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social behavior

·September 21, 2023·3 min read

Brain Region That Links Language to Social Cognition Identified

Researchers discovered that neural activity in the left ventral temporoparietal junction (vTPJ) and the lateral anterior temporal lobe (lATL) during sentence processing is tied to social-semantic working memory. Previously, these regions were attributed to general language processing. Using fMRI experiments, the study demonstrated that these regions respond to sentences with social meaning and maintain activity even after the linguistic stimulus is gone. This insight reshapes our understanding of the brain's cortical language network.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 5, 2023·7 min read

Birds of a Feather? Study Debunks Opposites Attract Myth

A new study debunked the myth that "opposites attract," revealing that similarity is more common in partnerships. Analyzing over 130 traits across millions of couples from the past century, between 82% and 89% of traits showed partners were likely to be alike.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·September 5, 2023·4 min read

Unlocking The Secrets of Social Behaviors

New findings challenge our understanding of fruit fly social behaviors. While traditionally thought to rely primarily on chemical receptors for social interactions, the fruit fly's visual system plays a pivotal role too.

This shows a heart and a couple sitting apart.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 4, 2023·4 min read

How Dating Myths and Sexism Fuel Online Relationship Violence

The rise of the internet and social media has ushered in a new form of dating violence termed cyber-violence. This form of abuse encompasses acts of control, humiliation, and threats in the online realm.

Neuroscience

·August 30, 2023·7 min read

Bats Navigate Social Life with Brain’s GPS

Bats use the same neurons for social navigation as they do for spatial navigation. The study involved wireless neural recording and imaging of groups of Egyptian fruit bats flying in a large room.

This shows a cartoon of two politicians.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 28, 2023·5 min read

Echo Chambers Amplified: How CNN and Fox News Fuel America’s Polarization

Researchers utilized AI and natural language processing to analyze 10 years of broadcasts and tweets from CNN and Fox News, revealing a surge in partisan and inflammatory language. The study shows that the media language influences public debates on social media, creating divisive echo chambers.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 28, 2023·4 min read

Smart Glasses, Dumb Etiquette? How AR Affects Social Power Balance

Researchers explore how augmented reality (AR) smart glasses impact interactions between the wearer and those around them. The study found that while the technology eases the anxiety of the person wearing the glasses, it can disempower others who are unsure of what's happening on the other side of the lens.

This shows a woman surrounded by swimming fish.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 7, 2023·6 min read

Selfish or Generous? Your Behavior Dictates Your Perception of Others

A recent study finds that an individual's own behavior, rather than societal norms, plays a pivotal role in how they perceive and respond to others in competitive situations. Generous people tend to reward generosity, while selfish individuals tend to punish it, even at personal cost.

Featured Neuroscience

·August 4, 2023·4 min read

Social Perception’s Critical Brain Circuitry Discovered

Researchers identified a crucial brain circuit that affects how we value rewards in comparison to others. The team temporarily blocked connections between the medial prefrontal cortex and the lateral hypothalamus in monkeys, using a technique known as DREADD.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·August 3, 2023·5 min read

Social Media Algorithms Distort Social Instincts and Fuel Misinformation

Social media algorithms, designed to boost user engagement for advertising revenue, amplify the biases inherent in human social learning processes, leading to misinformation and polarization. As humans naturally learn more from their ingroup and prestigious individuals, algorithms capitalize on this, pushing information that feeds these biases—regardless of its accuracy.

This shows an older person holding a plant.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 21, 2023·3 min read

Give and Grow: Volunteering Linked to Better Cognitive Health in Seniors

Volunteering can significantly improve cognitive function in older adults, suggests new research. The study, which included a diverse group of 2,476 seniors, linked volunteering activities to better executive function and episodic memory.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 24, 2023·5 min read

The Power of Bullying: Aggressive Behavior Boosts Chimpanzees’ Social Status and Reproductive Success

A new study finds that chimpanzees with more aggressive personalities and less conscientiousness are more successful at climbing the social ladder and siring offspring than their more passive counterparts. However, the researchers also find it puzzling that not every chimpanzee has the same personality traits, suggesting that there may be other factors at play that determine the diversity of personalities in chimpanzees.