Category: People & Culture

  • Study Reveals Why Teenagers Often Make Unwise Decisions

    Adults generally make better decisions than teenagers, and this behavioral improvement over time is linked to the development of more sophisticated decision-making skills, according to new research from the University of Würzburg in Germany. A study published today in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, led by postdoctoral research fellow Vanessa Scholz and Lorenz Deserno, an…

  • Grabbing Pizza With Coworkers Can Boost Teamwork, Study Suggests

    A casual office outing for pizza may seem like an ordinary social event. But it could hold significant benefits for workplace dynamics, according to new research by Binghamton University, Hitotsubashi University and Yonsei University. The study, published in the Journal of Management Studies, reveals that these shared experiences can significantly enhance cross-occupational teamwork and social…

  • New Study Finds Minimal Impact of Social Media Usage on Mental Health

    A fresh study from Curtin University offers a new perspective on the long-debated issue of social media’s impact on mental health. Instead of confirming the widely held belief that heavy social media use significantly affects mental health, the research found negligible to no direct relationship. Leading the study, doctoral candidate Chloe Jones emphasized that the…

  • Revolutionary Brain Study Maps Activity During Movie Watching

    In a new study, neuroscientists have produced the most detailed functional brain map to date by scanning the brains of participants while they watched a variety of movie clips. The study, published in the Cell Press journal Neuron, utilized data from 176 young adults who viewed 60 minutes of film segments from both independent and…

  • How Social Media Algorithms Shape Our News Consumption and Worldview

    A new study has unveiled the profound impact that social media algorithms have on the type of news we consume and how we perceive it, especially on platforms like X/Twitter. This research sheds light on the intricate ways these algorithms shape our information environment, potentially influencing political polarization and voter behavior. To investigate the effects…

  • New Study Reveals Evolutionary Basis for Conspicuous Consumption

    A new study conducted by researchers from Athabasca University and Vancouver Island University suggests that conspicuous consumption — often deemed irrational and driven by marketing — is actually deeply rooted in evolutionary biology and environmental conditions. “The desire to display or be seen with these products is triggered by an interaction between environmental conditions and…

  • UPenn Researchers Uncover Secrets of Baseball’s Magic Mud

    Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have unveiled the scientific properties that make Major League Baseball’s “magic” mud so effective, revealing insights that could extend beyond the sport. This mud, used on every ball in MLB games, including the World Series, has long been praised for its ability to enhance ball grip and performance. Now,…

  • How Gentrification Leads to Emotional Displacement

    A recent study sheds light on the nuanced impacts of gentrification in East Asia, particularly in Seoul, revealing that residents often feel emotionally displaced and alienated in their own neighborhoods. This groundbreaking research, conducted by Kon Kim of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and Blaž Križnik of the University of Ljubljana, compares state-led urban regeneration with property-led…

  • Study Finds Education, Wealth and Occupation Impact Cognitive Health in Seniors

    Socioeconomic factors, such as education, occupation and wealth, significantly influence the risk of developing cognitive impairment and the likelihood of recovery, a new study by University College London (UCL) researchers reveals. The study, published in Scientific Reports, tracked 8,442 adults aged 50 and above in England over a decade, from 2008 to 2019. It examined…

  • New Study Reveals How Social Observation Influences Risky Decision-Making

    People adjust their choices between safe and risky decisions based on their perception of an observer’s opinion, according to new research from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). Published as a Reviewed Preprint in eLife, the study presents a nuanced understanding of social decision-making. Unlike previous studies suggesting that people universally make…