Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Dec-2025 10:11 ET (31-Dec-2025 15:11 GMT/UTC)

2-Oct-2025

Government investment lifted young people’s hopes in ‘left behind’ areas, new research shows

University of Bath
Reports and Proceedings

Young people growing up in England’s most disadvantaged areas are feeling more hopeful about their future study and work prospects thanks to targeted Government investment, according to new research from the Universities of Bath, Bristol and Durham.

2-Oct-2025

“What’s with the long face?”: a new study looks at horses and how we can recognize their pain

Bournemouth University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

For the first time, a new study has examined the effectiveness of humans in determining whether we can recognise pain in horses, just by looking at their faces.

Journal

Anthrozoös

2-Oct-2025

ESMT Berlin study: ESG ratings show limited financial impact in the Gulf

ESMT Berlin
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Firms in the Gulf region are increasingly expected to align with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. Yet the link between ESG performance and financial outcomes remains ambiguous. A new study examines whether publicly listed companies in GCC member states that achieve high ESG ratings also deliver superior financial performance.

Journal

Sustainable Communities

2-Oct-2025

Death toll from drugs has more than doubled worldwide over past three decades

Frontiers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers used new statistical methods to analyze public data on the global health burden due to drug addiction. They showed that drug-related mortality has increased 2.2-fold between 1990 and 2021, especially in high-income countries, despite a 6% reduction in cases after correcting for population growth. This surge in the public health burden from drugs was greatest in the US, and likely due to the combination of opioids and cocaine and worsening social and healthcare conditions for drug users.

Journal

Frontiers in Psychiatry

2-Oct-2025

Identifying factors affecting word processing during second-language English reading at different processing stages

University of Tsukuba
Peer-Reviewed Publication

During English reading, readers may occasionally struggle with particular words or feel the need to reread them. Researchers at University of Tsukuba analyzed eye-tracking data to determine whether word length, frequency, or predictability plays the most important role in word processing during second-language English reading.

Journal

Studies in Second Language Acquisition

1-Oct-2025

Can AI persuade you to go vegan—or harm yourself?

University of British Columbia
Reports and Proceedings

UBC research shows AI chatbots can be more persuasive than humans—raising concerns about manipulation, mental health risks and the need for safeguards.

1-Oct-2025

People with self-diagnosed ADHD report more negative self-image and more internalized stigma than clinically diagnosed individuals, and are more likely to seek social validation, per analysis of 450,000 ADHD sub-reddit posts

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People with self-diagnosed ADHD report more negative self-image and more internalized stigma than clinically diagnosed individuals, and are more likely to seek social validation, per analysis of 450,000 ADHD sub-reddit posts

Journal

PLOS One