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social behavior

This shows a girl standing alone by a tree and looking at a lake

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·January 12, 2020·3 min read

Hikikomori: New definition helps identify, treat extreme social isolation

Hikikomori, the condition of extreme social isolation, is more ubiquitous than previously believed. Researchers say modern tools to help improve interpersonal communication may have the opposite effect.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 1, 2020·7 min read

Study may explain how infections reduce autism symptoms

Immune molecules produced during infection influence the social behaviors of mouse models of autism spectrum disorder. The findings may shed light on why some children on the autism spectrum experience a temporary reduction in behavioral symptoms when they have a fever.

This shows a person laying with their head on the table and an empty alcohol bottle

Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience

·December 30, 2019·6 min read

Hangovers happen as your body tries to protect itself from alcohol’s toxic effects

Researchers explore the biology behind hangovers, including how excessive alcohol consumption alters glutamate, serotonin, and dopamine. The paper also examines how to reduce the effects of a heavy night's drinking.

This is a drawing of a person in front of a TV set

Featured Neuroscience Neuroscience Videos Psychology

·December 29, 2019·4 min read

Watching pornography rewires the brain to a more juvenile state

From eroding the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain critical for impulse control, to damaging the dopamine reward system, researchers evaluate the impact of viewing pornography on the brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 26, 2019·4 min read

Why some people distrust atheists

25% of the population in the US identify as non-religious, with 3% actively identifying as atheist. Researchers investigate why many people distrust those who identify as being atheist.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 13, 2019·6 min read

Deepening our understanding of selfish behavior

Study identifies distinct neural processes that occur when we make decisions for the benefit of ourselves and of others.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 12, 2019·6 min read

The empathy option: The science of how and why we choose to be empathetic

Is empathy really on the decline, as a recent study suggests? Researchers investigate how and why people chose to be empathetic, or to avoid empathy, in their daily lives.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 2, 2019·3 min read

Why stress doesn’t always cause depression

Rats susceptible to anhedonia have more serotonin neurons in the ventral dorsal raphe nucleus. However, activating neurons in the central amygdala reduced the serotonin signaling and lowered the effects of social stress.