Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
How exposure to negative feedback in influences goal-directed consumer behaviors
Threats to self-esteem and negative feedback are pervasive in today's society. Social media researchers, for example, have shown a link between frequent usage of social media websites and upward social...
Pennsylvania man pleads guilty in university adminision scandal
A former biotech executive from Pennsylvania has pleaded guilty to paying a Georgetown tennis coach more than $50,000 in exchange for recruiting his daughter as a sports athlete to gain...
Can copying your friends help you achieve your goals?
Consumers often struggle to achieve self-set life improvement goals, but what if deliberately emulating the successful strategies used by their friends could help them?
Beware of false negatives in diagnostic testing of COVID-19
Researchers have found that the chance of a false negative result -- when a virus is not detected in a person who actually is, or recently has been, infected --...
The Markaz is closing, but the Middle East arts center will return as an online publication
The Middle East arts center is putting an end to in-person events because of coronavirus. It will re-emerge in the fall as "The Markaz Review," an online publication
Twitter places fact-checking label on Trump tweets for first time
Twitter placed fact-checking labels on a pair of President Donald Trump's tweets about mail-in ballots, saying they contain "contain potentially misleading information about voting processes."
4 Minneapolis officers fired after video showed man pinned by neck
The Minneapolis Police Department fired four officers Tuesday in response to a video appearing to show one officer keeping his knee on the neck of a handcuffed man who later...
The COVID-19 evacuation wasn’t Harvard’s first, explain historians
The recent evacuation of campus due to the mushrooming coronavirus outbreak was a jarring but orderly affair. But then, it turns out, Harvard has had significant and varied experience with upheaval. In 1775...
Space Force starts teaching classes to give troops 'warfighting mindsets'
The U.S. Space Force has started teaching a new series of courses to give new space professionals "warfighting mindsets they will carry with them throughout their entire careers."
Trump targets California in latest attack on mail-in voting
Targeting California, President Trump stepped up his campaign Tuesday to discourage states from allowing mail-in voting, claiming falsely that it leads to rampant fraud.
4 Minneapolis officer fired after video showed man pinned by neck
The Minneapolis Police Department fired four officers Tuesday in response to a video appearing to show one officer keeping his knee on the neck of a handcuffed man who later...
Can copying your friends help you achieve your goals?
Consumers often struggle to achieve self-set life improvement goals, but what if deliberately emulating the successful strategies used by their friends could help them?
Throngs of people, many without masks, pack Venice Beach over Memorial Day weekend
Californians cooped up for months under coronavirus stay-at-home orders crowded Southern California spots, pushing social distancing limits.
A child's brain activity reveals their memory ability
A child's unique brain activity reveals how good their memories are, according to new research.
With clubs closed, underground parties thrive in Hollywood Hills. Authorities are cracking down
The L.A. city attorney and LAPD are warning homeowners they can be held accountable for renter's parties during the coronavirus restrictions.
Researchers call for new approach to some mental disorders
Some of the most common mental disorders, including depression, anxiety and PTSD, might not be disorders at all, according to a recent paper by Washington State University biological anthropologists. In...
What have we learned about intimate partner violence?
Editor’s note: As many states issued stay-at-home orders to contain the spread of COVID-19 across the U.S., police in some areas noticed a spike in reports of domestic violence. Jennifer Hardesty and Brian...
Study: Benefits of workplace wellness programs underwhelming
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted a two-year study on the efficacy of workplace wellness programs and found that such programs have little...
For many kids, picky eating isn't just a phase, study finds
Researchers found that kids who were picky eaters at age 4 were still turning their noses up at many foods at age 9 -- suggesting their finicky eating is more...
Costa Rica becomes first in Central America to allow gay marriage
Costa Rica became the first country in Central America and sixth in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage Tuesday.
Workplace wellness programs don't improve overall staff health, study finds
Workplace wellness programs designed to encourage employees to engage in activities and monitor their health might have negligible benefits, according to a study published Tuesday by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Virtual celebration for President’s Innovation Challenge winners
This year’s ninth annual President’s Innovation Challenge (PIC) Awards ceremony on Thursday marked three significant milestones for the event: the first virtual celebration of the finalists and winners; the largest number of attendees;...
Chan School grad is on a mission for environmental justice
This is one in a series of profiles showcasing some of Harvard’s stellar graduates. When Saamon Legoski sees something wrong, he feels compelled to make it right. Last year, for example, while working...
Harvard researcher says dreams indicative of virus fears
This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may...
Nine Harvard faculty elected to National Academy of Sciences
Nine Harvard University scientists have been elected by their peers to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in recognition of “their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.” The society, together with the...
Law School professor says there may be a dark side of homeschooling
Nationally renowned child welfare expert Elizabeth Bartholet wants to see a radical transformation in homeschooling. In an article in the Arizona Law Review, “Homeschooling: Parent Rights Absolutism vs. Child Rights to Education & Protection,”...
Harvard Medical School uses telemedicine as a way forward
When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Harvard Medical School (HMS) to move learning online in March, faculty moved swiftly, developing new curriculum approaches, sometimes within hours, allowing educators to continue to teach classes and...
Three will be honored by HAA with 2020 Harvard Medal
The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) has announced that David L. Evans; Leila T. Fawaz, A.M. ’72, Ph.D. ’79; and Joseph J. O’Donnell ’67, M.B.A. ’71, will receive the 2020 Harvard Medal. First...