EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior - News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 10-Jul-2025 05:10 ET (10-Jul-2025 09:10 GMT/UTC)

18-Mar-2025

When did human language emerge?

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Humans’ unique language capacity was present at least 135,000 years ago, according to a survey of genomic evidence. As such, language might have entered social use 100,000 years ago.

Journal: Frontiers in Psychology

18-Mar-2025

Discrepancies between national climate targets and citizens' willingness to contribute to climate action

University of Oldenburg
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Governments are guided by ethical principles when it comes to climate protection, while cost-benefit considerations take priority for their citizens, according to a new study from the University of Oldenburg, Germany. The research paper reveals a discrepancy between the relatively ambitious climate targets of rich and carbon-intensive countries in colder regions and the lower levels of willingness among their populations to contribute to combating climate change. This poses a dilemma for ambitious climate politics: The study also shows that there is a correlation between this discrepancy and lower levels of satisfaction with democracy.

Journal: Ecological Economics

18-Mar-2025

BBRF awards $1 million in 2025 Distinguished Investigator Grants to advance mental health research, with transformative support from WoodNext Foundation

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
Grant and Award Announcement

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) today announced it is awarding Distinguished Investigator Grants totaling $1 million to 10 senior-level scientists conducting groundbreaking research in neurobiological and behavioral science. These $100,000, one-year grants support projects exploring critical areas of mental health, including opioid use disorder, depression in pregnant women, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the effects of psychedelics on perception and consciousness. The awards are made possible by the WoodNext Foundation. This is year two of their overall grant commitment of $5 million over 5 years to support the BBRF Distinguished Investigator Grants program.

18-Mar-2025

Looking for donors? Start with where they live

University of Texas at Austin
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Instead of using actual donation histories to predict who might respond to fundraising appeals, nonprofits can use community-clustered profiles. The profiles use readily available public data to identify where potential supporters are more likely to live, based on demographic, financial, and social characteristics.

Journal: Journal of Business Research

18-Mar-2025

Kansas, Missouri farmers avoid discussing climate change regardless of opinions, study finds

University of Kansas
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the University of Kansas school of journalism conducted interviews with farmers in Missouri and Kansas about their thoughts on climate change. Even though they are on the front lines of the topic, the farmers reported they avoid discussing it, even with family, regardless of their opinions to avoid arguments, violence and damage to their livelihood. The findings show it is difficult to address the issue for policy or mitigation if those most affected do not want to dicuss, researchers argue.

Journal: Environmental Communication

18-Mar-2025

Terrorists time their attacks during periods of security or financial crisis

Binghamton University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Terrorists time their attacks during periods of security or financial crisis, according to new research from political scientists at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

Journal: Conflict Management and Peace Science

18-Mar-2025

Leafcutter ants recognize and fight pathogen even 30 days after initial contamination, study shows

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Characteristics of social immune memory were observed in colonies of Atta sexdens exposed to four different pathogenic fungi. The insects increased their cleaning behavior one week and one month after initial contact, but not after 60 days.

Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B Biological Sciences
Funder: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo