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From virtue to vice: How the morality of popular music lyrics has changed since the 1960s

24 June 2026 at 14:40
Popular music may be reflecting a growing culture of vices, according to new research from the Center for Digital Music at Queen Mary University of London. The analysis of musical evolution found that song lyrics have become increasingly negative over the past six decades, with declining references to moral virtues. This could provide an important indicator of a cultural shift in society.

Buyer beware: Your sustainable shopping choices may not be as green as they look

24 June 2026 at 12:00
New research reveals that many "green" claims are almost impossible to verify, often masking the full truth. University of Technology (UTS) professor of marketing Natalina Zlatevska said shoppers often rely on the labels as a shortcut when making quick decisions in supermarkets.

Simple acknowledgment boosts repeat customer participation in take-back programs

24 June 2026 at 02:00
Companies may only need to send an acknowledgment message to boost repeat customer participation in recycling and reuse programs for used goods like laptops and coffee pods, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. The idea for the study arose over a cup of coffeeβ€”more specifically, the single-use pod used to make the coffee. Over a series of experiments, the researchers found that a simple "we received your item" email was all it took to encourage less-engaged customers to become repeat recyclers and to raise the company's sustainability profile.

How reading shapes and enhances our cognitive activity

24 June 2026 at 01:00
Smartphones, online learning, generative AI: The way we read has changed more in the last decade than in the previous century. So what do we actually know about what reading does for the mind? In his new book, Falk Huettig, senior investigator at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, brings together research spanning psychology, linguistics, neuroscience and education to answer that question. The result is a systematic account of how literacy reshapes memory, attention, language processing and reasoningβ€”and even abilities readers might not expect, like face recognition.

People care more about being right than avoiding mistakes, study finds

24 June 2026 at 00:30
Conventional wisdom says the best predictions are the ones that minimize mistakes, but new research suggests that is not necessarily how people see it. A study published in Management Science has found that when people make or evaluate predictions, they care more about the possibility of being exactly right than about reducing the size of potential errors. In many cases, people prefer predictions that increase the chance of a perfect outcome, even if doing so creates a greater risk of larger mistakes.

A partner's touch can feel unsafe for people with a history of childhood maltreatment

23 June 2026 at 23:00
In romantic relationships, touch is usually considered part of everyday life: a quick back rub while cooking dinner, a hug after a long day at work or a lingering kiss before falling asleep. It's a simple way to show support, express affection and communicate sexual desire.

People avoid loss, regret rather than rely on 'risk-return' financial strategy

23 June 2026 at 21:20
People make financial choices to avoid losing money or experiencing regret, rather than simply balancing expected monetary returns with their tolerance for financial risk, according to a new study led by Lisa Posey, associate professor of risk management in the Penn State Smeal College of Business.

Helping their friends to read can boost children's attainment

23 June 2026 at 19:20
In a primary school classroom, a 9-year-old reads aloud to the person next to them. When they stumble over a word, their partner encourages them to try again. Together, they discuss what might happen next. But the child isn't reading to an adultβ€”a teaching assistant or volunteer. Instead, they are reading to a peer in their class. Later, they'll switch jobs and help their partner out as they read.

Looking at AI startups to predict which jobs AI will affect

23 June 2026 at 16:40
A study of funded AI startups provides a glimpse of which jobs may be most affected by AI. As AI tools are embraced by industry after industry, the impacts of these tools on jobs remain unclear. Previous analyses have focused on the theoretical capabilities of LLMs, but social factors are also likely to play a role in shaping what aspects of work see AI integrationβ€”or full automation.

Venture debt acts as a bridge between funding stages for tech startups, global study finds

23 June 2026 at 12:00
A new international study has found that venture debt is reshaping how capital moves through technology startup ecosystems around the world. Analyzing data from 59 countries between 2015 and 2024, the researchers show that greater venture debt availability is associated with lower early-stage equity funding, higher late-stage equity funding, and a positive overall effect on the total capital available to startups.

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