Feature Channels: Behavioral Science

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A new Cornell University-led study suggests that if artificial intelligence tools can counsel a doctor like a colleague – pointing out relevant research that supports the decision – then doctors can better weigh the merits of the recommendation.

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In a study conducted in the lab as well as during the COVID-19 lockdowns, participants reported higher levels of tiredness after eight hours of social isolation. The results suggest that low energy may be a basic human response to a lack of social contact. The study conducted at the University of Vienna and published in Psychological Science also showed that this response was affected by social personality traits of the participants.

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New research from the Universitas Surabaya and the University of South Australia shows that while social media may compound negative body image issues, it’s only through a lens of perfectionism that it can affect a significant body issue – body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).

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Being a woman or racial minority can help someone stand out and be remembered when few others look like them. But they are more likely to be confused in settings where others share the same attributes. That's according to new research in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics.

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A roundup of the latest medical discoveries and faculty news happening at Cedars-Sinai in March 2023.

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American politics experts and research for media.

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Greek Week has long been a tradition at Cal State Fullerton, focusing on fundraising and creating awareness of student programs and activities.

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Increasing the proportion of non-alcoholic drinks on sale in online supermarkets could reduce the amount of alcohol people purchase, suggests a study published today led by researchers at the University of Cambridge.

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With 157 school shootings in the United States since 2018, as well as increasingly common mass shootings in other public places, parents fear that a similar tragedy could strike in Chicago. In a recent survey from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 67 percent of Chicago parents were worried about a possible shooting at their children’s school and 73 percent worried that a mass shooting might occur in another public place.

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Unproductive, inflexible, and less motivated... these are some of the most common stereotypes about senior employees. Even though the stereotypes are usually unfounded, they nevertheless influence how senior employees perceive themselves and their status in the workplace.

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Shortness of breath. Chest pains. Heart palpitations. Panic attacks can have all the hallmarks of a heart attack. A Penn State Health psychiatrist talks about the real culprit for these mental storms – anxiety.

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In flood-prone areas of New York state, non-white homeowners are more likely than white homeowners to take active, sometimes-costly measures – such as finding a way to protect a furnace, a water heater or installing a sump pump – to prepare for a possible deluge, according to a new Cornell University study.

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Cross-college innovation helps children with autism while providing high-impact learning experience

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After a school shooting like the one that occurred in Nashville, parents may find themselves trying to navigate difficult conversations with their children. What to say is just as important as what not to say, according to experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Children are naturally curious and may have questions, or they may be worried about their own safety.

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For wild animals, false alarms are the most widespread form of misinformation. Deploying camera observatories in a coral reef in French Polynesia, researchers have shown that even in the absence of predators, escape events occur frequently in natural groups of foraging fish but rarely spread to more than a few individuals. These animals form dynamic information exchange networks and adjust their responsiveness to visual cues based on the recent history of sensory inputs from neighbors.

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Fish can adjust their sensitivity to the actions of others – such as fleeing due to a false alarm – to reduce the risk of responding to misinformation, according to a new study. Other animals, including humans, may also have these decision-making mechanisms.

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There is new evidence that fibromyalgia, and the chronic pain associated with it, could worsen opioid use disorder. Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, College of Medicine and University of Michigan report their findings in the journal PAIN.

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Research into the unique cognitive abilities of dogs often leads to surprises, including dogs’ ability to form mental representations of things they smell, or that they know when their owners do something by accident.

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A new study has highlighted how cryptocurrency investors often suffer gambling-related harms – and online gambling outlets accepting cryptocurrency as wagers pose even greater risks

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Female giant African pouched rats, used for sniffing out landmines and detecting tuberculosis, can undergo astounding reproductive organ transformations, according to a new study.

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A new national study, published in LGBT Health, finds that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth are twice as likely to report trouble falling or staying asleep than their straight peers. Greater depression, stress, and family conflict contribute to the sleep problems of LGB youth.

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Failing to clearly communicate when problem solving can actually benefit groups that lack diversity, and the degree to which miscommunication helps or hinders the search for a solution is strongly based on factors such as team dynamics, according to a new paper co-written by a University at Buffalo researcher.

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If companies want to ensure pregnant employees and new moms stay on their payrolls, they’d do well to offer competitive maternity benefits.  So suggests new research by Samantha Paustian-Underdahl, the Mary Tilley Bessemer Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Florida State University College of Business.

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New research published by investigators at Cedars-Sinai advances scientific understanding of how the brain weighs decisions involving what people like or value, such as choosing which book to read, which restaurant to pick for lunch—or even, which slot machine to play in a casino.

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The new UTHealth Houston School of Behavioral Health Sciences has been approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and unanimously by The University of Texas System Board of Regents, moving the university closer to establishing a seventh school.

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A joint research team from the Mobile Robotic Systems Group in EPFL’s School of Engineering and School of Computer and Communication Sciences and the Hiveopolis project at Austria’s University of Graz have developed a robotic system that can be unobtrusively built into the frame of a standard honeybee hive.

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A new study examining whether activity on hard-right social media lead to civil unrest. The authors found that hard-right social media activity did indeed increase subsequent unrest in the United States during 2020. Authors also found evidence that social media can shift people’s understanding of appropriate social norms, creating “mis-norms.”

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While recent studies and polls indicate the nation is in the midst of a mental health crisis, the situation in academia is even more grim: Within the high-stress, high-pressure, often socially isolated world of advanced education, graduate students experience depression and anxiety at six times the rate of the general population.

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A survey sent to more than 43,000 patients living in several states around the country finds that 96% of patients who use patient web portals prefer immediate online access to their clinical test results, notwithstanding the prospect of reviewing results before their physicians have a chance to review them.

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In a 2020 survey, Ukrainians who perceived a higher level of conflict between Ukraine and Russia were less inclined to endorse false, negative news about the European Union, but were more likely to endorse false, negative news about Russia.

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Temperature influences how badly pesticides affect bees’ behaviour, suggesting uncertain impacts under climate change, according to a new study.

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New research led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis identifies a common genetic signature that may increase a person's risk of developing substance use disorders. The work eventually could lead to universal therapies to treat multiple substance use disorders and potentially help people diagnosed with more than one.

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Urine scent marks are the original social media, allowing animals to advertise their location, status and identity. Now Cornell research is shining a new light – via thermal imaging of mice – on how this behavior changes depending on shifting social conditions.

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“One side can start the polarization and keep it going forever, but it takes two sides to stop it. That’s why it easily arises, but it’s so difficult to end,” Boleslaw Szymanski said. Szymanski is the Claire & Roland Schmitt Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and director of the Network Science and Technology Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

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New research finds that simply anticipating stress related to political elections causes adverse physical health effects. However, the study also finds there is something people can do to mitigate those negative health effects.