Latest science news in Psychology & Sociology
Is it best to withhold favorable information about products?
Consumers are more likely to choose products when marketers withhold some favorable information until late in the choice process, according to a new study. But marketers need to walk a...
What defines life satisfaction for consumers living in poverty?
People whose basic needs are met get more life satisfaction when they are more connected to others and when they experience greater autonomy, according to a new study. But those...
Why does explaining why a cupcake is delicious make us love it less?
When consumers share their thoughts about products or experiences, their opinions can intensify, according to a new study. But it depends on whether they're talking about something sensory or practical.
Social isolation: Are lonely consumers actually loners or conformers?
Despite the proliferation of social networks, many Americans feel alone and isolated. According to a new study, lonely individuals behave differently in the marketplace than people with strong social networks.
Bath salts emerging as new recreational drugs
The use of bath salts as recreational drugs has greatly escalated in recent years. Researchers from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma describe an incident...
Children with certain dopamine system gene variants respond better to ADHD drug
Children with certain dopamine system gene variants have an improved response to methylphenidate -- the most commonly prescribed medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to new research. The finding...
Exceptional cognitive and physical health in old age leaves immunological fingerprint, study finds
Exceptional cognitive and physical function in old age leaves a tell-tale immunologic fingerprint, say researchers. Likewise, older adults who have mild impairments bear a distinct immunologic pattern, according to new...
Steven Pinker has a blinkered appreciation of war and peace | the big issue
Perhaps we do live in less lethal times, but we must beware the rise of all kinds of fundamentalismThe conclusions of Steven Pinker's book are wrong ("Fighting talk from the prophet of...
Likely reason for neurological injuries in children
Scientists have discovered new pathways of neurons migrating from lateral ventricles to the prefrontal cortex. The work done in children at early ages reveals a new cell pathway which may...
Poor cerebral cortex functions leads to more impulsive behavior
If the front part of the cerebral cortex is less active then people have less control over their social behavior and automatically follow their inclinations more. The research was the...
Shortcuts: Mattress Not Usually to Blame in Sleep Problems, Experts Say
Experts say it’s probably not the mattress that keeps you up at night. If you don’t feel rested you may have a sleep disorder, or you may just not be...
Food for Fort: on how taste changes with age, plus potato ricers
My mother's sense of taste has declined with age – what should I cook her? Plus the hunt for a decent potato ricerMy mother's sense of taste has deteriorated with age and...
Want To Pick Your Baby's Gender? Now You Can Enjoy A Vacation In Cyprus Too
Just can't stand the thought of having another daughter, or even a first one? People in Europe and the Middle East who can rationalize they want to "balance" their family...
Exotic Pets Are Dangerous to Health
Exotic pets are not safe and should not be kept in homes, advocates say.
Serious claims belong in a serious scientific paper | Ben Goldacre
If you have a serious new claim to make, it should go through scientific publication and peer review before you present it to the mediaThis week Baroness Susan Greenfield, professor of pharmacology at...
HPV Transmission: 20% Chance an Uninfected Partner Will Pick Up Virus
The study found no link between the number of partners in a person's sexual past and their chances of picking up HPV from a current partner.
Small changes, big effects
More than 50 administrators and staff gathered in University Hall Thursday for the first of three Diversity Dialogues, a series of seminars focusing on ways to maintain a diverse community throughout the Faculty...
Decision-making: What you want vs. how you get it
New research reveals how we make decisions. Birds choosing between berry bushes and investors trading stocks are faced with the same fundamental challenge -- making optimal choices in an environment...
Podcast: Flying Robots, Teenage IQs, and Losing Weight by Switching Neighborhood
Listen to a roundup of some of our favorite stories from this week
Does Stress Make Presidents' Hair Go Gray?
Experts have mixed opinions on whether stress influences graying, but they agree that genes are the most important factor.
Couple held hands for 1,500 years
The skeletal remains of a Roman-era couple reveal the pair has been holding hands for 1,500 years.
Aspergers Rule Processing
The issue at hand: a student with Asperger's Syndrome feels the teacher withholds recess breaks at a whim; the teacher feels that withholding recess is reinforcing the consequences of the...
Study identifies best approach to policing football matches
Research by the University of Liverpool has found that public disorder at football matches can be reduced when police adopt a policy of dialogue and facilitation rather than deterrence and...
Video: New study finds no link between cellphones and cancer
A new study reveals that there is no link between cell phone use and brain tumors. Erica Hill and Jeff Glor talk to Dr. Carolyn Brockington, a neurologist at St....
Is reading on the loo bad for you?
Filthy habit or blameless bliss? A public health study by Ron Shaoul lifts the lid on toilet reading once and for allFrom the moment Ron Shaoul took it upon himself to investigate...
Weight of object not an issue when determining left or right-handedness
More than 90 per cent of the worlds population exhibit a strong preference for using their right hand, as opposed to their left, for grasping and lifting everything from car...
Ways to reduce college drinking and risky sex
In a recent study conducted by scientists at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions involving 154 heavy-drinking college students whose sexual behavior put them at risk for HIV...
Unions a catalyst for civic engagement, study finds
(PhysOrg.com) -- Labor union experiences lead Latino immigrants to greater civic participation, a USC Dornsife study found.