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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2026 08:16 ET (25-Oct-2026 12:16 GMT/UTC)

New paper studies emergence of identity-based labor organizing

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign labor relations scholar John Kallas explores how union activists practiced “intersectional organizing” at work by uniting around shared social identities rather than better pay and working conditions.

Journal: ILR Review

From virtue to vice: How the morality of popular music lyrics has changed since the 1960s

Queen Mary University of London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London found that the moral themes in popular music lyrics shifted over the past 60 years, with moral vices appearing more frequently than virtues.

This is how fair climate action works: Findings for 88 countries with 5 billion people

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) now sheds light, for the first time, on the carbon intensity of household consumption across much of the world – and thus on the distributional impact of climate policy, which, after all, makes carbon more expensive. The greatest differences are not between rich and poor, but within income groups: key factors include car ownership, place of residence and energy use. The study provides guidance on how to socially balance the fight against global heating. Published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (JEEM), it is supplemented by an interactive online carbon price calculator.

Journal: Journal of Environmental Economics and Management

Finns’ participation in voluntary national defence is motivated by a wide range of factors

University of Eastern Finland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Voluntary participation in national defence has received considerable attention in Finland since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While participation in voluntary national defence and its associated organisations have been a part of Finnish civil society since independence, they have largely been overlooked in research conducted outside the armed forces, until now.

Journal: Fennia - International Journal of Geography

A review argues the family dog may become science’s unlikely ally against autism

Genomic Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

This peer-reviewed Perspective synthesizes a decade of research on a surprising candidate for autism science: the laboratory Beagle. Drawing together scattered studies, the review authors argue that dogs carrying engineered changes in the Shank3 gene reproduce core human features of autism spectrum disorder, including social withdrawal, altered sensory responses, and reduced attention to the eyes of a face. The synthesis assembles, for the first time in one place, the parallels between mutant dogs and autistic people, alongside early signals that oxytocin, a psychedelic, and a third compound may soften these traits. The authors frame the dog as a complementary, ethically governed model, not a replacement for existing ones.

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China, STI2030-Major Projects, Wuhan Municipal Project

Edible agents with perceptible minds: A robotic tool for exploring human-food interactions

The University of Electro-Communications
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Japanese researchers have developed an edible agent capable of social interaction through vocalizations and movement, and examined mind perception of the edible agent. In an online survey with 1,094 participants, different vocalizations and behaviors modulated mind perception of the edible agent, while no significant relationship was observed between mind perception and either reluctance to eat or guilt. This study offers a new experimental tool for investigating human perception in human-food interaction and the psychological and ethical aspects of eating.

Journal: PLOS One
Funder: JSPS KAKENHI

Toward the responsible conduct of human fetal tissue research

Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Human fetal tissue research has contributed significantly to our understanding of human development and continues to support progress in regenerative medicine. However, the use of fetal tissue obtained following induced abortion raises important ethical considerations. In 2022, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) published standards for obtaining informed consent for fetal tissue donation. At present, Japan has no laws or guidelines that specifically govern fetal tissue research.

A research group led by Professor Misao Fujita, Professor Mitinori Saitou, and Professor Yasuhiro Takashima of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi) and the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University has examined the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding human fetal tissue research in Japan. Drawing on an analysis of legal frameworks, regulations, and social contexts in Japan and other countries, the authors identified three key challenges in applying the ISSCR standards domestically: (1) minimizing burdens on potential donors; (2) determining the role of male partners in decisions regarding fetal tissue donation; and (3) addressing legal uncertainties surrounding the storage, use, and disposal of fetal tissue. The study proposes possible approaches to each of these issues.

These findings were published online in Regenerative Medicine on 11 June 2026.

Journal: Regenerative Medicine