Current reporting, research and professional developments across Social Psychology, curated for psychologists and behavioral-health professionals.
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02546-wDirect recordings from the human brain reveal a hierarchy in planning to speak, with neural activity organizing whole syllables…
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02548-8Weber et al. show that the normally conserved spatial organization of the digit response maps in primary somatosensory cortex is…
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 13 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02554-wFuchs-Schündeln and Holub show evidence of a homophily bias in scientific grant application review—evaluators are more favourable to…
Why do we keep making the same choices even when better options are available? Researchers found that simply repeating a decision can reshape what we prefer, causing familiar choices to feel better than alternatives…
A study involving more than 58,000 adolescents from 21 countries found that "unstructured free time"—defined as periods without adult supervision or activities guided by educational, cultural or athletic goals—is…
Many people think of negotiation as something reserved for salary talks, car purchases, or business deals: infrequent, high-stake encounters most people would rather avoid. A new study shows that this assumption is…
You enjoy meeting people, but afterwards you feel completely drained and need time alone. Psychology suggests this doesn't automatically make you an introvert. Mental effort, emotional regulation, ...
Across the United States, the number of people who do not have and do not want to have children is growing. While they are twice as likely to live in California as Louisiana, individual demographic characteristics are…
In 2005, a research team led by University of Zurich economics professor Ernst Fehr published a study in the journal Nature that provided evidence for the first time that intranasally administered oxytocin can increase…
The Amish, a Christian denomination and a three-century-old ethnic group of German migrants known for its strict lifestyle standards, are one of the fastest-growing minority populations in the U.S. For more than a…
You walk in a park. Children are playing, people are walking their dogs, and then you hear someone say, "Who's my little sweetie?" You turn around expecting to see a stroller. But someone is sitting beside a dog…
Couples who watch TV together feel more connected—especially if they talk about it after. Ever had that familiar moment with your partner: “What should we watch tonight?” You grab some snacks, settle onto the couch, and…
What you want in a romantic partner matters, but what other people want may matter even more. It is no secret that people spend a lot of time, money, and effort trying to find the right romantic partner—the person who…
Invented languages tend to be the stuff of fantasy or science fiction worlds. But as a child, you may have made one up yourself.
Skin appearance plays an important role in the perception of age, health and attractiveness. Of course, skin appearance is affected by actual skin condition, but previous research has also found that it is affected by…
A growing body of research suggests that listening to music has a positive impact on our health and well-being. We use music in at least seven different ways to regulate our emotions, including for entertainment, comfort…
When social media arrived on the scene, there were high hopes that they would improve—or even "democratize"—communication about climate change by, for instance, lowering access barriers, creating a more direct channel…
A vaccine only protects a whole community if enough people get it, including those who would stay safe anyway once their neighbors are covered. The same tension runs through climate action and social movements: The…
Human service organizations play an important role in connecting people to housing, health care, food access and other essential services. Yet forecasting community needs can be difficult in times of rapid change or…
When MIT historian Tristan Brown first examined a Chinese tea chest label displayed as a relic of the Boston Tea Party, he had no reason to doubt its story.
The past decade has brought a wave of legal reforms around same-sex relationships across Asia: India struck down its colonial-era ban in 2018; Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage in 2019; Singapore repealed Section 377A…
A new study has found that sexual role identities among men who have sex with men vary systematically by age and geographic region.
Adolescence is a key stage of development, characterized by heightened emotional vulnerability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in seven young people ages 10–19 lives with a mental health condition…
Every day, billions of people scroll through social media posts, online reviews and news feeds filled with emotional content—from glowing five-star reviews to rage-inducing social media rants. Those emotions can quietly…
Some people are remarkably good at reading the emotional temperature of a situation. They can pick up on what others are feeling, manage their own emotions, and respond skillfully. What’s their secret? This week, we…
Childhood advantage boosts the social returns of intelligence. Most people think of intelligence as a lifelong advantage—and in many ways, it is. People with higher cognitive ability tend to do better in school, earn…
Advice that feels helpful in one culture may feel wrong in another. Imagine that your close friend Alice comes to you distressed. Her boyfriend cheated on her, and she is unsure whether to break up with him. What would…
People prefer writing during disagreements, but talking leads to more constructive discussions. Have you ever had a contentious disagreement with someone over text messaging and wondered if it would have gone better if…
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02535-zTicklishness is a familiar but poorly understood experience. Xiong and Kilteni show that ticklishness is culturally shared and…
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02542-0Across 14 studies, the authors show that when clinical providers offer reassurance through normalization, this can have paradoxical…
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