Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Olivier Klein

@olivierklein.bsky.social

4K followers 1.2K following 120 posts

Professor of social psychology at Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. Daily 🚴 .

Olivier Klein is a French politician who served as Minister Delegate of Cities and Housing in the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne from 2022 to 2023.

Source: Wikipedia

Psychology 36%

Political science 21%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Nov 17

As anti-vax RFK will become US health secretary, now may be a good time to read our little book on the psychology of vaccination. www.routledge.com/The-Psycholo...

The Psychology of Vaccination

Why do some people choose to be vaccinated and others do not? What is the difference between vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccinism? What can social psychology tell us about attitudes towards vaccinatio...

www.routledge.com

1 13

Reposted by Olivier Klein

Edwy Plenel @edwyplenel.bsky.social · 23d

Cinq ans après la pandémie de Covid-19, l’autorité chargée de la politique vaccinale aux États-Unis se réunit à New York. Mais elle est désormais composée d’opposants aux vaccins nommés par le premier d’entre eux, le ministre de la santé Robert Kennedy Jr. www.mediapart.fr/journal/inte...

États-Unis : les antivax prennent le pouvoir sur la santé

L’autorité sanitaire chargée de la politique vaccinale se réunit jeudi et vendredi à New York. Mais cinq ans après le début de la pandémie de covid-19, elle est désormais composée d’opposants aux vac…

www.mediapart.fr

3 14 38

Reposted by Nick Couldry, Olivier Klein, Paul G. Lewis , and 4 more Nick Couldry, Olivier Klein, Paul G. Lewis, Jonathan Birch, Katrina Navickas, James Cameron, Georg Weizsäcker

Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · Sep 6

Journal publishers *are* bundling your papers up in "data licensing agreements" for big tech companies to use for AI model training. Our publisher, T&F, got £75m from Microsoft for that last year alone.

10 160 580

Adam Kucharski @adamjkucharski.bsky.social · Sep 1

Results so stunningly clear they inspired this classic xkcd (xkcd.com/2400/):

16 1.4K 4K

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Olivier Klein, Scott L. Greer , and 12 more Richard S.J. Tol, Olivier Klein, Scott L. Greer, Hugo Mercier, Mauricio Romero, Stephen D. Murphy, Keith Lilley, Muriel Niederle, Calvin Jones, Jonathan Harris, Georg Weizsäcker, Meredith Farkas, Rebecca Zorach, Carlos Moreno, Renaud Morieux

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · Aug 29

“Over the past 20 years, Paris has undergone a major physical transformation, trading automotive arteries for bike lanes, adding green spaces and eliminating 50,000 parking spaces.

Part of the payoff has been invisible — in the air itself.”

Leadership, strategy, real action, common sense. #Paris

Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change.

Air pollution fell substantially as the city restricted car traffic and made way for parks and bike lanes.

www.washingtonpost.com

40 1.5K 4.1K

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Aug 29

This post has not aged badly unfortunately.

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Nov 17

As anti-vax RFK will become US health secretary, now may be a good time to read our little book on the psychology of vaccination. www.routledge.com/The-Psycholo...

The Psychology of Vaccination

www.routledge.com

2 4

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Olivier Klein, Kevin Carey , and 12 more Jan W. Mueller, Olivier Klein, Kevin Carey, Jussi T. Eronen, Alan Richardson, Michael J. Taylor, Jacob T. Levy, Margot C. Finn, Christine Kooi, Sara M. Butler, Catherine J. Frieman, Nathan Richardson, Kathleen Kennedy, James A. Benn, Alex Drace‐Francis

Annette Yoshiko Reed @annetteyreed.bsky.social · Aug 27

“Chicago has long helped to keep alive tiny fields & esoteric areas of humanistic study... Without the univ’s support, & the continued training of grad students who can keep these bodies of kn going, entire spheres of human learning might eventually blink out.” www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

If the University of Chicago Won’t Defend the Humanities, Who Will?

Why it matters that the University of Chicago is pausing admissions to doctoral programs in literature, philosophy, the arts, and languages

www.theatlantic.com

6 90 250

Reposted by Olivier Klein, Armelle Andro, Klaus Oschema , and 1 more Olivier Klein, Armelle Andro, Klaus Oschema, Caroline Robion‐Brunner

Vincent Lemire @vincent-lemire.bsky.social · Aug 23

Plus envie d'argumenter, plus envie de documenter. Tout est là, sous nos yeux. Mais comment faire prendre conscience de ce qu'est une famine?

7 190 260

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Olivier Klein, Hugo Mercier , and 3 more Lisa W. Fazio, Olivier Klein, Hugo Mercier, Laura K. Taylor, Rebecca Sear, Jill A. Jacobson

samuel mehr @mehr.nz · Aug 20

My dept at the University of Auckland (NZ) will be hiring in social psych at the junior level this cycle. Official ad to follow

It's a big research-active dept with fun colleagues, plus you can commute to uni on a boat, paired with a pleasant walk thru Albert Park (this pic from heading home today)

2 39 57

Reposted by Gordon Hodson, Olivier Klein, Sabine Pahl

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · Aug 19

As our kids go #BackToSchool, never forget that we ARE the traffic that we’re afraid of. If more kids walked, biked or rode transit to school, it would erase a massive number of car trips each day, and our kids would be safer, healthier and better at school. HT Ian Lockwood.

Spread the word.

Cartoon illustrating, how traffic induces more traffic. “There is too much traffic for Billy to walk to school, so we drive him.”

22 210 570

Reposted by Olivier Klein

Sciencepo ULB @sciencepoulb.bsky.social · Jul 31

[Job] The Policy Lab at @ulbruxelles.bsky.social seeks to recruit a postdoctoral researcher (full time, 2 years) in the framework of the project 'Metropolitan internet meets post-growth'
Deadline: 30 August

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Jul 31

Merci pour ce gigantesque travail, qui n’a pas l’écho qu’il mérite.

1 10

Reposted by Olivier Klein

Julia M. Rohrer @dingdingpeng.the100.ci · Jul 28

New blog post! Calculating a correlation is easy enough. But let's say you calculated two of them and they happen to differ. What follows from that? Turns out there are too many moving parts for an easy answer.

www.the100.ci/2025/07/28/w...

What’s in a correlation?

Correlation may not imply causation, but let’s just ignore that for a second. Correlations are standardized effect size metrics and as such have some quirks by design. These are benign enough when you...

www.the100.ci

7 25 83

Reposted by Olivier Klein, Martin Paul Eve, Felicity Callard , and 1 more Olivier Klein, Martin Paul Eve, Felicity Callard, Woodrow Hartzog

Julie Carpenter, PhD @jgcarpenter.com · Jul 26

I'm quoted in this piece. In short: do not use ChatGPT or any generative AI as a “therapist.” It’s not sentient. It doesn’t care. It may even lead people toward harm. And nothing shared is protected by HIPAA or real privacy standards; it's fodder for the machine. www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture...

AI is transforming how we communicate in relationships

‘All I wanted was to feel seen, heard and understood by him, but instead, he was sending me a robot’s questions’

www.dazeddigital.com

2 120 280

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Jul 26

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/w...

No Proof Hamas Routinely Stole U.N. Aid, Israeli Military Officials Say

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Olivier Klein

Kenzo Nera @kenzonera.bsky.social · Jun 24

🎉Starting September 1st, I'll be an Associate Editor for the British Journal of Social Psychology (BJSP). It is a great honor! 🎉

I won't make jokes about bribery options to get your paper published through me, as I am not sure yet if I'm allowed to* and I don't want to be fired before I start. 1/2

3 11

Reposted by Olivier Klein

Le Soir @lesoir.be · Jul 15

Ils veulent assassiner un magistrat, indignons-nous

La menace qui pèse actuellement sur la vie de Julien Moinil, procureur du Roi de Bruxelles, est de nature différente : ils veulent assassiner l’un des principaux visages de la lutte contre le narcotrafic. Et devant cette situation extrêmement choquante, quasi aucune réaction du monde politique.

www.lesoir.be

2 2

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Jul 10

Great! And thanks for curating this list. Super useful and it’s indeed where the action happen(ed)s.

Reposted by Olivier Klein, Catherine E. De Vries

Gordon Hodson @gordonhodsonphd.bsky.social · Jul 9

Clear advice from @catherinedevries.bsky.social on clear writing.

Who could argue with such solid advice? (he naively asks the internet)

A Rough Guide to Writing Clearly
To write clearly is to take your readers seriously. It means refusing the safety of abstraction and meeting the moment with language that informs rather than obscures. In the spirit of Orwell’s rules, here’s a working checklist for writing clearly:

Spotlight our core claim: Don’t hide an argument behind abstraction. If we believe something, state it plainly. If we're uncertain, say so.

Define our terms: Especially in public writing, don’t assume our readers to share our definition of “liberalism,” “resilience,” or “hegemony.” And let’s be just as clear about what we don’t mean.

Be specific: Abstract claims are weaker than grounded ones. If we write that “many scholars argue,” be ready to name or quote them.

Trim the fat: Ask: Can this be said more clearly? More simply? Our reader’s time is precious, and we should respect it.

Avoid the passive: “The report was released” distances cause and effect. Say who did what: “The agency released the report.”

Check our tone: Clarity doesn’t require condescension. Be precise without being pedantic, concise without being abrupt.

Above all, write to be understood: Don’t write to be clever, to be admired, but write to connect.

2 9 22

Reposted by Olivier Klein

Adrien Fillon @adrienfillon.bsky.social · Jul 9

Is there a difference between falsification and refutation?

Popper used the former in the book about logic of scientific discovery and the latter in the last (conjecture and refutation). And I never understood the difference.

3 1 3

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Jul 9

Dan Simons had one. But not sure it’s still accessible.

1 1

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Jul 2

Yes. Very sad. 😞

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Jun 29

Very sad to learn that Helen De Cruz, who had been a constant online presence for me on Twitter and then here, passed away. Read her last blog post. A little gem on what we leave to others.

Helen De Cruz @helendecruz.net · May 28

Latest post. Don’t know how many I have still in me

helendecruz.substack.com/p/cant-take-...

Can’t take it with you

I am in hospice care and reflecting a lot on what a good life is.

helendecruz.substack.com

1 1 7

Reposted by Olivier Klein

Ultimes scories @panettonepazzo.bsky.social · Jun 28

La Pride de Budapest interdite par Orban.
Rien n’arrête les libertés.
Surtout pas le fascisme

Photo montrant des 10aines de milliers de participants à la Pride de Budapest pourtant interdite par le pouvoir d’Orban en Hongrie

7 180 590

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Jun 24

Lucky BJSP, who has gained a wise, enthusiastic and witty new associate editor!

Kenzo Nera @kenzonera.bsky.social · Jun 24

1 2

Reposted by Olivier Klein

Our World in Data @ourworldindata.org · Jun 16

Measles causes more than an acute illness: it suppresses immune memory and increases the risk of complications for years.

Even in a typical case of measles, children who survive the infection recover slowly.

2 43 120

Reposted by Håvard Kauserud, Olivier Klein, Femi Oyebode , and 1 more Håvard Kauserud, Olivier Klein, Femi Oyebode, Ben Barr

Krassensteins @krassenstein.bsky.social · Jun 15

Best image of the day:

600 9.3K 36K

Reposted by Olivier Klein, Wim Van Lancker, Patrick S. Forscher , and 1 more Olivier Klein, Wim Van Lancker, Patrick S. Forscher, Kris Hardies

Julia M. Rohrer @dingdingpeng.the100.ci · Jun 12

"Simpson's gender-equality paradox" surely deserve some award for best title 👑
The gender-equality paradox seems really central to some narrative people have constructed (and successfully sold). I absolutely wouldn't be surprised if it turned out 100% confounding.>

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

7 42 170

Reposted by Olivier Klein

Daniel Lakens @lakens.bsky.social · Apr 4

New episode of @nulliusinverba.bsky.social ! We (very) critically discuss the classic paper by John Ioannidis 'Why most published research findings are false'. What did he get wrong, and why is it still interesting to read the paper? nulliusinverba.podbean.com/e/episode-56...

Episode 56: Cur Plerumque Investigation Publica Falsa Est | Nullius in Verba

Ioannidis, J. P. A. (2005). Why Most Published Research Findings Are False. PLoS Medicine, 2(8), e124. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124 Neher, A. (1967). Probability Pyramiding, Research E...

nulliusinverba.podbean.com

2 11 37

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Jun 12

Yes! Use it all the time. This site is very useful….and spooky!

Olivier Klein @olivierklein.bsky.social · Jun 8

Merci!