Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her)
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helenahartmann.com
Dr. Helena Hartmann (she/her)
@helenahartmann.com
3K followers 2.5K following 250 posts
Neuroscientist, psychologist & science communicator ✨

www.helenahartmann.com

Pain & expectations in the (social) 🧠
Postdoc @ulrikebingel.bsky.social's lab & @SFB-TRR-289.bsky.social 💊

Explaining science with fictional stories 📖 @scienceandfiction.net
Posts Replies Media Videos
helenahartmann.com
So very happy to be a part of the group of trainers giving #scicomm workshops for the @nawik.de 💚

I never imagined that I would enjoy presenting and teaching... 🤔

Since then I've discovered that helping others discover the joys of science communication is truly rewarding 😍
October 11, 2025 at 8:17 AM
helenahartmann.com
This is my 1st year participating in Letters to a Pre-Scientist 🤩

Today I received a letter from a middle schooler in Los Angeles who's interested in science! 😱

Over the next few months, I hope to share my life as a psychologist and neuroscientist who studies brains in pain! 🧠

#SciComm
October 3, 2025 at 1:26 PM
helenahartmann.com
Back at the MRI scanner today to test the first participant of @rebeccalutz.bsky.social's new study! 🧲🧠

This never gets any less exciting! 🤩

#PsychSciSky #NeuroSkyence
@neurologieessen.bsky.social
@unidue.bsky.social
September 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
helenahartmann.com
Today and tomorrow I am giving my first #scicomm workshop all on my own 😱

It's all about communicating science through fictional short stories (like in @scienceandfiction.net) and on social media! 🤩
September 18, 2025 at 9:54 AM
helenahartmann.com
Another fantastic gift dropped this weekend, from the DGPs Interest Group Open and Reproducible Science (@igor-dgps.bsky.social) for my 2-year work as coordinator together with @gordonfeld.bsky.social 😭💙

Thanks so much to everyone who made this time memorable (& to everyone who signed this bag!)
August 2, 2025 at 11:38 AM
helenahartmann.com
Today I'm double- and triple-checking that my scripts correctly extracted the onsets and durations of all events during my task for MRI analysis 🫠

Super tedious but very necessary 😫

#PostdocLife #AcademicSky #PsychSciSky #NeuroSkyence
August 1, 2025 at 8:09 AM
helenahartmann.com
Such a lovely present from @biodgps-dgpa.bsky.social for my two year term as deputy early career researcher representative 😭✨

Huge thanks especially to the dream team @mfjsperl.bsky.social, Marie Mückstein, @annesaulin.bsky.social, @tinalonsdorf.bsky.social, Nina Alexander, and Christian Merz 💙
A light-up brain and message saying "The section Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology of the German Association for Psychology thanks Helena Hartmann for her work as an early career researcher representative". The light-up brain next to a computer screen and plants.
July 30, 2025 at 7:27 AM
helenahartmann.com
What to expect on this account:

- #Postdoclife on pain⚡, expectations 💊, & the (social) brain 🧠🧲
- #ECR at @biodgps-dgpa.bsky.social
- #SciComm/#WissKomm at @nawik.de & @scienceandfiction.net 🗣️
- #OpenScience at @forrt.bsky.social & @igor-dgps.bsky.social 👩‍💻
- Team #Knitting 🧶
- #TeamGIF ✨
July 8, 2025 at 10:07 AM
helenahartmann.com
Heute besuche ich selbst mal einen @nawik.de Workshop zum Thema Evaluation von #WissKomm mit @ricardaz.bsky.social & Cecilia Buz‬ 💪

Ich freue mich auf drei Tage Input & Austausch, damit @ulrikebingel.bsky.social, Sven Benson & ich unser @sfb-trr-289.bsky.social Teilprojekt gut evaluieren können! 🤩
July 8, 2025 at 9:07 AM
helenahartmann.com
How many researchers does it take to change the cooling fluid of the heat pain stimulator? 😅

(Answer: Three who learn by doing and one taking the picture)

Love our little #TeamEmpathy at the Bingellab @sfb-trr-289.bsky.social preparing two really cool new studies ❤️

#PsychSciSky #AcademicSky
May 16, 2025 at 6:05 PM
helenahartmann.com
I should give #scicomm talks at @unidue.bsky.social more often 😁

Huge thanks to @ankehinney.bsky.social and Luisa Rajcsanyi for this lovely thank-you package! ❤️

#AcademicSky
May 14, 2025 at 9:58 AM
helenahartmann.com
More wool has (un)fortunately been bought 😬
May 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
helenahartmann.com
It's a #knitting kind of saturday 🧶🩷
May 10, 2025 at 2:51 PM
helenahartmann.com
Just people analysing MRI data things 🫠

(aka the data is so large that I need multiple harddrives to even hold all the data and all its processing steps)

#AcademicSky #Neuroskyence #PsychSciSky
Two hard drives with labels "Helena 1" and "Helena 2".
May 9, 2025 at 10:00 AM
helenahartmann.com
A graduate student wrote to @clauslamm.bsky.social and me because they successfully reproduced our @scanunit.bsky.social paper "Placebo Analgesia Reduces Costly Prosocial Helping to Lower Another Person’s Pain" with the code and data I uploaded! 😱

#PsychSciSky #AcademicSky
An e-mail reading: "I was tasked with selecting a published study and attempting to reproduce its data as part of a broader learning exercise in research analysis. I chose your study, "Placebo Analgesia Reduces Costly Prosocial Helping to Lower Another Person’s Pain," and after working carefully through the procedures, I wanted to let you know that I was successfully able to reproduce the data as presented. This exercise was both valuable and insightful, and I appreciate the quality and clarity of your original work. Thank you for your time and contributions to the field."
April 29, 2025 at 6:54 AM
helenahartmann.com
I always think of my "Hey humans" short story when I see these birds looking at me 🪿🦆🐦‍⬛

Read it here: scienceandfiction.net/stories/25_h... (switch between German and English on the top right!)
April 22, 2025 at 3:05 PM
helenahartmann.com
Back at the good old pain stimulator ⚡ #postdoclife
Helenas arm with a thermode and electrode attached. A computer screen showing a rating scale, asking how painful the stimulus was between not at all painful and extremely painful.
April 14, 2025 at 12:25 PM
helenahartmann.com
Just scientist things I guess 🤷‍♀️
A list of files in a Google Drive folder, all relating to scientific manuscripts and revision letters. The last file says "Scanner sex".
April 10, 2025 at 1:47 PM
helenahartmann.com
It's a dream come true to write my own article for @spektrum.de Gehirn & Geist magazine - and then it's even on the title page 😭❤️
The cover of Gehirn & Geist magazine (February 2025 edition) with two hands clasped. My article in Gehirn & Geist magazine (February 2025 edition) with two hands clasped.
March 15, 2025 at 8:12 AM
helenahartmann.com
Die Fachgruppe Biologische Psychologie und Neuropsychologie der Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs) e.V. und die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychophysiologie und ihre Anwendung (DGPA) schreiben drei Förderpreise für #Wisskomm in der Biologischen Psychologie aus!

@biodgps-dgpa.bsky.social
March 5, 2025 at 12:56 PM
helenahartmann.com
What did we find? 🤔

Studies report inconsistent results, with findings generally showing small effects in both directions, i.e., an increase or decrease of social emotions or abilities. The strongest and most consistent effect was observed for placebo analgesia decreasing empathy for pain.
February 26, 2025 at 10:44 AM
helenahartmann.com
We included and synthesized 50 out of 2060 screened studies. 👩‍🔬

Included studies investigated the effects of opioids and opioid antagonists, acetaminophen, capsaicin, cannabinoids, ketamine, alcohol, placebo analgesia and hypnotic analgesia.
February 26, 2025 at 10:44 AM
helenahartmann.com
Yesterday and today @christineblume.bsky.social and I are giving a @nawik.de seminar about science communication in grant applications 🤩

It is a real pleasure to teach when all participants are that motivated and engaging in activities/discussions! 😍

Info on all seminars: www.nawik.de/seminare/
February 14, 2025 at 8:25 AM
helenahartmann.com
There is nothing more satisfying than getting ggplot to plot what you want it to plot.

Any guesses what it is? 😁

#PsychSciSky #AcademicSky #neuroskyence #WomeninSTEM
February 7, 2025 at 10:38 AM
helenahartmann.com
What to expect on this account:

- #Postdoclife on pain ⚡, placebos 💊, & the (social) brain 🧠🧲
- #SciComm/#WissKomm at @scienceandfiction.bsky.social 📚
- #OpenScience at @forrt.bsky.social & @igor-dgps.bsky.social 👩‍💻
- #ECR at @biodgps-dgpa.bsky.social
- #Planttwitter obsession 🪴
- #TeamGIF ✨
February 6, 2025 at 5:42 PM