BRIDGING NEUROSCIENCE AND PEACEBUILDING

Scientists are making remarkable advances in understanding how the brain’s wiring affects the outlooks, predispositions, and
decision-making processes of individuals and societies. More than ever before, we are learning how our life experiences and the
anatomy and physiology of the brain and nervous system influence our behaviors.

The plasticity of the human brain might even hold the promise of sustainable peace. The brain’s ability to adapt and develop
allows not just for shifts in attitudes—but for the possibility of reconfiguring the underlying neurological response to the external
environment. . Neuroscience and Peacebuilding delves deep into the wiring of the human brain to expand knowledge of what
drives individuals and societies to use violence to resolve their disputes versus what encourages people to turn from war making
to peacemaking.

USIP’S WORK
For more than three decades, the U.S. Institute of Peace has been working to resolve conflicts and build sustainable peace in
communities and nations around the world. In the face of urgent global challenges—such as historic levels of displacement due to
violent conflict, new and more virulent forms of violent extremism, and unresolved wars made worse by competing national and
international interests—USIP’s multidisciplinary efforts are paving the way for greater social change and conflict transformation.

The Neuroscience and Peacebuilding Initiative brings together cutting-edge research, innovative ideas and the expertise
of scientists, researchers, and practitioners working in neuroepigenetics, psychology, neurobiology, cultural neuroscience,
peacebuilding, and conflict resolution. This collaborative platform contributes to advancing the current peacebuilding architecture
by giving us insights into why people embrace negotiation, mediation, reconciliation, and other components of peace processes,
and how this knowledge can be used to build peace and transform communities.

The Initiative will provide strategic guidance on how to operationalize the latest scientific research and translate it into policy-
relevant and practitioner-oriented frameworks for action. It is intended for peacebuilding practitioners, policymakers, scholars and
others interested in innovative approaches to peacebuilding and conflict resolution issues.

Issues addressed in the Neuroscience and Peacebuilding Initiative include:

„„The current state of the field in peacebuilding

„„An exploration of the brain and nervous system, and the neurobiology of decision-making processes and violence
„„Understanding group dynamics, such as fear of the “other” and “us vs. them” thinking
„„Cultural neuroscience and peacebuilding
„„Epigenetics, intergenerational trauma, and the effects of trauma on individuals, communities and societies
„„Neuroplasticity, radicalization, and violent conflict
„„The neuroscience of ritual and peacemaking
„„Artificial intelligence, social media, neuroscience and peacebuilding
„„The future of neuroscience and peacebuilding

The Neuroscience and Peacebuilding Initiative seeks to develop a platform—beginning with an edited volume as an evidence-
based foundation—to bring these two fields together to explore existing insights and illuminate them in a practical, accessible, and
thought-provoking way to advance peacebuilding.

Drawing from this foundational research, this initiative will focus on the creation of practical tools and resources—such as articles,
online courses and events—to translate key findings into practical application for peacebuilders and policymakers working in
conflict-affected contexts.

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