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social behavior

·May 27, 2025·3 min read

Amygdala Shapes Social Choices in Song-Learning Young Birds

Young zebra finches learn their birdsong by observing and imitating adult "tutor" birds, but they don’t follow just anyone. A new study shows that juvenile finches prefer tutors who sing longer but less often, suggesting social cues guide their choices.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 23, 2025·6 min read

Overimitation May Not Signal Social Bonding in Toddlers Just Yet

Overimitation, the tendency to copy unnecessary actions, has been observed in older children but was previously unstudied in toddlers under two. A new study found that 16–21-month-olds showed low rates of overimitation, and it wasn’t driven by a desire to affiliate with people similar to themselves.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 15, 2025·5 min read

AI’s Spontaneously Develop Social Norms Like Humans

Large language model (LLM) AI agents, when interacting in groups, can form shared social conventions without centralized coordination. Researchers adapted a classic “naming game” framework to test whether populations of AI agents could develop consensus through repeated, limited interactions.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 14, 2025·4 min read

Incel Culture Links Work Avoidance to Group Loyalty

A new study reveals that many self-identified incels reject employment not only due to mental health challenges, but as a deliberate expression of identity reinforced by online communities. By analyzing over 1,200 forum posts, researchers found that incel spaces often celebrate unemployment and isolation as signs of ideological purity, pressuring others to remain disengaged from work or education.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 13, 2025·4 min read

Social Status Shapes Addiction Risk Through Dopamine Circuitry

A new study reveals how social rank influences addiction vulnerability by altering dopamine pathways in the brain. Low-ranking male mice showed stronger reward signals and weaker control circuits, making them more prone to seek methamphetamine, while high-ranking mice had better balance and resistance.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 13, 2025·6 min read

Diverse Social Ties Boost Health in Aging

A decade-long study of over 1,500 older adults reveals that socially enriched networks—marked by diverse and active relationships, are strongly linked to better health outcomes later in life. In contrast, those with restricted networks, often limited to family and shaped by isolation, reported significantly worse health and were less likely to improve their social ties over time.

This shows a hand with a megaphone and a fist.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 10, 2025·4 min read

Moral Outrage Goes Viral, But Doesn’t Drive Action Online

A new study analyzing over a million posts linked to online petitions found that while moral outrage boosts a post's virality, it doesn't significantly increase petition signatures. Emotional and morally charged content spreads widely on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), but fails to translate into real-world collective actions.

This shows people gossiping and a person standing alone.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 9, 2025·5 min read

Would You Rather Be Ignored or Gossiped About? Science Weighs In

New research explores the psychological tradeoff between being ignored and being the subject of gossip, revealing that neither option feels good—but for different reasons. In a series of five experiments with over 1,000 participants, researchers found that while most people reject negative gossip, many also feel uncomfortable being praised behind their backs.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 9, 2025·6 min read

Resistance to New Rules Fades Once They’re in Place

A new study reveals that resistance to policies like smoking bans or speed limits drops significantly after they are implemented. Known as “reactance,” this initial pushback stems from perceived threats to personal freedom, but tends to subside as people adapt and begin recognizing societal benefits.

This shows a group of people and a person on their own.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·May 8, 2025·5 min read

People Prefer to Empathize With Groups Over Individuals

People are more likely to choose to empathize with groups rather than individuals, even though they find empathizing equally difficult in both scenarios. Using a card-based empathy selection task, participants opted to empathize 53% of the time when shown groups, versus just 34% for individuals. Researchers suggest that groups provide more contextual information, making empathizing feel more intuitive or meaningful.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 30, 2025·4 min read

How the Brain Judges Social Encounters

Scientists have identified the neural circuitry responsible for assigning emotional value—positive or negative—to social encounters. Two key neuromodulators, serotonin and neurotensin, were found to control opposing emotional responses in a brain region responsible for learning and memory.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Psychology

·April 29, 2025·5 min read

Brain Lesions Heighten Impulsivity and Social Influence

New research shows that damage to specific regions of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) increases both impulsivity and susceptibility to the impulsive behavior of others. Participants with mPFC lesions were more likely to choose immediate rewards and to be influenced by others who made impulsive decisions.