Ido Shalev
@idoshal.bsky.social
Assistant Research Professor at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge. Trained in clinical psychology, studying transdiagnostic approaches to mental health. #empathy #uncertainty #rstats enthusiast. Curious about most things 😊
Pinned
Ido Shalev
@idoshal.bsky.social
· Jun 8
🧘 New preprint!
Can the way we experience empathy shift?
We found 10 mins of mindfulness for 10 days nudged people towards a more balanced empathic state, narrowing the gap between emotional & cognitive empathy. Surprisingly, the shift wasn't driven by emotional reactivity.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Can the way we experience empathy shift?
We found 10 mins of mindfulness for 10 days nudged people towards a more balanced empathic state, narrowing the gap between emotional & cognitive empathy. Surprisingly, the shift wasn't driven by emotional reactivity.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Reposted by Ido Shalev
We are launching the Diverse Grief Blog today! This blog provides a forum for exploring the diversity and complexity of grief.
Our inaugural post is written by Tanya Evans and explores the complex relationship of family stories, grief, and the meaning of life. #philsky #grief
diverse-grief.com
Our inaugural post is written by Tanya Evans and explores the complex relationship of family stories, grief, and the meaning of life. #philsky #grief
diverse-grief.com
Diverse Grief
diverse-grief.com
September 17, 2026 at 2:42 AM
We are launching the Diverse Grief Blog today! This blog provides a forum for exploring the diversity and complexity of grief.
Our inaugural post is written by Tanya Evans and explores the complex relationship of family stories, grief, and the meaning of life. #philsky #grief
diverse-grief.com
Our inaugural post is written by Tanya Evans and explores the complex relationship of family stories, grief, and the meaning of life. #philsky #grief
diverse-grief.com
Reposted by Ido Shalev
📜 Out now: ‘Towards a genetics of mental disorders as complex dynamical systems’
After 2 years of work with @michelnivard.bsky.social & @ludvigdb.bsky.social
We outline a roadmap to align behavioural genetics with novel dynamic theories of mental disorders
A thread 🧵
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
After 2 years of work with @michelnivard.bsky.social & @ludvigdb.bsky.social
We outline a roadmap to align behavioural genetics with novel dynamic theories of mental disorders
A thread 🧵
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
September 17, 2026 at 9:43 AM
📜 Out now: ‘Towards a genetics of mental disorders as complex dynamical systems’
After 2 years of work with @michelnivard.bsky.social & @ludvigdb.bsky.social
We outline a roadmap to align behavioural genetics with novel dynamic theories of mental disorders
A thread 🧵
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
After 2 years of work with @michelnivard.bsky.social & @ludvigdb.bsky.social
We outline a roadmap to align behavioural genetics with novel dynamic theories of mental disorders
A thread 🧵
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Reposted by Ido Shalev
Pretty excited to have just published our latest video, a clinical case example using HiTOP. This was a team effort with the Clinical Translation Workgroup, but very much led by the brilliant @tashtc.bsky.social ✨
We hope it might be useful, and are keen to hear any feedback!
youtu.be/Hl6bA4roCNU
We hope it might be useful, and are keen to hear any feedback!
youtu.be/Hl6bA4roCNU
HiTOP Case Example
YouTube video by HiTOP
youtu.be
September 14, 2026 at 10:03 AM
Pretty excited to have just published our latest video, a clinical case example using HiTOP. This was a team effort with the Clinical Translation Workgroup, but very much led by the brilliant @tashtc.bsky.social ✨
We hope it might be useful, and are keen to hear any feedback!
youtu.be/Hl6bA4roCNU
We hope it might be useful, and are keen to hear any feedback!
youtu.be/Hl6bA4roCNU
Reposted by Ido Shalev
🚨 8 months after, this paper found its home at Science Advances. We came up with a generative brain network model based on game theory and found that the human brain is suboptimal both in terms of wiring cost and communication efficiency. Here's why:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
September 2, 2026 at 6:32 PM
🚨 8 months after, this paper found its home at Science Advances. We came up with a generative brain network model based on game theory and found that the human brain is suboptimal both in terms of wiring cost and communication efficiency. Here's why:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Ido Shalev
New from us:
Personality change after traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Developed and completed in collaboration a diverse team including members from @headwaylondon.bsky.social
Personality change after traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Developed and completed in collaboration a diverse team including members from @headwaylondon.bsky.social
Personality change after traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Journal of Neurology
Background Personality change is a debilitating consequence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet its prevalence, characteristics, and treatment remain poorly understood. Methods We completed a pre-reg...
link.springer.com
August 3, 2026 at 5:47 PM
New from us:
Personality change after traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Developed and completed in collaboration a diverse team including members from @headwaylondon.bsky.social
Personality change after traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Developed and completed in collaboration a diverse team including members from @headwaylondon.bsky.social
Content warning: self-harm, suicide
New preprint 🧵 Self-harm is strikingly common among autistic adults, yet we often treat it as one thing. In 327 autistic + 260 non-autistic people, we used network analysis to map how specific self-harming behaviours connect to each other and to suicidality.
New preprint 🧵 Self-harm is strikingly common among autistic adults, yet we often treat it as one thing. In 327 autistic + 260 non-autistic people, we used network analysis to map how specific self-harming behaviours connect to each other and to suicidality.
July 19, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Content warning: self-harm, suicide
New preprint 🧵 Self-harm is strikingly common among autistic adults, yet we often treat it as one thing. In 327 autistic + 260 non-autistic people, we used network analysis to map how specific self-harming behaviours connect to each other and to suicidality.
New preprint 🧵 Self-harm is strikingly common among autistic adults, yet we often treat it as one thing. In 327 autistic + 260 non-autistic people, we used network analysis to map how specific self-harming behaviours connect to each other and to suicidality.
🧘 New preprint!
Can the way we experience empathy shift?
We found 10 mins of mindfulness for 10 days nudged people towards a more balanced empathic state, narrowing the gap between emotional & cognitive empathy. Surprisingly, the shift wasn't driven by emotional reactivity.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Can the way we experience empathy shift?
We found 10 mins of mindfulness for 10 days nudged people towards a more balanced empathic state, narrowing the gap between emotional & cognitive empathy. Surprisingly, the shift wasn't driven by emotional reactivity.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
June 8, 2026 at 5:39 PM
🧘 New preprint!
Can the way we experience empathy shift?
We found 10 mins of mindfulness for 10 days nudged people towards a more balanced empathic state, narrowing the gap between emotional & cognitive empathy. Surprisingly, the shift wasn't driven by emotional reactivity.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Can the way we experience empathy shift?
We found 10 mins of mindfulness for 10 days nudged people towards a more balanced empathic state, narrowing the gap between emotional & cognitive empathy. Surprisingly, the shift wasn't driven by emotional reactivity.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
The nice thing about preprints is that they develop and improve 🤩 So here is a sharper version, featuring nicer figures and a complementary text directly comparing Self-Organising Maps with commonly used methods on the same dataset to emphasise how SOMs differ!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
May 30, 2026 at 4:07 PM
The nice thing about preprints is that they develop and improve 🤩 So here is a sharper version, featuring nicer figures and a complementary text directly comparing Self-Organising Maps with commonly used methods on the same dataset to emphasise how SOMs differ!
osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Ido Shalev
Across 1,000+ people, eating disorder symptoms were linked to “empathic disequilibrium”, feeling others’ emotions strongly while finding them harder to understand. Heightened emotional reactivity helped explain the link: DOI.org/10.1186/s40337-026-01600-2
#EatingDisorders #Empathy
#EatingDisorders #Empathy
May 29, 2026 at 12:01 PM
Across 1,000+ people, eating disorder symptoms were linked to “empathic disequilibrium”, feeling others’ emotions strongly while finding them harder to understand. Heightened emotional reactivity helped explain the link: DOI.org/10.1186/s40337-026-01600-2
#EatingDisorders #Empathy
#EatingDisorders #Empathy
Reposted by Ido Shalev
What is it like to feel haunted by something? To find out, read Matthew Ratcliffe's new paper "From hauntology (back) to phenomenology," published yesterday in Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
From hauntology (back) to phenomenology - Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences
Since Derrida’s introduction of the term hauntology, there has been much discussion of ghosts, spectres, and hauntings across several disciplines. This work is not exclusively phenomenological in focu...
link.springer.com
May 14, 2026 at 11:51 AM
What is it like to feel haunted by something? To find out, read Matthew Ratcliffe's new paper "From hauntology (back) to phenomenology," published yesterday in Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Ido Shalev
Turns out empirically derived phenotypes (data-driven symptom sets) nested within traditional mental disorders can help reduce diagnostic heterogeneity!
We learned so much cool and interesting stuff in this study. I could talk (/post) about it all day, but here’s a few highlights (🧵)
We learned so much cool and interesting stuff in this study. I could talk (/post) about it all day, but here’s a few highlights (🧵)
Empirically derived phenotypes can reduce diagnostic heterogeneity: https://osf.io/8wtqx
May 12, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Turns out empirically derived phenotypes (data-driven symptom sets) nested within traditional mental disorders can help reduce diagnostic heterogeneity!
We learned so much cool and interesting stuff in this study. I could talk (/post) about it all day, but here’s a few highlights (🧵)
We learned so much cool and interesting stuff in this study. I could talk (/post) about it all day, but here’s a few highlights (🧵)
Reposted by Ido Shalev
Exploring the dynamic system changes underlying the resolution of social anxiety in individuals receiving cognitive behavioural therapy www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Exploring the dynamic system changes underlying the resolution of social anxiety in individuals receiving cognitive behavioural therapy
Cognitive models of social anxiety disorder (SAD) provide theoretical frameworks that explain maintaining factors and guide treatment protocols. While…
www.sciencedirect.com
May 5, 2026 at 8:09 AM
Exploring the dynamic system changes underlying the resolution of social anxiety in individuals receiving cognitive behavioural therapy www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
New paper out! A two-study investigation of empathic disequilibrium in eating disorders. Symptoms were linked to feeling others' emotions more intensely than understanding them. A pleasure working with Dr Laura Vuillier, Dr Rachel Moseley & Prof @fuzefovsky.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1186/s403...
doi.org/10.1186/s403...
Feeling more than understanding: empathic disequilibrium and emotional reactivity in eating psychopathology - Journal of Eating Disorders
Background Emotional dysregulation is a core feature of eating disorders, yet research has predominantly focused on intrapersonal emotion processes rather than interpersonal emotional mechanisms. Empa...
link.springer.com
April 20, 2026 at 9:09 AM
New paper out! A two-study investigation of empathic disequilibrium in eating disorders. Symptoms were linked to feeling others' emotions more intensely than understanding them. A pleasure working with Dr Laura Vuillier, Dr Rachel Moseley & Prof @fuzefovsky.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1186/s403...
doi.org/10.1186/s403...
Reposted by Ido Shalev
I consider Dr. Foa’s exposure therapy work among the most profound achievements in clinical psychology.
Her work has saved so, so many lives. She led a big life.
(Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/h...
Her work has saved so, so many lives. She led a big life.
(Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/h...
Edna Foa, Who Pioneered Exposure Therapy to Treat PTSD, Dies at 88
www.nytimes.com
April 15, 2026 at 10:14 PM
I consider Dr. Foa’s exposure therapy work among the most profound achievements in clinical psychology.
Her work has saved so, so many lives. She led a big life.
(Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/h...
Her work has saved so, so many lives. She led a big life.
(Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/h...
Reposted by Ido Shalev
World Psychiatry ~ The lived experience of persons who attempt suicide: a bottom-up review co-designed, co-produced and co-written by experts by experience and academics.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
The lived experience of persons who attempt suicide: a bottom‐up review co‐designed, co‐produced and co‐written by experts by experience and academics
This is the first bottom-up review of the lived experience of persons who attempt suicide. The study has been co-designed, co-conducted and co-written by experts by experience and academics, focusing...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
April 8, 2026 at 11:05 PM
World Psychiatry ~ The lived experience of persons who attempt suicide: a bottom-up review co-designed, co-produced and co-written by experts by experience and academics.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Ido Shalev
New research publication: Predicting mental health trajectories after potentially traumatic events: a machine learning approach by Dunja Tutus, Tanmay Nayyar, Jörg M. Fegert & Ann-Christin Haag:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#mentalhealth #PTSD #resilience #ECAP #openaccess
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#mentalhealth #PTSD #resilience #ECAP #openaccess
Predicting mental health trajectories after potentially traumatic events: a machine learning approach - European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry - This study aimed to investigate the trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems following childhood potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and...
link.springer.com
April 1, 2026 at 8:53 AM
New research publication: Predicting mental health trajectories after potentially traumatic events: a machine learning approach by Dunja Tutus, Tanmay Nayyar, Jörg M. Fegert & Ann-Christin Haag:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#mentalhealth #PTSD #resilience #ECAP #openaccess
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#mentalhealth #PTSD #resilience #ECAP #openaccess
Reposted by Ido Shalev
Hey friends, my new paper was just published in JAMA Psychiatry. I draw on biological species classification to sketch a new framework for psychiatric nosology.
Brief summary follows below.
Full text link: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
🧪 #PsychSciSky #MentalHealth
Brief summary follows below.
Full text link: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
🧪 #PsychSciSky #MentalHealth
Mental Disorders as Homeostatic Property Clusters
This narrative review explores the idea of understanding mental disorders according to homeostatic property clusters rather than through typical classification systems.
jamanetwork.com
March 18, 2026 at 9:51 AM
Hey friends, my new paper was just published in JAMA Psychiatry. I draw on biological species classification to sketch a new framework for psychiatric nosology.
Brief summary follows below.
Full text link: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
🧪 #PsychSciSky #MentalHealth
Brief summary follows below.
Full text link: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
🧪 #PsychSciSky #MentalHealth
I wasn’t sure whether to post, but decided I wanted to share and thank everyone who joined Saturday's focus group on identity loss in mental health conditions. When these wars end, we'll need kind, humane ways to heal and reconcile who we are with what we've lost, both in the world and in ourselves.
March 4, 2026 at 7:25 AM
I wasn’t sure whether to post, but decided I wanted to share and thank everyone who joined Saturday's focus group on identity loss in mental health conditions. When these wars end, we'll need kind, humane ways to heal and reconcile who we are with what we've lost, both in the world and in ourselves.
Reposted by Ido Shalev
💕 Does oxytocin help wounds heal faster? Not on its own.
In 80 healthy couples, intranasal oxytocin accelerated wound healing only when paired with affectionate touch and partner appreciation.
Oxytocin acts as a "social amplifier".
buff.ly/IvuBcTq
#Oxytocin #SocialHealth #RelationshipScience
In 80 healthy couples, intranasal oxytocin accelerated wound healing only when paired with affectionate touch and partner appreciation.
Oxytocin acts as a "social amplifier".
buff.ly/IvuBcTq
#Oxytocin #SocialHealth #RelationshipScience
February 25, 2026 at 7:41 AM
💕 Does oxytocin help wounds heal faster? Not on its own.
In 80 healthy couples, intranasal oxytocin accelerated wound healing only when paired with affectionate touch and partner appreciation.
Oxytocin acts as a "social amplifier".
buff.ly/IvuBcTq
#Oxytocin #SocialHealth #RelationshipScience
In 80 healthy couples, intranasal oxytocin accelerated wound healing only when paired with affectionate touch and partner appreciation.
Oxytocin acts as a "social amplifier".
buff.ly/IvuBcTq
#Oxytocin #SocialHealth #RelationshipScience
Our new paper, led by Dr Giorgos Georgiou. In 4–10-year-olds, autistic traits predict empathic disequilibrium (affective > cognitive empathy), echoing adult findings. Callous–unemotional traits show lower empathy and reduced disequilibrium in both forms.
doi.org/10.1007/s108...
doi.org/10.1007/s108...
Empathic Disequilibrium in Autistic Traits and CU Traits: Investigating Empathy Imbalance in Children - Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
The current study investigated the relationship between CU traits, autistic traits, and empathic disequilibrium, which reflects the imbalance between cognitive empathy (CE) and affective empathy (AE)....
doi.org
February 8, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Our new paper, led by Dr Giorgos Georgiou. In 4–10-year-olds, autistic traits predict empathic disequilibrium (affective > cognitive empathy), echoing adult findings. Callous–unemotional traits show lower empathy and reduced disequilibrium in both forms.
doi.org/10.1007/s108...
doi.org/10.1007/s108...
Delighted to present our SOMs tutorial with fresh-out-of-print slides at @mrccbu.bsky.social Weekly Seminar today! Even better getting to present alongside @estherina.bsky.social 🙌
February 4, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Delighted to present our SOMs tutorial with fresh-out-of-print slides at @mrccbu.bsky.social Weekly Seminar today! Even better getting to present alongside @estherina.bsky.social 🙌
Reposted by Ido Shalev
A new study from Anthropic finds that gains in coding efficiency when relying on AI assistance did did not meet statistical significance; AI use noticeably degraded programmers’ understanding of what they were doing. Incredible.
The latest from Anthropic: using Anthropic's products makes you worse at your job
How AI assistance impacts the formation of coding skills
Anthropic is an AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
www.anthropic.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:47 PM
A new study from Anthropic finds that gains in coding efficiency when relying on AI assistance did did not meet statistical significance; AI use noticeably degraded programmers’ understanding of what they were doing. Incredible.
Reposted by Ido Shalev
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Delighted to see our paper out in The Lancet Psychiatry!
Delusion as embodied emotion: a qualitatively driven, multimethod study of first-episode psychosis in the UK
Delusions in psychosis involve complex and dynamic experiential, affective, cognitive, behavioural, and interpersonal alterations. Their pattern of em…
www.sciencedirect.com
January 13, 2026 at 7:10 AM
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Delighted to see our paper out in The Lancet Psychiatry!
New preprint 🎉 Psych constructs are complex. Symptoms overlap, people rarely fit neat categories, and patterns are non-linear. Most methods compromise this richness. Self-Organising Maps don't. We provide a step-by-step tutorial with annotated R code to make them accessible.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
December 16, 2025 at 5:19 PM
New preprint 🎉 Psych constructs are complex. Symptoms overlap, people rarely fit neat categories, and patterns are non-linear. Most methods compromise this richness. Self-Organising Maps don't. We provide a step-by-step tutorial with annotated R code to make them accessible.
doi.org/10.31234/osf...
doi.org/10.31234/osf...