News

Life satisfaction is higher among those who engage in diverse leisure activities, researchers from HSE University have found. However, the specific types of activities people engage in are less important. The contribution of individual leisure activities to a sense of well-being accounts for no more than 2% of the variance. Only the diversity of leisure activities is significantly linked to overall life satisfaction and a sense of meaningful time usage. 

HSE University and the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music (RAM) have developed an educational programme for the music industry. The 2025/26 academic year will see the launch of ‘Producer in the Music Industry,’ a joint Russian-taught master's programme. The HSE Academic Council approved the programme on November 27.

Ekaterina Alexandrova, Academic Supervisor of the Egyptology programme at HSE University, has studied the funerary practices of ancient Egyptians based on religious texts and the works of Egyptologists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Traditionally, it was believed that Egyptian religion was built solely on the fear of death. However, an analysis of texts reveals that ancient Egyptian beliefs were not merely reflections of a fear of death, but a complex system aimed at preserving order and stability both in life and the afterlife. The study has been published in the journal Shagi/Steps.

In competitions, esports players, like other athletes, face stress and show worse results due to pressure. A substantial decrease takes place in the performance of esports players during overtime. This effect, however, is significantly mitigated in online competitions compared to live events—the difference can reach 30%. A study by a team of authors from HSE University’s Moscow and Perm campuses and European University Viadrina (Germany) explores the phenomenon of choking under pressure within the context of esports. The study was published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.

A team of scientists at HSE University, in collaboration with the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, studied how people respond to deception when under stress and cognitive load. The study revealed that smoking habits interfere with performance on cognitive tasks involving memory and attention and impairs a person’s ability to detect deception. The study findings have been published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.

A coworking space has been created in HSE Dormitory 8 ‘Trilistnik.’ Students now have access to a unique and comfortable place for exam preparation, networking, and collaborative activities. This is the first branded coworking space in a student dormitory, named Alfa Space.

In September 2024, employees of Genotek Medical Genetics Centre will act as instructors and supervisors for students’ term papers and master's theses in the ‘Data Analysis in Biology and Medicine’ programme at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science. Genotek’s expertise in Big Data analysis and bioinformatics processing of sequencing data has allowed the revision of the curriculum to include modern data analysis methods in biology and medicine.

HSE University and the Institute of Legislation and Legal Policy (ILLP) under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan have signed a memorandum of intent, which will form the basis for a future cooperation agreement. The institute is a state expert research facility created within the framework of the New Uzbekistan Development Strategy. It plays a significant role in the examination of draft laws: an expert opinion from the ILLP is mandatory when considering legislative acts.