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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2026 19:17 ET (25-Oct-2026 23:17 GMT/UTC)

Connection or compulsion: How smartphones can deepen depression in older adults

Rutgers University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Compulsive smartphone habits in older adults can be linked to a higher risk of depression, according to a study led by a Rutgers researcher.

Researchers said their findings raised concerns that technology widely promoted to build connections can instead deepen late-life isolation: While mobile devices can be invaluable lifelines, their impact on mental health depends heavily on the way people use them. A critical distinction, the researchers said, is whether someone uses technology to actively engage with the world or to withdraw.

“It comes down to purposeful interaction versus compulsive escapism,” said Chien-Chung Huang, a professor at the Rutgers School of Social Work and a senior author of the study. “The same device can bridge the gap to loved ones and community or serve as a wall to shut them out.”

Journal: JMIR Aging

Shelter dogs in more crowded conditions might have more disrupted gut microbiomes compared to those with more space, per Thai study

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Shelter dogs in more crowded conditions might have more disrupted gut microbiomes compared to those with more space, per Thai study

Journal: PLOS One

Primate brains might have evolved to “catch up” with larger bodies, but then kept growing

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new analysis supports the previously overlooked “brain lag” hypothesis—the idea that, in some primate lineages, the evolution of larger body size preceded the evolution of larger brain size—while also building on that hypothesis by suggesting that some lineages’ brain sizes then continued to grow beyond an expected baseline. Robin Dunbar of the University of Oxford presents these findings in the open access journal PLOS One on July 1, 2026.

Journal: PLOS One

AI impersonations of political debaters rated more authentic than real responses

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

AI-generated impersonations of political figures are judged by members of the public to be more authentic, relevant, and coherent than the speakers’ actual debate responses, according to a new study published July 1, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Steffen Herbold of the University of Passau, Germany, and colleagues.

Journal: PLOS One

Wearable devices shed insight into college students’ sleep habits

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Sleep is a fundamental aspect of human health that plays a crucial role in cognitive function, academic performance, and social interactions. A study published July 1, 2026 in PLOS One by Yao Zhao at Temple University, USA, and colleagues suggests that wearable devices can provide accurate, longitudinal sleep data to facilitate analyses of changing sleep patterns over time.

Journal: PLOS One

Moms’ responsiveness to their babies may predict later childhood psychiatric disorders

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

When moms were slower to vocally respond to their 1-yr-old baby’s vocalizations, the child was more likely to have been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder by age 7, in a new study published July 1, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS One by Bethany Stanley of the University of Glasgow, UK, and colleagues.

Journal: PLOS One

Long Covid rehab program helps with return to work and focus

University College London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Ten weeks of cognitive rehabilitation can help people with long Covid symptoms such as brain fog achieve their goals in returning to work and hobbies, finds a new clinical trial led by University College London (UCL) researchers.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: National Institute for Health Research