The mind of money: Mental accounting theory checks out
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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-Oct-2026 14:16 ET (19-Oct-2026 18:16 GMT/UTC)
War can take a toll not only on mental health, but also on financial stability, and the two may reinforce each other over time. A yearlong study following Israelis after October 7 found that early depression and anxiety predicted later economic hardship, while financial strain went on to predict worsening depression, anxiety and PTSD. The findings suggest that recovery from prolonged conflict may depend on addressing both psychological distress and economic pressure together.
A randomized study by researchers from the University of Maryland, University of Toronto and INSEAD shows that noncompete agreements reduce worker mobility and earnings without improving protection of business secrets. The findings suggest employers can rely on nondisclosure agreements while avoiding the recruitment costs and reduced future earnings associated with noncompetes.
When leaders truly embrace change and act ethically, team members actively support new initiatives and reduce negative workplace behaviors.
Three years in the making, a first-ever global index and data set from the University of Virginia scores 161 countries across eight measures of capitalism, including business formation and flow of goods. The index's results translate into insightful case studies (China, India, Germany) as well as four categories of capitalism. The GCI's data shows promise in understanding capitalist conditions’ relationship to democracy, corruption, human well-being, and inequality.
New research from University of Limerick has found gender bias in the workplace could be replicated in interactions with artificial intelligence.
The study, co-authored by Dr Mary Hausfeld of UL's Kemmy Business School, examined whether the way Artificial intelligence (AI) assistants are presented influences how people treat them in a workplace setting.
Researchers placed 189 workers in a virtual reality office and asked them to complete work-related tasks with different AI assistants, including human-like agents presented with either male or female appearance.
Participants were then given real money to divide between themselves and the AI assistant for completing the tasks, allowing the researchers to recreate a real-world transaction and examine how much people were willing to pay AI for its work.
AI agents with a female appearance were paid less than their male-presenting counterparts, despite using the same underlying technology, according to the research.