Behavior4226 articles archived since 1845

What Makes People Act on Climate Change, according to Behavioral Science

To get people to shift to more climate-friendly behavior, what works best? Education? Payments? Peer pressure?

Conspiracy Theories Can Be Undermined with These Strategies, New Analysis Shows

A new review finds that only some methods to counteract conspiracy beliefs are effective. Here’s what works and what doesn’t

How the Psychology of Silicon Valley Contributed to a Bank Collapse

Venture capitalists and start-ups don’t mind losing money, but dealing with a bank run is a whole different story

The Forgotten History of the World's First Trans Clinic

The Institute for Sexual Research in Berlin would be a century old if it hadn’t fallen victim to Nazi ideology

Rising Physical Pain Is Linked to More ‘Deaths of Despair’

What’s happening in the body, as well as the mind, can be tied to increases in drug overdoses, suicides, and more

Ho-Ho-Horrible: Why We're So Bad at Choosing Good Gifts

Recent research highlights the mismatch between what people want and what they want to give

Is Your Phone Actually Draining Your Brain?

A new study puts the “brain drain hypothesis”—the idea that just having a phone next to you impacts your cognition—to the test to see if the science passes muster...

It’s the Bass That Makes Us Boogie

Concertgoers danced more when music was supplemented with low-frequency bass tones.

COVID Communication Often Failed: How Health Policy Makers Can Do Better

Health policy makers need to cultivate social trust and plan effective communication strategies well before the next pandemic

Do Chimps Share Cool Stuff Just for Fun? Uganda Forest Study Provides a Hint That They Might

Could a sighting by researchers in Uganda’s Kibale National Park be a clue that chimps share just for the sake of sharing?

Watch Octopuses Throw Things at Each Other

Cephalopods living unusually close together have been filmed throwing shells, algae and silt—sometimes at another octopus

Truth under Attack

Cockatoos Work to Outsmart Humans in Escalating Garbage Bin Wars

An innovation arms race may rage between birds and humans on the suburban streets of southeastern Australia 

Forensic Experts Are Surprisingly Good at Telling whether Two Writing Samples Match

A study to counter the lack of evidence for handwriting analysis shows it is effective if an examiner has the right training

Digital Literacy Doesn’t Stop the Spread of Misinformation

Just because you can spot falsehoods doesn’t mean you won’t share them

People May Pick Friends Who Smell Like Them

Similar body odors might determine if two strangers will “click.”

Militia Expert Warns Trump’s Capitol Insurrectionists Could Try Again

Fieldwork shows white men fighting against equality gains by women and minority groups in the U.S.—and longing to return to a past that nullifies such changes

Four Laws That Could Stem the Rising Threat of Mass Shootings

Pro-gun advocates claim new laws will not make us safer. But here is evidence the right laws will do exactly that

Facial Expressions Do Not Reveal Emotions

The emotion AI industry, courts and child educators are unknowingly relying on a misunderstanding of Darwin’s ideas

How to Judge COVID Risks and When to Wear a Mask

Scientific American asks experts in medicine, risk assessment and other fields how to balance the risks of COVID with the benefits of visiting public indoor spaces