What mechanisms shape cognitive processes? What determines decision‑making and the functioning of individuals and groups under conditions of uncertainty? Prof. Małgorzata Kossowska, Dr Ewa Szumowska, Karolina Bonarska, and Jakub Cacek from Behaviour in Crisis Lab address these issues in the chapter Navigating Uncertainty: Cognitive Closure, Information Processing, Epistemic Authority in the Pursuit of Knowledge, published in the Guilford Press book Handbook of the Science of Existential Psychology. The authors examine research on motivations related to knowledge acquisition and the need for cognitive closure, and analyze the mechanisms of epistemic uncertainty reduction in the context of their social determinants.

In the first months following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland became a symbol of unprecedented solidarity. Millions of citizens spontaneously engaged in supporting refugees by offering accommodation, food, financial assistance, and emotional support. In the in‑depth report “The Polish‑Ukrainian Honeymoon Is Over,” published in The New Republic (April 2026), Marta Zaraska cites Professor Małgorzata Kossowska of the Behaviour in Crisis Lab, highlighting the shift from this extraordinary wave of solidarity at the onset of the war to a marked decline in public acceptance of refugees in subsequent years.

In the article After the Takeover: Rebuilding Trust in Public Media Through Institutional Reform, published in the prestigious journal Political Behavior, the authors examine one of the key challenges facing contemporary democracies: how to rebuild public trust in state institutions after a period of deep politicization and a crisis of legitimacy. The study focuses on the Polish context of public media reforms introduced following the change of government in 2023, implemented under conditions of strong political polarization and low levels of trust in public TV. One of the co-authors of the article is Dr Gabriela Czarnek from the Behaviour in Crisis Lab.

Fear of war does not have to lead to withdrawal and hostility - it can also increase empathy and support for refugees. Higher levels of hostility toward migrants are shown by people who perceive them as a threat to culture and national identity. These concerns may be more important than economic or security issues, according to a study by researchers from the Behaviour in Crisis Lab at the Institute of Psychology of Jagiellonian University.

Research shows that three factors sustained engagement: fear of Russian aggression, a sense of closeness, and the norm of solidarity – the belief that helping is natural and expected in society. We invite you to read the résumé of the publication, which offers an in-depth analysis of Polish society’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with particular attention to assistance provided to refugees.

A summary is also available in Ukrainian.