A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB) and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) has demonstrated in a recent pilot study that virtual forest bathing can improve emotional well-being – especially if the virtual natural environment appeals to multiple senses, such as hearing, sight and smell, at once. The results have now been published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

As artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and virtual agents become part of everyday life — from customer service and healthcare to personal companionship – a critical question arises: How do these AI interactions affect social and emotional dynamics? In his recently published framework, Professor Benjamin Becker from the Department of Psychology at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) explains that the human brains are naturally wired for social interaction through evolutionary and experience shaped behaviours and brain systems that help individuals to understand others, build trust, and form social bonds. Because of this, people tend to treat AI chatbots and avatars like social beings (agents), attributing them with personality, feelings, and intentions – a tendency called anthropomorphism.

A research study led by Professor Tarani Chandola from the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has revealed that Mondays uniquely drive long-term biological stress, regardless of working status, with implications for heart health.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have developed a method to visualize and reconstruct individual urban plants in different seasons using AI and street view images. The novel Seasonal Species-Specific Plant View Index allows urban designers to enhance the ecological sustainability and the well-being of city dwellers by incorporating diverse plant configurations, colors, and seasonality into current and future urban green spaces.