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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Apr-2026 19:15 ET (29-Apr-2026 23:15 GMT/UTC)

How gut bacteria and acute stress are linked

University of Vienna
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The gut microbiome influences numerous physiological processes. Researchers at the University of Vienna have now demonstrated for the first time that, in healthy adults, the diversity of gut bacteria and their capacity to produce certain metabolites are associated with the acute stress response - particularly stress reactivity. Higher microbial diversity was associated with stronger hormonal and subjectively perceived stress reactivity. The results suggest that the gut microbiome may play a role in regulating the acute stress response. The study was published in Neurobiology of Stress.

Journal: Neurobiology of Stress

Study demonstrates: Gifted men exhibit lower levels of conservatism compared to their average-intelligence counterparts

Saarland University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Individuals with high intellectual ability frequently occupy leadership roles across business, science and politics. To date, it has not been definitively established whether a high intelligence quotient correlates with specific political orientations. However, recent research reveals a significant gender-specific distinction: Intellectually gifted men tend to be less conservative than men of average intellectual ability. This study, authored by Maximilian Krolo and Jörn Sparfeldt, was published in the journal Intelligence.

Journal: Intelligence

Simple menu tweak boosts vegetarian choices and cuts carbon, study finds

University of Oxford
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Replacing just one meat dish with a vegetarian option in workplace cafeterias can significantly shift what people eat - cutting both calories and carbon emissions - according to a new study from researchers at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford.

Economic hardship tied to increased violence across California

University of California - San Diego
Reports and Proceedings

Economic instability – including job loss, food insecurity, eviction and homelessness – is strongly associated with higher rates of violence among California adults, according to a new statewide survey led by the University of California San Diego.

Funder: Blue Shield of California Foundation

Referee decisions in soccer are frequently overturned following VAR-assisted review, but with no external influences found

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In an analysis of video-assisted, pitch-side review of soccer (UK football) referee calls in the English Premier League, referees overturned their original call 95 percent of the time. However, these decisions had no statistical link to crowd size, the score or quarter when the call was made, or whether the call was regarding the home versus away team. Daniel Walker of the University of Bradford, U.K., and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on April 15, 2026.

Journal: PLOS One

Can naked mole rats peacefully hand over power?

Salk Institute
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Salk scientists find naked mole rat colonies are capable of peaceful queen succession, illuminating a new layer of social complexity for naked mole rats, which are important models in biomedical research on socialization, aging, adaptation, fertility, and more. The findings also help answer broader questions about biological resilience, potentially revealing principles that can explain human health and disease.

Journal: Science Advances

International team advances method to overcome bias in AI tool for children with anxiety

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The experts developing one of the world's most ambitious AI healthcare tools--to help detect the earliest signs of anxiety and depression in children--have demonstrated a novel method for overcoming "bias" that can occur in training data.

Journal: Communications Medicine

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