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social behavior

·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.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 24, 2023·5 min read

A Helping Hand: Small Acts of Kindness Occur Every Two Minutes

In a study of people from different countries and cultural backgrounds, researchers found people tend to ask for assistance with small tasks on average every two minutes. Across cultures, people tend to positively respond to the requests of others more often than they deny assistance. The findings suggest all cultures may have more similar cooperative behaviors than prior research has established.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 19, 2023·3 min read

Study Explores Prosocial Behavior Within and Between Religious Groups

Regardless of affiliation, religious people were more likely to act in a generous manner toward strangers when asked to think about their God. The level of giving increased equally regardless of whether the stranger was a member of the same religious group or not.

This shows the democrat donkey and GOP elephant

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 10, 2023·5 min read

Your Political Rivals Aren’t as Bad as You Think: Here’s How Misunderstandings Amplify Hostility

Researchers investigate why people tend to dislike others based on their political affiliations and why we believe our emotions when it comes to politics are never wrong.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 5, 2023·3 min read

The Social Consequences of Using AI in Conversations

When using AI-enabled chat tools, people have more effective conversations, perceive each other more positively, and use more positive language.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 3, 2023·4 min read

Left-Leaning People Are More Altruistic

Findings from a study of more than 46,000 people from 68 different countries reveal those who share more left-wing political views are more generous and altruistic than those who follow right-wing ideologies.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 28, 2023·3 min read

Positive Experiences in Close Relationships Are Associated With Better Physical Health

The way you feel about your close social and personal relationships may have a significant impact on the way your body functions.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 20, 2023·4 min read

Changing One’s Behavior in Different Social Interactions Is Child’s Play

Young children encode social cues according to context, then process the social stimuli to form a representation of the current social situation. Once the action values are compared, children then chose to perform the optimal action that has the highest value.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 19, 2023·5 min read

Fear of Failing: The Secrets Behind Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is associated with a higher risk of developing depression and addiction disorders. Researchers say the fear of rejection may be at the root of social anxiety.