion: labyrinths of meanings and horizons of possibilities" has recently concluded. This year, 17 sections and a round table meeting were organized, which brought together more than 400 participants interested in the study and development of socio-cultural integration from different countries and regions of Russia.

Meeting in April, the HSE Academic Council discussed the results achieved by the Human Capital Multidisciplinary Research Centre in 2020-2023 and its plans for the future. Lilia Ovcharova, HSE Vice Rector and initiator of the Human Capital Multidisciplinary Research Centre, presented an overview of the progress made, stating, in particular, that 25 subdivisions of HSE University are involved in the Centre's work and more than two thousand early-career researchers and students have been trained at the Centre. Rospatent (the Russian Federal Service for Intellectual Property Rights) has registered 22 intellectual property objects (IP objects) produced in the framework of the Centre's operation, and 28 educational products have been prepared by the Centre.

On October 7, a ‘People and Society’ thematic platform opened at HSE University’s Cultural Centre as part of the NAUKA 0+ science festival. Guests were able to explore the world of scientific discoveries and interesting experiments, as well as listen to a series of lectures from leading HSE experts.

Dementia, a debilitating form of cognitive impairment, can be preventable. According to Professor Jubin Abutalebi of the University Vita Salute San Raffaele, Italy, and the Arctic University of Tromsoe, Norway, the easiest way to prevent cognitive decline after the age of 60 is to learn and practice foreign languages – the more languages, the better, suggests Professor Abutalebi in his presentation 'Preventing dementia through bilingualism' at the XXIV Yasin (April) International Academic Conference.

In 2022, a HSE University department joined the ranks of UNESCO Futures Literacy Chairs. This builds on the work of the ISSEK International Research and Educational Foresight Centre, and the activity of the Human Capital Multidisciplinary Research Centre. Professor Alexander Sokolov, head of the new department, Director of the International Research and Educational Foresight Centre, and Deputy Director of HSE ISSEK, spoke about the establishment, aims and objectives of the UNESCO Chair on Future Studies.

From June 27 to 28, 2022, a Summer Neurolinguistic School was held, which is being held for the ninth time by the Center for Language and Brain of the Higher School of Economics. This year's topic was "Experimental studies of ethnic languages of Russia".

Inequality based on income, geography, gender, age, class and religion widens social gaps both within and between countries. During the XXIII Yasin (April) International Conference, experts discussed which dimensions of inequality have become especially important in the wake of the pandemic and the evolving economic crisis, and also examined how much more women work than men.