Society & Culture - May 9, 2012 11:16 - 1 Comment

Rich or poor, teens feel better on par with peers

USC (US) — For teens, the sense of having less money than others may cause stress and depression, while feeling economically on par with peers seems to offer a psychological boost. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 9, 2012 10:32 - 12 Comments

Say your online prayers for ‘me’

U. WARWICK (UK) — People who pray online compared to those who pray in church are much more likely to pray for themselves rather than someone they know. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 9, 2012 8:21 - 1 Comment

Skip the ups and downs. Stay happy

U. MISSOURI (US) — There are two keys to becoming happy and staying that way, according to a new study. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 8, 2012 13:24 - 0 Comments

‘Hot spot’ languages are in danger, too

PENN STATE (US) — Biodiversity hot spots are some of the most linguistically diverse regions on the planet, accounting for 70 percent of all languages on Earth. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 7, 2012 12:15 - 0 Comments

Facebook may help save dying language

U. VIRGINIA (US) — A digital archive is expected to help preserve the endangered language of a group of people in Papua New Guinea. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 7, 2012 10:51 - 0 Comments

New ads may benefit past sponsors

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Companies should spend money on sponsorships cautiously, as their return on investment is often difficult to measure and could even benefit the competition. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 4, 2012 12:44 - 1 Comment

Middle class is doing just fine, study shows

CORNELL (US) — Income growth for the average American in recent decades may be more than 10 times greater than previously suggested by some economists. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 3, 2012 13:47 - 0 Comments

Will bin Laden’s tapes reshape his legacy?

UC DAVIS (US) — Audio tapes taken from Osama bin Laden’s residence in 2001 suggest his role as the leader of al-Qaida has been misread, one analyst argues. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 2, 2012 14:50 - 3 Comments

Is safety ‘trade-off’ of stun guns justified?

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — While stun guns give police officers better protection than other restraint methods, they also significantly increase the chance a citizen will be injured, a new study shows. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 2, 2012 10:28 - 0 Comments

Friends’ parents impact teen drinking

PENN STATE (US) — The parents of high school students’ friends can have as much effect on whether teens drink alcohol or use drugs as their own parents. (more…)

Society & Culture - May 1, 2012 14:16 - 2 Comments

Compassion may motivate faithful less

UC BERKELEY (US) — The highly religious are less motivated by compassion when helping a stranger than are atheists, agnostics, and less religious people, according to new research. (more…)

Society & Culture - Apr 30, 2012 15:29 - 0 Comments

Reminders of death may be good for life

U. MISSOURI (US) — Thoughts of mortality can lead to decreased militaristic attitudes, better health decisions, increased altruism and helpfulness, and reduced divorce rates. (more…)

Society & Culture - Apr 30, 2012 9:43 - 0 Comments

Panda tourism may not help China’s people

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Tourism can boost conservation in China’s valued panda preserves, but it isn’t an automatic ticket out of poverty for the human inhabitants, a new study shows. (more…)

Society & Culture - Apr 27, 2012 13:22 - 4 Comments

Merit hiring may omit top candidates

STANFORD (US) — Sometimes it is only by taking race and gender into account that schools and employers can admit and hire the best candidates, a new report argues. (more…)

Society & Culture - Apr 27, 2012 13:20 - 0 Comments

For better test results, swap topics often

SYRACUSE U./ INDIANA U. (US) — Students of all ages might improve their test scores if the category of information changed abruptly midway through the test, according to a new study. (more…)

Society & Culture - Apr 25, 2012 16:21 - 8 Comments

Foreign language thoughts boost risk-taking

U. CHICAGO (US) — When people consider a problem in a foreign language, they are more likely to take favorable risks and make more rational decisions—a finding that could have implications for business in a global economy. (more…)

Society & Culture - Apr 25, 2012 15:43 - 3 Comments

Customer ‘tribes’ foster brand loyalty

MICHIGAN STATE (US) — Customers are more likely to be loyal to a brand when other customers look and act like they do, new research finds. (more…)

Society & Culture - Apr 25, 2012 10:53 - 3 Comments

Slavery paintings gave abolition back-up

U. VIRGINIA (US) — A British artist’s paintings of the American slave trade reveal the emotional side of slavery that U.S. artists were more hesitant to depict at the time. (more…)

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