Category: People & Culture

Programs aiming to reduce children’s screen time are significantly more effective when kids have access to outdoor green spaces, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Michigan. Unequal access to these spaces undermines the success of such programs, especially in neighborhoods with higher populations of Hispanic and Black residents. The…

New research indicates that homogeneous news coverage by media conglomerates can have troubling consequences for financial markets. The study, co-authored by Flora Sun, an assistant professor of accounting at Binghamton University’s School of Management, delves into how business news outlets owned by the same media companies tend to produce nearly identical stories. This lack of…

Recognizing the potential influence of media on public attitudes on the gender gap in leadership, a team of psychology researchers from New York University set out to explore whether the framing of this gender gap — either as “women’s underrepresentation” or “men’s overrepresentation” — could impact perceptions and inspire actions to address it. In their…

The presence of violent language in movies has surged significantly over the past 50 years, according to an eye-opening study that scrutinized a vast database of film dialogue. By employing machine learning, researchers analyzed subtitles from over 160,000 English-language movies produced between 1970 and 2020, focusing specifically on variations of the words “murder” and “kill.”…

Singapore has secured its place among the world’s top 10 nations and leads Asia in readiness to address the challenges and opportunities of an aging population, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Columbia University. The study, published in the journal Nature Aging, introduces the Global…

One year after being introduced, vaccines aimed at protecting infants and older adults from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) have gained wider acceptance among Americans. This promising trend is highlighted in a recent survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. The survey, conducted last month, reveals a significant uptick in…

Local governments play a critical role in developing countries, providing essential public services that enhance human development and tackle pressing issues like extreme weather, unemployment and crumbling infrastructure. However, these governments often struggle to implement programs that effectively address the diverse needs of their citizens, especially in regions plagued by significant socioeconomic inequalities. A recent…

Neutrality, an often-overlooked element in the study of international relations, has a far greater impact on global stability than previously understood, according to new research led by Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, analyzed 192 years of international relations data from the Correlates of War…

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) have uncovered evidence of ancient bacterial domestication in the production of traditional Swiss cheeses like Gruyère, Emmental and Sbrinz. This pioneering research, published in Nature Communications, offers a fresh perspective on how human societies have harnessed microbes to improve food preservation and safety for…

There’s a unique joy in giving, but new research suggests that personalization can elevate a gift from a simple object to a deeply meaningful experience. The study, published in the journal Psychology & Marketing, demonstrates that personalized gifts not only boost recipients’ self-esteem but also make them feel more cherished. A team of researchers from…