Our Story
We live in a world where people are hyper-linked by technology but experiencing increasing rates of stress, loneliness, anxiety, and polarization.
Humanize was founded in 2021 with a mission: to bring scalable practices and technology to people that address the “disconnection from ourselves, others, and humanity.”
Who We Are
Humanize is a global community dedicated to fostering genuine connection and well-being in an increasingly disconnected world. We serve individuals and organizations through a comprehensive 9-week science-based curriculum, led by a team of over 20 expert teachers. Utilizing healthy digital technology and evidence-based training, we address the challenges of social disconnection, loneliness, and stress. Our innovative approach combines the latest social neuroscience research with practical, engaging mental exercises designed to build resilience, empathy, and social connectedness.
What We Do
At Humanize, we transform how people connect and interact through our primary offering, the Humanize Dyads. These structured, partner-based mental practices, completed in just 15 minutes a day, are delivered through our secure online platform. Our 9-week Foundation Dyad Program, guided by over 20 expert teachers, combines social neuroscience with practical exercises to enhance resilience, empathy, and social connectedness. With a 97% satisfaction rate, our programs improve social skills, relational well-being, and overall life satisfaction.
Why We Do It
In today’s digital age, people are more connected than ever, yet loneliness, stress, and social isolation are rampant. Studies show 61% of Americans feel lonely, 72% experience stress-related health issues, and trust in others is at its lowest in 40 years. Humanize was created in response to these trends. We believe real human connection is vital for mental health and societal cohesion. Our mission is to use technology to enhance genuine connections, fostering a more empathetic, resilient, and socially connected society through the Humanize Dyads.
The Science behind Humanize
Humanize was founded in 2021 with the goal of bringing the Humanize Dyads into the world to reconnect humanity. Humanize Dyads and the Foundation Dyad Program are science-based and largely inspired by seminal research by the Max Planck Institute’s Social Neuroscience Lab, in one of the largest scientific mental training studies, the ResourceProject (Singer et al., 2016, Kok & Singer, 2017) and more recently the 9-week online curriculum from the CovSocial project (Godaraet al., 2021). Based on the ancient practice of dyad in the Zen tradition and then in the Satori programs, Humanize has adapted and further developed these research-based practices. The aim of the company is scalably addressing social crises around well-being, resilience, social isolation, and social cohesion.
Honoring the Contributions of Dr. Tania Singer
Prof. Dr. Tania Singer, scientific head of the Social Neuroscience Lab of the Max Planck Society, Germany, was an honorary co-founder and scientific and curriculum advisor of Humanize from 2021 to May 2023. She helped create the vision and mission, as well as the psychological and scientific backbone of Humanize. Dr. Singer advised and introduced the team to the Dyad intervention programs she developed through the ReSource and CovSocial projects, her Masterclasses, and workshops. She helped adapt these programs for Humanize to enhance scalability and societal impact through the Humanize Foundation Dyad Program. At present, she holds neither an active role nor shares in the company.
Peter Bonanno, Director of Curriculum and Teacher Training for Humanize.
Franziska Schmitt, Program Director
Elena Antonova, Scientific Advisor
Olga Klimecki, Scientific Advisor
Jessica Welik, Program Assistant
Why Humanize?
We live in a time of constant online “connection” but we face a lack of real connection to ourselves and others.
- 61% of Americans report feeling lonely (Cigna 2020)
- 72% experience health impacts due to stress (APA 2022)
- Trust in others is at its lowest level in 40 years (Gallup 2021)
Humanize was created as a compassionate response to challenges and suffering of our modern world. In a world where people are hyper-linked but experiencing increasing rates of stress, loneliness, anxiety, and polarization, Humanize takes a unique approach: utilizing healthy technology to cultivate real connection through short partner-based mental practices — the Humanize Dyads.
The Humanize Dyads reconnect people with themselves, others and humanity and help strengthen resilience and social capacities such as empathy, compassion and social connectedness.
97% of our Dyad Program participants are very satisfied and would recommend the program. Are you ready to join the practice today?