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social behavior

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·July 11, 2024·4 min read

Study Shows Narcissism Declines with Age

A study reveals that narcissism decreases from childhood to older adulthood, though individual differences remain stable over time. People who are more narcissistic as children tend to stay that way as adults.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 27, 2024·3 min read

First Neandertal with Down Syndrome: Evidence of Altruistic Care in Prehistory

A new study documents the first case of Down syndrome in a Neandertal child named "Tina," found in Spain. Despite severe hearing loss and vertigo, Tina survived to at least 6 years old, indicating she received extensive care from her group. This discovery highlights the Neandertals' capacity for altruistic behavior.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·June 20, 2024·4 min read

Decision Speed Reveals Hidden Social Preferences

People can infer hidden social preferences by observing how quickly others make decisions. The study used the Dictator Game to show that decision speed, even without knowing the actual choices, can predict preferences. This finding challenges the notion that only choices reveal social preferences. Incorporating response times into predictive models offers a more nuanced understanding of human behavior.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 11, 2024·4 min read

Social Connections Predict Song Hits, Boosting Accuracy by 50%

People's social networks significantly predict a song’s future popularity, increasing machine learning prediction accuracy by 50%. Analyzing data from last.fm, researchers found that friendships and listening habits are crucial in determining a song’s success.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 9, 2024·6 min read

Similarity Doesn’t Guarantee Empathy: Rethinking Double-Empathy Theory

Recent research challenges the double-empathy problem, suggesting that social interactions and empathy are more complex than this theory proposes. The study highlights the confusion surrounding the theory and its narrow focus on autism, overlooking other social identity factors.

Featured Neuroscience Visual Neuroscience

·June 3, 2024·4 min read

Brain Regions Key to Social Gaze Identified

Researchers discovered two brain regions crucial for social gaze in primates. Stimulating the orbitofrontal cortex increased eye contact duration and responsiveness, while the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex influenced long-term gaze patterns. These findings can inform therapies for social behavior challenges in disorders like autism.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 29, 2024·6 min read

Study Links Toxic Masculinity to Misinterpretation of Sexual Consent

Men with hostile masculinity traits often misinterpret passive responses to sexual advances as consent. These men are more likely to escalate sexual behavior regardless of actual consent.

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Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 23, 2024·5 min read

Teen Social Networks Influence Mental Health Disorder Spread

Researchers found that mental disorders can spread within school social networks. By analyzing data from over 700,000 Finnish ninth-graders, they discovered that having classmates with mental disorders increased the risk of being diagnosed with similar conditions later in life.

This shows the word please written on blocks.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 18, 2024·5 min read

Beyond Politeness: Is “Please” a Politeness Marker or a Strategic Tool?

A new study challenges the notion that "please" is a universal marker of politeness. Instead, researchers found it's primarily used when expecting resistance or inconvenience. This suggests "please" is a strategic tool to navigate social interactions rather than a mere politeness marker. The study emphasizes the importance of context and sensitivity in communication, as misusing "please" can backfire.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·May 16, 2024·2 min read

Stress May Boost Helping Behavior When Witnessing Injustice

A new study finds that acute stress experienced while witnessing injustice can make people more likely to help victims rather than punish offenders. This shift in behavior is linked to increased activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a brain region involved in decision-making. The findings suggest that helping others may be a more intuitive response than punishing them, especially under stress.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 15, 2024·6 min read

How Gossip Shapes Cooperation

A new study explores how gossip influences cooperation and behavior. Researchers found that gossip helps maintain social order by spreading information about reputations, which encourages cooperative behavior.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 11, 2024·6 min read

Friendly Chats Mitigate Social Exclusion Effects

Simple social interactions, like chatting with a friend, can mitigate the effects of social exclusion. The research found that both face-to-face conversations and anticipating future interactions help individuals recover quicker from social slights and feel more secure.