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social neuroscience

·January 12, 2024·6 min read

Eye-Tracking Unveils Autism’s Distinctive Worldview and Social Focus Shift

Researchers have discovered that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) develop distinct attentional preferences compared to typically developing children, focusing more on non-social stimuli like objects and textures. Using eye-tracking technology on children viewing cartoons, the study found that unlike their peers, ASD children do not exhibit the same developmental trajectory in social attention.

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·January 11, 2024·3 min read

The Broccoli Experiment: How Facial Expressions Impact Food Love

Observing others' facial expressions while eating raw broccoli impacts women's liking but not their desire to eat it. A study examined the effects of positive, neutral, and negative facial expressions during broccoli consumption.

This shows a big face and a lot of people.

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·January 5, 2024·4 min read

Revealing Secrets: People’s Fear of Judgment is Overestimated

New research dispels fears of judgment when sharing secrets. Study shows that when individuals confide their secrets, others perceive them as more charitable and trustworthy.

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·December 18, 2023·5 min read

Apes’ Long-Term Social Memory Mirrors Human Ability

A new study reveals that apes possess a remarkably long-lasting social memory, comparable to humans. Researchers found that chimpanzees and bonobos can recognize former groupmates they haven't seen for over 25 years, showing more attention to those they had positive relationships with.

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·December 15, 2023·6 min read

Active Aging: Exercise and Social Life Shield Brain Health

Researchers uncovered the protective effects of physical and social activities on brain health in older adults. Analyzing data from a 12-year longitudinal study, researchers focused on the entorhinal cortex, vital for learning and memory and vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease.

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·December 12, 2023·6 min read

Rejecting Invites: Less Impact on Relationships Than Feared

People often overestimate the negative consequences of declining social invitations. The study involved over 2,000 participants across five experiments. It showed that while individuals who declined invitations feared damaging their relationships, the inviters typically felt less upset than expected.

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·December 11, 2023·3 min read

AI Chatbots May Hinder Social Skills in Neurodiverse Individuals

Researchers raised concerns about the impact of social chatbots on neurodiverse individuals and those with social interaction challenges. Their study highlights the potential of these AI tools to worsen social isolation and dependency, despite their initial appeal for safe and judgement-free interaction practice.

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·December 7, 2023·4 min read

Balancing Act: The Mixed Blessings of Solitude on Mental Health

A new study examines the nuanced impact of solitude on mental health among adults aged 35 and older in the UK and US. Tracking 178 participants over 21 days, the research found no definitive optimal balance between solitude and social interaction.

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·November 30, 2023·5 min read

Asch Study Reimagined: Navigating the Labyrinth of Conformity in the Contemporary Mind

A recent study replicates and extends Solomon Asch's famous conformity experiments, revealing intriguing insights about human behavior. The research demonstrates that monetary incentives reduce conformity errors in line-judging tasks, though social influence remains a factor.

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·November 27, 2023·5 min read

Brain’s Role in Social Cues

Researchers uncovered a crucial role of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) in processing social cues, expanding our understanding of this brain region beyond working memory and multisensory integration. Using a novel approach, the study found that while individual neurons in the VLPFC of macaques showed complex responses to social stimuli, their collective activity could be decoded by a machine learning model to identify expressions and identities in videos.

This shows a woman sitting alone in a dark room.

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·November 24, 2023·3 min read

Hikikomori: New Tool Sheds Light on Social Isolation Phenomenon

Researchers developed the Hikikomori Diagnostic Evaluation (HiDE), a new assessment tool for identifying pathological social withdrawal or hikikomori. This condition, initially identified in Japan, is characterized by extended physical isolation lasting over six months and is increasingly observed worldwide, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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·November 15, 2023·9 min read

Infant Brain Development and Social Interactions

A new study delves into infant brain development and its impact on social interactions and stress recovery during the first year of life. Through functional MRI scans and interactive tasks with mothers, researchers observe early neural patterns. One study reveals that greater brain network connectivity at 3 months correlates with improved infant-mother dyadic flexibility at 6 months.