Social Studies

Falling passionately in love is one of the most talked about human experiences, celebrated in songs, movies, literature, and art across cultures. Passionate love is widely considered a hallmark of romantic relationships and has well-documented psychological and behavioral effects. Yet until now, research has overlooked a surprisingly basic question: How... Read more

Unchecked use of technology and pandemic isolation have "reshaped" how teenagers develop—but it's not too late to intervene. This is the stark warning of educator Amber Chandler, who suggests teens are struggling with unprecedented levels of anxiety in this "scared new world," which presents a major challenge for parents and... Read more

Powerful companies may be dragged into court for human rights harms they claim to know nothing about, according to a new study from the University of Surrey. The researchers argue that global businesses can no longer hide behind complex corporate structures and that major companies risk legal responsibility for labor... Read more

Women are being forced to change their behaviors due to the high levels of flashing and cyberflashing they are exposed to, according to new research co-led by the Durham University Law School. Cyberflashing—generally sending images of a penis to someone without their consent—is "alarmingly common" in the lives of young... Read more

It's February, and you grab a box of cheap Valentine's chocolate from the grocery store on your lunch break. Later, you're eating it at your office desk when you realize someone else is watching. Suddenly, you feel a flicker of embarrassment. You hide the box away, make a joke or... Read more

In 18th- and 19th-century Ireland, it was common for courting couples to exchange gifts to mark their developing relationships. Many of these items are familiar gifts today: books, cards, items of clothing, jewelry and sweet treats. Others, however, are less familiar. In fact, some of the gifts exchanged by couples... Read more

First names in Western countries today are more diverse than they were before early modern states evolved. This difference started to emerge in the 17th century in response to a change that took place in the naming system in large parts of Europe and the English-speaking world. Societies moved away... Read more

Scientific findings are in the news. They're cited on food packages and beverage labels. They are discussed in podcasts and argued over by politicians and pundits. And each finding sits within a specific frame. If researchers discover an intervention that affects how people spend discretionary income, for example, they could... Read more

Scroll through social media long enough and a pattern emerges. Pause on a post questioning climate change or taking a hard line on a political issue, and the platform is quick to respond—serving up more of the same viewpoints, delivered with growing confidence and certainty.... Read more

When Asian American Olympians Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu competed in their first Winter Games, they were treated differently by the U.S. media, a new University of Michigan study suggests.... Read more

Hunter-gatherers like the Hadza of Tanzania are famous for their egalitarianism. A resource redistribution experiment conducted with the Hadza suggests many tolerate inequality—as long as it benefits themselves. Published in PNAS Nexus, Duncan N.E. Stibbard-Hawkes, Kris M. Smith, and colleagues asked 117 Hadza adults to redistribute food resources between themselves... Read more

Historically Black colleges and universities, often known as HBCUs, are well known for their deep roots in U.S. higher education and proven effectiveness at graduating Black students who go on to become professionally successful.... Read more

Do you know how you prefer to give and receive love? Do you need words of affirmation? Spending quality time? Acts of service? Gifts? Or physical touch?... Read more

Growing up multiracial in the 1990s, Gabriel "Joey" Merrin regularly encountered demographic forms that forced an impossible choice: Pick one box. Deny the others. "That act of being forced to choose, to erase parts of myself from an official document, is at the core of this work," says Merrin, who... Read more

If you're bilingual, moral choices can often feel more urgent and emotionally charged in one language yet distant and rational in another. This raises an intriguing question: does language merely shape how we express our thoughts, or can it also influence what we judge to be right or wrong?... Read more