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social behavior

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience Psychology

·December 5, 2024·6 min read

Gene Defect Linked Brain Size and Social Behavior in ASD, Schizophrenia

A new study reveals how genetic deficits, particularly in the Tbx1 gene, are linked to reduced brain volume and altered social behavior, findings relevant to autism and schizophrenia. Researchers observed smaller amygdala volumes in Tbx1-deficient mice, a brain region key to emotional regulation and social behavior. These mice displayed less interest in social interaction, relying more on non-social cues like bedding preferences.

This shows a woman sitting alone with a mug of tea.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 3, 2024·3 min read

Alone Time Helps Reduce Holiday Stress

46% of Americans don’t get enough alone time during the holiday season, even though 56% say it’s crucial for their mental health. Taking brief moments alone can help the nervous system settle, reducing stress and improving well-being during this busy time.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 20, 2024·4 min read

Chimpanzees Show Friendly Behaviors Are Contagious

Grooming and play behaviors in chimpanzees are contagious, fostering social bonds and harmony within their groups. Conducted at a wildlife orphanage, the research shows how observing others’ positive actions encourages similar behaviors, with grooming occurring more often among close partners and play thriving among younger chimps.

This shows the monkeys trying to solve a problem.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 18, 2024·4 min read

Social Tolerance Fuels Learning in Wild Capuchin Monkeys

Wild bearded capuchins use social learning to solve problems, influenced by social tolerance and group dynamics. Researchers observed the monkeys interacting with a puzzle-box and found that grooming partners and tolerant individuals were more likely to learn from each other.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 9, 2024·6 min read

Why Human Culture Never Stops Evolving

A new study proposes that human culture’s unique power lies not in its ability to accumulate knowledge, as once thought, but in its "open-endedness." Unlike animal cultures that reach limits in evolution, human culture continuously expands, adapting without bounds.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 1, 2024·3 min read

Cooperative Care Influences Brain Development in Humans and Marmosets

Cooperative breeding influences brain development in common marmosets and humans, allowing longer periods for social learning. Marmoset brains, like human brains, develop socio-cognitive regions slowly, maturing in early adulthood.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 23, 2024·5 min read

How Social Learning Guides Decisions When Preferences Differ

A new study shows that humans use social information to guide their decisions, even when others’ preferences differ from their own. Researchers found that people treat social cues as helpful but less reliable than their personal experiences, using them as a tool to explore decision options.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 23, 2024·4 min read

Social Media Verification Drives Polarization and Echo Chambers

A new study shows that X's verification system, which gives verified users priority in algorithms, can increase polarization and trigger the formation of echo chambers. Researchers used computational modeling to simulate how verified users affect the spread of political opinions on social media. They found that when verified users with entrenched opinions post, their influence can drive polarization, while centrist ideologues can reduce it if present in sufficient numbers.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·October 22, 2024·3 min read

Cerebellum Plays Key Role in Social and Cognitive Abilities

The cerebellum, traditionally linked to motor functions, also plays a vital role in social and cognitive abilities, according to new research. Abnormalities in this brain region not only impair movement but are linked to emotional and behavioral issues, particularly in autism.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 21, 2024·5 min read

Parent-Child Play Shapes Social Skills for Interacting with Peers

How parents and toddlers play together can predict children's future social interactions. By observing over 120 mother-child pairs, researchers found that responsive and assertive behaviors during play were linked to better social competence with peers.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 17, 2024·6 min read

People Empathize with Bullied AI Bots

People empathize with AI bots excluded from a virtual game, treating them like social beings in need of fairness. Participants favored giving the AI bot a fair chance in play, with older adults showing a stronger inclination to rectify the perceived unfairness.

This shows a brain puzzle with missing pieces.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·October 14, 2024·3 min read

Imaging Links Fewer Brain Connections to Autism Social Challenges

A recent study used PET imaging to examine synaptic connections in autistic and non-autistic adults, marking the first time this technology was applied to autism research. Findings show autistic adults have fewer synapses, or connections between brain cells, which closely relates to social and communicative differences in autism.