Recently launched in São Paulo, the Applied Research Center for Well-Being and Human Behavior is now operational. Resulting from a partnership between Natura and FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation), the initiative plans to invest R$40 million over ten years in research in the fields of neuroscience, positive psychology, social psychology, neuroimaging, neuropsychophysiology, psychometrics, population studies, and longitudinal studies.
Based at the Institute of Psychology at USP (IPUSP), the Center is formed by a network of researchers from the fields of psychology and neuroscience at the University of São Paulo (USP), the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), and Mackenzie Presbyterian University (UPM). About 30 networked researchers will develop cooperative scientific and technological research projects, connecting research institutions from Brazil and abroad, in addition to Natura.
This initiative is the first in the Humanities field to operate under a shared funding model between a private company and a public research support agency. Of the total investment planned for the project, R$20 million will be equally divided between Natura and FAPESP. Another R$20 million will be spent as a counterpart by the universities, in the form of institutional and administrative support for the researchers involved, including salaries and infrastructure.
Coordinated by Emma Otta, a full professor in the Department of Experimental Psychology at USP, and by Patrícia Tobo, scientific manager of Well-Being Sciences at Natura, the Center is based on two main areas. The first is positive psychology – which focuses on the study and development of human qualities and the healthy aspects of life, such as wisdom, creativity, courage, citizenship, understanding that promoting well-being is not the same as reducing discomfort. The second area of study is cognitive neuroscience – which examines attention, memory, and language, as well as emotional regulation and its influence on social relationships, in issues such as race, gender, and social conditions, among other factors.
Initially, the researchers at the center will focus on 11 projects aimed at developing well-being indicators, through studies on the recognition and regulation of emotions, as well as the influence of family context and society on human relationships. Topics related to the cosmetics industry – such as how fragrances and makeup can alter people's mood and self-esteem – will also be studied.
For Gerson Pinto, vice president of innovation at Natura, the Center enables a deeper exploration of the topic of well-being, which is the company's reason for being. "The Center will allow us to add an even deeper dimension to this knowledge, while also expanding our understanding of the Brazilian population," he states.
One of the coordinators of the Center, Emma Otta, emphasizes the importance of investing in a multidisciplinary area of knowledge that can bring new perspectives for the development of well-being in society. To enhance its impact, the Center has dedicated coordinations for the technology transfer of the generated results and their incorporation into educational and dissemination actions with society.
Learn more
See our Q&A section about the Applied Research Center for Well-Being and Human Behavior
Watch the launch video of the Applied Research Center for Well-Being and Human Behavior
