10/04/2026
Our associate director, Andrea Hodos, was reflecting this week on 6 years of a world without neuroscientist Emile Bruneau, “Emile helped us understand in deep ways how even with the best intentions, people begin to dehumanize one another, and how this can physically change our brains. Over these past 6 years, we’ve seen so many of Emile’s teachings manifest in ways that have made all of us less safe.”
Linked is a video of Emile and his research on Israelis and Palestinians - important findings about the nature of symmetrical dehumanization within power imbalances, and how that dehumanization can perpetuate and deepen violence.
As we enter this election season, it is critical to notice that as we seek to protect our own “in group,” we may be dehumanizing “the other” in ways that may place us all at greater risk. It’s important now, more than ever, to learn from Emile’s insight. In his own words, “Of course it is going to be messy and difficult. . . but isn’t humanity worth that kind of effort?”
