-
New Study Shows Health Labels Can Deter Food Purchases
Health labels designed to guide Americans toward better food choices might be having the opposite effect, according to new research led by the University of Florida. The study’s timing is pivotal as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evaluates a proposal to impose front-of-package labels highlighting saturated fat, sodium and added sugar. Published in…
-
New Study Reveals Playful Adults Were More Resilient During COVID-19 Pandemic
Adults with higher levels of playfulness showed remarkable resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from Oregon State University. The study, led by Xiangyou “Sharon” Shen and published in Frontiers in Psychology, asserts that playfulness is a crucial, yet underappreciated, resource for fostering resilience and well-being in times of adversity. “Understanding how playful…
-
New Study Decodes 11,000-Year Genetic History of Sheep and Their Profound Impact on Humans
Sheep have silently shaped human civilization for over 11,000 years, providing meat, milk and wool that enriched ancient and modern societies. An international team of researchers, led by geneticists from Trinity College Dublin and zooarchaeologists from LMU Munich and the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History, has now unlocked the intertwined history of humans and…
-
Marriage Counseling Techniques Could Help Heal Political Divides: New Study
Research indicates that growing polarization undermines democracy by encouraging citizens to value partisan allegiances over democratic principles. With the United States facing profound political divides, the necessity for innovative solutions to bridge the gap is more critical than ever. A study published in Political Behavior and co-authored by Laura Gamboa, an assistant professor of democracy…
-
New Study Reveals Challenges in Team Creativity With Diverse Expertise
A recent study conducted by a joint research team from the University of Waterloo, Xiamen University and Texas Tech University questions the prevailing assumption that teams with diverse expertise are inherently more creative. The findings, published in the journal Management Science, reveal that while diversity in skill sets can lead to novel ideas, these ideas…
-
New WSU-Led Study Finds Future-Focused Travel Ads More Effective Than Nostalgia
A recent study led by Washington State University (WSU) has revealed that travelers are more motivated by future-focused advertising than by nostalgic memories when planning their trips. This research, published in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, was led by Ruiying Cai, an assistant professor in the Carson College of Business at WSU. The…
-
How ‘Boosting’ Empowers Individuals to Make Better Decisions
In a world where consumer environments exploit natural human tendencies, a new behavioral science technique called “boosting” is emerging as a powerful tool to empower decision-making skills. Unlike traditional nudging, which subtly steers behavior, boosting fosters self-control and enhances decision-making abilities. This transformative approach is championed by Stefan Herzog and Ralph Hertwig from the Max…
-
New Study Links Retirement and Alcohol Use to Mental Health
Retirees may be at greater risk of depression than those who remain employed, and heavy alcohol consumption can exacerbate these mental health challenges, according to a new study. This research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Aging and Mental Health, monitored tens of thousands of U.S. adults over the age of 50 throughout a 14-year period. …
-
New Study Shows Beneficial Betrayal May Not Erode Trust
New research by psychologists at UCLA and Oklahoma State University have shed light on an intriguing aspect of human behavior: the ability to trust someone who has betrayed others, especially if the betrayal benefits us. This finding, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, offers new insights into how we evaluate trustworthiness in our…
-
New Study Finds Gender Gap in Children’s Negotiation Behaviors
A new study led by New York University has revealed a significant early-life factor contributing to the gender wage gap observed in professional settings. Conducted by a team of psychology researchers, the study found that boys tend to ask for higher bonuses than girls in negotiation scenarios, despite performing similarly in cognitive tasks. The research,…
