Distressing news and traumatic stories can cause stress and anxiety – not only in humans, but also in AI language models, such as ChatGPT. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich have now shown that these models, like humans, respond to therapy: an elevated “anxiety level” in GPT-4 can be “calmed down” using mindfulness-based relaxation techniques.

New research by psychologists from the University of Staffordshire and the University of Birmingham, published in the Journal of Social Issues, identifies spite as a key factor that underlies conspiracy theory belief.

In our polarized society, a new study offers hope for the future: Even young children can learn to discuss and argue about meaningful problems in a respectful and productive way. Researchers at The Ohio State University found success in a social studies curriculum for fourth graders based on teaching what they called “civic competencies.”