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Does your city match your relationship status? New study exposes the hidden costs of urban living

13 August 2026 at 21:40
Kids, marriage and commute: A study co-authored by Dr. Mariana Macedo of Constructor University provides new insights into how major life transitions alter how individuals navigate and experience urban environments. Published in npj Complexity, the research challenges traditional urban planning models that rely on a single, average citizen profile, advocating instead for demographically sensitive city designs.

Beyond the algorithm, online negativity takes on a life of its own as users try to stand out

13 August 2026 at 21:00
It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that social media can trend toward the negative. But it might take one to figure out why. In a new paper in PNAS, professor of psychology Joshua Conrad Jackson and colleagues show that algorithms aren't the only driver of online negativity. Another culprit is what psychologists call differentiation, the innate drive to stand out from one's peers.

Reddit analysis finds AI trust narrowly exceeds distrust, 31% to 26%

13 August 2026 at 16:40
Is generative artificial intelligence technology a helpful tool or a big problem? Nearly four years after ChatGPT became a household name, most people are either using AI applications or generally aware of what the technology can do. But understanding how much they actually trust the work it produces and the answers it provides remains an important question. New research from Drexel University, based on a longitudinal analysis of hundreds of thousands of Reddit posts since 2022, sheds light on the general perception of AI and suggests that the public remains largely divided on how much it can be trusted.

Early hardship may shape how oxytocin influences altruism

13 August 2026 at 13:00
While humans are inherently social beings, they can interact and connect with others in very different ways. For instance, while some people tend to be more altruistic, others are less prone to helping their friends, acquaintances or even complete strangers, particularly when it comes at a personal cost.

Shame, stigma, and culture prevent male intimate partner violence survivors from seeking help, study finds

13 August 2026 at 12:10
Men are less likely than women to seek help after experiencing intimate partner violence, and new research from George Mason University found that the main barriers include viewing it as a private matter, fear of retaliation, shame and concerns about not being believed.

Unsupervised free time increases the likelihood that adolescents will engage in violent behavior, 21-country study finds

12 August 2026 at 23:40
A study involving more than 58,000 adolescents from 21 countries found that "unstructured free time"β€”defined as periods without adult supervision or activities guided by educational, cultural or athletic goalsβ€”is strongly associated with delinquent behavior and exposure to violence among young people.

Negotiation is a routine part of daily life, not a rare high-stakes event

12 August 2026 at 21:00
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 misleading. Negotiation is, in fact, a routine part of everyday life, occurring in roughly one in three social interactions, and it is more often collaborative than adversarial.

Researchers develop new framework for understanding how emotions shape behavior online

11 August 2026 at 14:20
Every day, billions of people scroll through social media posts, online reviews and news feeds filled with emotional contentβ€”from glowing five-star reviews to rage-inducing social media rants. Those emotions can quietly shape what people buy, what they believe and how they act.

Researchers develop new framework for understanding how emotions shape behavior online

11 August 2026 at 14:20
Every day, billions of people scroll through social media posts, online reviews and news feeds filled with emotional contentβ€”from glowing five-star reviews to rage-inducing social media rants. Those emotions can quietly shape what people buy, what they believe and how they act.

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