The Science of Gift Wrapping Explains Why Sloppy Is Better Than Neat
They say appearances can be deceiving. In the case of gift giving, they might be right. Consumers in the U.S. spend billions of dollars a…
Behavioral Science News
MIT Scientists Find Clues to Why Fake News Snowballs on Social Media
A new model shows that the more polarized and hyperconnected a social network is, the more likely misinformation will spread. The spread of misinformation on…
Testosterone Drives the Dark Side of Success: Meerkat Societies Fall Apart When Aggression Is Taken Away
Cooperation and aggression. Meerkats are showing us that one may not be possible without the other. In a study appearing this week in the journal…
New Research Reveals the Human and Economic Impacts of COVID-19
New research reveals the economic costs of behavioral responses to the pandemic in the U.S. Throughout its unsteady course, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the…
Scientists Capture Earliest Emergence of Humor in Children
Young children’s ability to laugh and make jokes has been mapped by age for the first time using data from a new study involving nearly…
Steering Evolution in a Better Direction: Game Theory and Economics Show How
Human behavior drives the evolution of biological organisms in ways that can profoundly adversely impact human welfare. Understanding people’s incentives when they do so is…
Conspiracy Theorists Exploited COVID-19 Science – Here’s How
Conspiracists have used the provisional nature of science to paint scientists as malign actors. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, conspiracy theorists have exploited the conditional nature…
Latest Research on Violent Video Games Finds No Link to Real-Life Violence
As the latest ‘Call of Duty’ video game is released today, research shows that violent video games do not lead to increased violence. Mass media…
Americans Love the Billionaire, but Hate the Billionaires’ Club
How inequality is expressed matters for policy views. Americans may respect and admire how individual billionaires – think Oprah Winfrey or Bill Gates – made…
How People Can End Up Living at Airports for Months – Even Years – at a Time
In January, local authorities arrested a 36-year-old man named Aditya Singh after he had spent three months living at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Since October,…
Color-Coded Nutrition Labels and Warnings Linked to Healthier Food Purchases
New analysis of 118 studies conducted over 30 years could help refine, improve food labeling policies. A new analysis has integrated findings from 134 studies…
“Hands-On” Meets “Minds-On” – New Research Shows Learning Is More Effective When Active
Engaging students through interactive activities, discussions, feedback, and AI-enhanced technologies resulted in improved academic performance compared to traditional lectures, lessons, or readings, faculty from Carnegie…
Beyond Small Talk: Study Finds People Enjoy Deep Conversations With Strangers
People overestimate awkwardness, underestimate enjoyment of deep, meaningful conversations, study finds. People benefit from deep and meaningful conversations that help us forge connections with one…
Theory of Mind: Children Do Not Understand Concept of Others Having False Beliefs Until Age 6 or 7
New developmental psychology work has upended decades of research suggesting that children as young as 4 years old possess theory of mind. Having theory of…
First Corona Lockdown Was a “Live Experiment” – Revealed Big Behavioral Gender Differences
How do communication or movement patterns change in an acute crisis? Researchers in Vienna see major trends in anonymized telecommunication data—and identify clear gender differences….
A Mathematical Equation Can Uncover Your Preferences via Brain Activity and Mood
A mathematical equation can assess how you feel about experiences using your mood and brain activity. People can struggle to accurately assess how they feel…
Top 11 Reasons for COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy – First: Mistrust of Government
People’s trust in the government’s approval of a safe and effective vaccine against COVID-19 is the biggest driver of vaccine uptake, an Australian study has…
To Cheat or Not To Cheat? Cognitive Control Can Drive Cheaters To Be Honest and Honest People To Cheat
The ability of cognitive control allows humans to override the brain’s impulses, like focusing on one person in the crowd and ignoring distractions. It also…
