Feature Channels: Behavioral Science

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1-Jun-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Children with attention, behavior problems earn less money, have less education, poorer health as adults
American Psychological Association (APA)

Children who struggle with attention and behavior problems tend to end up earning less money, finish fewer years of school and have poorer mental and physical health as adults, compared with children who don’t show early attention and behavior problems, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

31-May-2023 6:05 AM EDT
Among Young People, Being Around Peers May Elicit Greater Drinking Cravings than the Presence of Alcohol
Research Society on Alcoholism

The presence of peers is a key prompt for alcohol cravings among young people, according to a new study in Alcohol: Clinical & Experimental Research. When certain settings, people, or items—a bar, a friend, a glass—are paired with alcohol, they can become conditioned cues, eliciting drinking cravings. These learned reactions are associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD), treatment outcomes, and relapse. Adolescents and emerging adults are particularly susceptible to peer influence. In real-world settings, studies have found that the presence of peers predicts young people’s intensifying drinking cravings at the moment. In laboratory studies, however, peer influence is largely absent, potentially limiting the usefulness of their findings. Better understanding peers as alcohol cues could inform more effective AUD prevention and treatment programs. For the current study, researchers from Brown University, RI, evaluated alcohol cravings among youth in the human laboratory, using drinking-

   
Newswise: Discovery of neurons that recognize others
Released: 1-Jun-2023 5:25 PM EDT
Discovery of neurons that recognize others
Institute for Basic Science

Researchers from the Center for Cognition and Sociality (CCS) within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) recently announced the discovery of neurons that allow us to recognize others. The research team discovered that the neurons that deal with the information associated with different individuals are located in the CA1 region of the hippocampus.

Newswise: New research shows an uptick in weight loss surgery among youth in US
Released: 1-Jun-2023 4:15 PM EDT
New research shows an uptick in weight loss surgery among youth in US
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

More adolescents in the U.S. are undergoing weight loss surgery, according to researchers with UTHealth Houston. The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Newswise: New study shows how adaptations to living in a cold climate promoted social evolution
30-May-2023 11:25 AM EDT
New study shows how adaptations to living in a cold climate promoted social evolution
University of Bristol

For the first time ever, scientists have uncovered evidence that a species’ long-term adaptation to living in an extremely cold climate has led to the evolution of social behaviours including extended care by mothers, increased infant survival and the ability to live in large complex multilevel societies.

Released: 1-Jun-2023 1:15 PM EDT
New Jersey Poison Center Data Shows Suicide Attempts Among Teenagers Are High
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

New Jersey Poison Center Data Shows Suicide Attempts Among Teenagers Are High

   
Released: 1-Jun-2023 10:40 AM EDT
American Sociological Association 2023 Elections Results
American Sociological Association (ASA)

Adia Harvey Wingfield, Professor of Sociology at the Washington University in St. Louis, has been elected the 116th President of the American Sociological Association. Allison J. Pugh, Professor of Sociology, University of Virginia, has been elected ASA Vice President.

29-May-2023 12:20 PM EDT
Feeling More Empathy Linked to Greater Alcohol Consumption
Research Society on Alcoholism

People who reported feeling more affective empathy on a given day than was typical for them were likely to drink more than usual, according to a study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. Notably, these daily shifts in affective empathy levels were associated with the number of drinks consumed even after controlling for daily shifts in positive and negative emotions. This means that the association between affective empathy and alcohol use was not explained by shifts in emotional states. Overall, the findings indicate that changes in an individual’s affective empathy on a day-to-day basis may be important to understand alcohol use.

   
Released: 31-May-2023 4:25 PM EDT
How Canadians' lifestyle behaviours changed during the COVID-19 pandemic
McGill University

Sixty per cent of roughly 1,600 Canadians who took part in a new McGill University study say their lifestyle habits either stayed the same or improved during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Newswise:Video Embedded media-perception-of-a-company-as-environmentally-friendly
VIDEO
Released: 31-May-2023 2:35 PM EDT
When the media believe that a firm is really green
Bocconi University

When firms make their environmental policies public, they can get favorable media coverage only if their narrative carefully articulates signals of conformity (actions aimed at complying with existing norms) and distinctiveness (the adoption of a recognizably uncommon behavior).

   
Released: 31-May-2023 11:45 AM EDT
Health information increases whole grain consumption
University of Bonn

Whole grain products are healthy, but not particularly popular. However, providing information of their benefits can change that, at least a little bit.

Released: 30-May-2023 7:35 PM EDT
Silent zoo tours can generate new perspectives on animals, study suggests
University of Exeter

Visiting zoos in silence can generate a range of novel experiences, helping people to connect to animals in a more intimate way and giving visits more gravitas, according to new research.

Released: 30-May-2023 2:15 PM EDT
Genetic Risk Information May Help People Avoid Alcohol Addiction
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rutgers study finds that people informed of high genetic risk would plan to modify their behavior.

Released: 30-May-2023 12:15 PM EDT
Are we really foreseeing break-ups?
The Polish Association of Social Psychology

“I knew they wouldn’t last!” is the reaction we often get when we tell others that a couple they know has broken up.

25-May-2023 8:05 AM EDT
Binge Drinking and Night Shift Work Linked to Greater Likelihood of COVID Infection in Nurses
Research Society on Alcoholism

Working the night shift or binge drinking may double the risk of COVID-19 infection, according to a study of nurses published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. Both alcohol misuse and night shift work have been shown to impact sleep and promote inflammation in the body, which has been linked to COVID disease severity. The findings from this study strongly suggest that alcohol and circadian misalignment contribute to the development of COVID disease in people exposed to the virus.

   
22-May-2023 1:00 PM EDT
Social stress, problem-solving deficits contribute to suicide risk for teen girls
American Psychological Association (APA)

Teen girls who have greater difficulty effectively solving interpersonal problems when they experience social stress, and who experience more interpersonal stress in their lives, are at greater risk of suicidal behavior, suggests research published by the American Psychological Association.

Newswise: Morning “larks” tend to be more religious than “night owls”, with links to conscientiousness and life satisfaction
17-May-2023 11:00 AM EDT
Morning “larks” tend to be more religious than “night owls”, with links to conscientiousness and life satisfaction
PLOS

A new analysis suggests that being religious may contribute to a previously established link between preferring to wake up early and having higher life satisfaction, and this relationship may, in turn, be influenced by a person’s level of conscientiousness.

Newswise: “Second-Guessing” Is a Hard-Wired Behavior, Study Suggests
Released: 24-May-2023 1:05 PM EDT
“Second-Guessing” Is a Hard-Wired Behavior, Study Suggests
University of Utah Health

Have you ever made a decision that, in hindsight, seemed irrational? A new study with mice, which could have implications for people, suggests that some decisions are, to a certain extent, beyond their control. Rather, the mice are hard-wired to make them.

Released: 24-May-2023 12:25 PM EDT
Use of AI: Placebo effect increases risk-taking
Ludwig Maximilians Universität München (Munich)

Human augmentation technologies refer to technological aids that enhance human abilities. They include things like exoskeletons, but also augmented reality headsets.

18-May-2023 1:25 PM EDT
Are Search Engines Bursting the Filter Bubble?
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Political ideology and user choice – not algorithmic curation – are the biggest drivers of engagement with partisan and unreliable news provided by Google Search, according to a study coauthored by Rutgers faculty published in the journal Nature.

Newswise: Overcoming nuke stigma through critical thinking
Released: 23-May-2023 11:05 PM EDT
Overcoming nuke stigma through critical thinking
Kyoto University

The food contamination that followed the Fukushima nuclear plant incident in 2011 caused widespread fear, both within Japan and internationally.

   
Released: 23-May-2023 6:35 PM EDT
Researchers treat depression by reversing brain signals traveling the wrong way
Stanford Medicine

Powerful magnetic pulses applied to the scalp to stimulate the brain can bring fast relief to many severely depressed patients for whom standard treatments have failed. Yet it’s been a mystery exactly how transcranial magnetic stimulation, as the treatment is known, changes the brain to dissipate depression. Now, research led by Stanford Medicine scientists has found that the treatment works by reversing the direction of abnormal brain signals.

Released: 23-May-2023 5:30 PM EDT
A troubling reaction to school violence compounds the crisis
Elsevier

High school students who experience violence or bullying at school are more likely to bring weapons like a gun, knife, or club to school than those who have not experienced violence, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier.

   
Released: 23-May-2023 2:45 PM EDT
Privacy protection and other corporate accountability matters in the Business Ethics channel
Newswise

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was fined a record 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) and ordered to stop transferring data collected from Facebook users in Europe to the United States. Find the latest research and expert commentary on privacy issues and controversial business practices in the Business Ethics channel.

Released: 23-May-2023 2:10 PM EDT
Investors overvalue companies that align with presidential policies – and their mistakes ‘leave money on the table’
University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame Finance researcher Zhi Da analyzed how presidential politics affects the performance of individual stocks, especially those that could benefit or be hurt by a president’s policies.

   
Released: 23-May-2023 11:30 AM EDT
How the COVID-19 pandemic impacted social cohesion
Jacobs University Bremen

Did the pandemic bring societies together or increase the drifting apart? That was one of the central questions posed by the scientists.

Newswise: Lessons from blockbusters to help teams adapt
Released: 23-May-2023 8:05 AM EDT
Lessons from blockbusters to help teams adapt
Iowa State University

Co-authors of a new paper argue that negative emotions – if leveraged in the right way – can help teams adapt. They make their case by dissecting scenes from three blockbuster movies, each of which represent a different type of team and threat.

Newswise: Viewers Actually ‘Binge-Watch’ TV with a lot of Self-Control
22-May-2023 8:10 PM EDT
Viewers Actually ‘Binge-Watch’ TV with a lot of Self-Control
University of California San Diego

If viewers sometimes feel guilty about binge-watching television programing, they really shouldn’t. Though its name implies impulsive behavior, binge-watching TV is a common activity planned out by viewers, suggests new research from the University of California San Diego’s Rady School of Management and School of Global Policy and Strategy.

Released: 22-May-2023 8:45 PM EDT
Danish experiment reveals: You can satisfy your appetite just by looking at pictures of food on your phone
Aarhus University

Many of the food images are uploaded to sell specific foods. The idea is that the images on Facebook or Instagram will make us yearn for a McDonalds burger, for example. In other words, the image awakens our hunger. New research from Aarhus University now shows that the images can actually have the opposite effect. At least if we see pictures of the same product repeatedly.

   
Released: 22-May-2023 8:10 PM EDT
Are you prone to feeling guilty? You may be less likely to take a bribe
Society for Personality and Social Psychology

Bribery is among the most recognizable forms of corruption, and new research is shedding light on personality traits that could deter this behavior. Guilt-prone people are less likely to accept bribes, particularly when the act would cause obvious harm to other people.

Not for public release

This news release is embargoed until 22-May-2023 5:00 PM EDT Released to reporters: 16-May-2023 3:40 PM EDT

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Released: 22-May-2023 1:25 PM EDT
Government mistrust by mixed-immigration status families during the pandemic led to fear and confusion
University of California, Irvine

In a study published in the journal Health Equity, Brittany Morey, PhD, MPH, senior author and assistant professor of health, society and behavior at the UC Irvine Program in Public Health, highlights the health inequities that were exacerbated during the height of the pandemic. This study shared experiences of families that included individuals with different citizenship or immigration statuses, known as mixed-status families.

   
Released: 22-May-2023 12:25 PM EDT
Poor self-esteem and body image drive weight gain and worse mental health in teenage years
Imperial College London

These are the findings of a study of more than 12,000 children in the UK in which researchers from Imperial College London explored the impacts of psychological and social factors on the relationship between mental health and body mass index (BMI) throughout adolescence.

Released: 19-May-2023 6:30 PM EDT
Humanity’s earliest recorded kiss occurred in Mesopotamia 4,500 years ago
University of Copenhagen

Recent research has hypothesised that the earliest evidence of human lip kissing originated in a very specific geographical location in South Asia 3,500 years ago, from where it may have spread to other regions, simultaneously accelerating the spread of the herpes simplex virus 1.

   
Released: 18-May-2023 6:20 PM EDT
Is vaping a new gateway into further substance use? New national study shows adolescent vapers much likelier to use cannabis and binge drink
Taylor & Francis

A new study of more than 50,000 US adolescents across the country indicates that vaping nicotine is strongly linked with an increased likelihood of high levels use of binge drinking and cannabis usage.

   
Newswise:Video Embedded forgetfulness-even-fatal-cases-can-happen-to-anyone-study-shows
VIDEO
Released: 18-May-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Forgetfulness, even fatal cases, can happen to anyone, study shows
University of Notre Dame

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame set out to understand how and why forgetfulness can occur — whether it be forgetting your cellphone or, even worse, forgetting your child in the backseat of the car. Nathan Rose, the William P. and Hazel B. White Assistant Professor of Brain, Behavior and Cognition in the Department of Psychology, set up an experiment to better understand this lapse in what researchers call prospective memory, or the ability to remember critical but routine behaviors.

   
Newswise: Research finds fathers’ leave reduces sexist attitudes
Released: 18-May-2023 1:55 PM EDT
Research finds fathers’ leave reduces sexist attitudes
Washington University in St. Louis

New research from Washington University in St. Louis is among the first to provide concrete evidence that paternity leave policies can lead to more gender-equal attitudes — especially among those directly impacted by the policy.

Released: 18-May-2023 12:40 PM EDT
Pursuing Work-Life Balance Isn’t a Want, It’s a Need for Success
University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business

UMD Smith expert gives five keys for supervisors and workers to enhance their approach to work-life balance.

   
Released: 17-May-2023 6:25 PM EDT
Morning Lark or Night Owl: Baylor Researchers Highlight the Influence of Behavior on the Circadian Preferences of College Students
Baylor University

A new study from researchers with Baylor University’s Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory shows that chronotypes are more flexible than originally thought.

Newswise: Adult friendships can triumph over childhood trauma, even in baboons
Released: 17-May-2023 5:40 PM EDT
Adult friendships can triumph over childhood trauma, even in baboons
Duke University

Decades of research show that experiencing traumatic things as a child -- such as having an alcoholic parent or growing up in a tumultuous home -- puts you at risk for poorer health and survival later in life.

   
Newswise:Video Embedded cash-or-card-consumers-pay-strategically-to-forget-guilty-purchases-study-shows
VIDEO
Released: 17-May-2023 3:40 PM EDT
Cash or card? Consumers pay strategically to forget guilty purchases, study shows
University of Notre Dame

New research from Christopher Bechler, assistant professor of marketing in the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, takes a first-time look into how consumers choose between using cash or credit cards, and shows they pay strategically to help them forget about guilty purchases. 

   
Released: 17-May-2023 3:35 PM EDT
Psychopathic traits behind the rise and fall of Madoff
Anglia Ruskin University

A new academic study examining the actions of Bernie Madoff, the New York banker behind the world’s biggest Ponzi fraud, suggests companies do more to root out “corporate psychopaths” within their organisations to prevent financial ruin.

   
Released: 17-May-2023 3:05 PM EDT
Reflecting on their mission increases teachers’ growth mindset
Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Whether or not students enjoy school and perform well in the classroom depends very much on the teachers, whose fundamental beliefs can be transferred to the learners.

Newswise: Good news reports may emotionally buffer effects of negative news stories
12-May-2023 11:20 AM EDT
Good news reports may emotionally buffer effects of negative news stories
PLOS

People who saw news about human kindness after consuming news about a terrorist attack or other immoral acts felt fewer negative emotions and retained more belief in the goodness of humanity compared to people given just the bad news, according to a study published May 17, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kathryn Buchanan from the University of Essex, and colleague Gillian Sandstrom from the University of Sussex, UK.

Released: 17-May-2023 8:45 AM EDT
New Report Offers Policy Recommendations to Address Alcohol Use as Risk Factor for Gun Violence
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Researchers from the Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health released a set of state-based policy recommendations to address the intersection of alcohol use and firearms.

   


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