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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 1-May-2026 22:16 ET (2-May-2026 02:16 GMT/UTC)

Young environmental activists’ activist identities are multidimensional and partly contradictory

University of Eastern Finland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Conducted at the University of Eastern Finland, a new study sheds light on young Finnish environmental activists, discovering that their activist identities are multidimensional and even contradictory at times.

The researchers identified five key activist identities: the tough activist, the troublemaker activist, the planetary citizen activist, the compulsory activist and the non-activist. The study shows that young environmental activists’ identities are constantly negotiated and can be formed across several activist identity categories simultaneously.

Journal: Youth and Globalization

How gender bias influences math education

Rutgers University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Young children are more inclined to believe incorrect math information from men than accurate information from women, according to a Rutgers University–New Brunswick study published in the journal Developmental Science.

Journal: Developmental Science

Reporting workplace sexual harassment ‘not worth it’

Flinders University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Despite recent legal reforms and increased emphasis on upholding workplace conduct policies, most people who experience sexual harassment at work still do not report it. Two new studies from Flinders University suggest that it is not just the fear of retaliation that stops people from speaking, but also feeling unsupported by systems that will not protect them.

Journal: Work & Stress
Funder: 2023 SafeWork South Australia Augusta Zadow Award

British redcoat’s lost memoir reveals harsh realities of life as a disabled veteran

University of Cambridge
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Archival discoveries including a 19th-century autobiography transform our understanding of Shadrack Byfield, an English veteran of the War of 1812 who buried his own amputated arm and designed a custom prosthesis. A recurrent character in TV documentaries, books and museum exhibits in the USA and Canada, Byfield has been celebrated as an uncomplaining British soldier. But the new evidence reveals Byfield’s tenacious pursuit of veterans’ benefits and his struggles with pain, poverty, and the police.

Journal: Journal of British Studies

Home fingertip oxygen monitors less accurate for people with darker skin tones

BMJ Group
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Fingertip monitors known as pulse oximeters that can be used at home to detect low blood oxygen levels (hypoxaemia) give higher readings for patients with darker than lighter skin tones, finds the largest study on this topic published by The BMJ today.

Journal: The BMJ
Funder: National Institute for Health Research

Ancient teeth are treasure troves of data on Iron Age lifestyles

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Teeth provide a wealth of information about the lives of Iron Age Italians, according to a study published January 14, 2026 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Roberto Germano of Sapienza University of Rome, Italy and colleagues.

Journal: PLOS One

1 in 5 surveyed UK adults who have experienced the death of a pet report it as more distressing than experienced human deaths, with significant rates of prolonged grief disorder symptoms also being reported following pet loss

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

1 in 5 surveyed UK adults who have experienced the death of a pet report it as more distressing than experienced human deaths, with significant rates of prolonged grief disorder symptoms also being reported following pet loss

Journal: PLOS One