Current reporting, research and professional developments across Social Psychology, curated for psychologists and behavioral-health professionals.
A simple change in posture may subtly affect how people feel and make decisions. Participants who sat upright reported greater feelings of pride and took more successful risks in a virtual balloon game than those who…
A group of brain cells called orexin neurons appears to help us keep working when reaching a reward becomes increasingly difficult. Blocking their activity weakened motivation in rats, pointing to a possible new target…
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 05 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02533-1Li, Marble et al. examine how moment-to-moment fluctuations in arousal optimize behaviour by signalling environmental transitions…
People who experience greater hardship throughout their lives may become more susceptible to conspiracy theories when those experiences lead them to see the world as fundamentally unfair, according to new research.
The start of the school year brings a familiar list of responsibilities for parents: buying school supplies, keeping track of forms, coordinating transportation and responding to a steady stream of emails from teachers…
A cat-training program for children with developmental disabilities fostered healthy behaviors in children, strengthened relationships between children and their family cats and improved cats' social behavior, a new…
When academic research has explored the impact of school summer vacations, it has often focused on the costs to parents and children's learning and health.
Narcissism is associated with selfishness and other negative traits like a grandiose sense of self-importance, a constant need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. So it may not be surprising that narcissists…
Among Gen Z, 79% want a job mainly focused on helping people or making a positive difference in others' lives. But only about half of workers ages 18–29 who want such a position say they have one.
Maybe to some degree. But a new international study suggests the communities we live in matter a whole lot, too. Researchers analyzed responses from 97,220 people across 66 countries and identified five broad factors…
For firefighters, physical fitness is a matter of safety, survival and long-term health. While past research has largely focused on individual habits, a new study has revealed that station leaders play a critical role in…
The #MeToo movement began as a way for victims of gender-based violence to find solidarity, share their experiences and bring justice to perpetrators of misconduct. New research from the University of Kansas shows that…
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 04 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02516-2In this mixed-methods study, Zhang et al. examine AI companionship and psychological well-being, finding that the association…
When you’re learning, or trying new things, you’re going to make mistakes. The trick is to try to fail in a way that gives you useful information. This week, we revisit a favorite conversation with researcher Amy…
Students who open a personal social media account earlier in adolescence appear to perform worse on later standardized tests, according to a study in Nature Human Behaviour based on 5,227 Italian students. The authors…
We often speak of loving things like a cozy sweater or new camera. But this talk is not generally taken literally. It's a kind of emotional shorthand. We use it to express our fondness for precious objects.
Speak into a phone and an app can render your words in another language in seconds. AI-powered speech translation can be fast, convenient and fluent. But fluency does not guarantee that people will understand one…
In everyday life, the ability to read facial expressions plays a vital role in social communication, as it reveals a speaker's underlying emotions, intentions and psychological state. More importantly, accurately…
Autism social skills training in Japan has cleared its first randomized controlled trial: a culturally adapted six-week group therapy improved both social cognition and real-world daily functioning in ...
Ask someone if they'd rather take $5 today or $10 next week and they'll know which option is better.
Most Americans favor nonviolent measures, such as temporary barricades, over violent measures, like the use of rubber bullets, by border enforcement officers toward undocumented migrants on the southern border, a UCL-led…
New research is giving children a voice in understanding how technological interruptions affect parent-child relationships. A paper, "Distracted, Interrupted, or Disrupted: A Pathway Model of Technoference," led by…
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 03 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02522-4Analysing data from 5,227 students from northern Italy, this article finds causal evidence that early engagement with social media…
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 03 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02523-3A longitudinal study of Italian students revealed a significant negative effect of early use of social media on later academic…
A Pizza Hut in southwest Pennsylvania was recently highlighted for preserving its retro 1990s appearance, even as hundreds of other locations have closed across the United States.
Grounding intermittent art festivals such as the Setouchi Triennale within the resource capacities and social thresholds of the island communities that host them is a path to the sustainable, long-term revitalization of…
Recent reports have highlighted AI-generated "doctors" spreading dubious health advice to millions of social media users. Fabricated wellness trends can travel just as quickly. A supposed "pink jelly" weight-loss…
A James Cook University study is challenging the belief that the greatest cost of going to court is losing a case, arguing the legal process itself can leave lasting psychological scars.
Sexual and reproductive health has largely been shaped by perspectives from wealthier developed nations in the Global North. To correct this imbalance, public health experts call for centering Global South knowledge…
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 31 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02481-wWe synthesized evidence from 111 meta-analyses to map the comprehensive health risks that are associated with second-hand smoke…
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