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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Oct-2026 10:17 ET (25-Oct-2026 14:17 GMT/UTC)

DFG to fund 13 new collaborative research centers

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Business Announcement

Topics range from the exploration of extraterrestrial life to the paper applications of the future / Approximately €170 million in funding for the first funding period

Most people over 50 have LGBTQ+ friends or family, but LGBTQ+ people over 50 face more aging-related challenges, poll finds

Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan
Reports and Proceedings

Most people over 50 who are not LGBTQ+ know at least one person who is LGBTQ+, and many of them say they have an LGBTQ+ friend. But people over 50 who are LGBTQ+ are facing more mental health, disability and loneliness challenges than others their age

Funder: University of Michigan

People who are aware of the advantages for both parties are more likely to ask for advice

University of Cologne
Peer-Reviewed Publication

When one person asks the other for advice, both sides stand to gain because the person being asked feels valued and has access to new insights themselves. This knowledge also benefits companies in the long term / publication in ‘Academy of Management Journal’

Journal: Academy of Management Journal

Transparency is not the same as truth: what platforms need to consider when labeling AI-generated images

CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
Peer-Reviewed Publication

AI-generated images are widespread on social media. Starting in August 2026, platforms will be required under the EU AI Act to label certain types of such content. A study by CISPA researcher Sandra Höltervennhoff investigates how users perceive these so-called AI labels and how they influence the credibility of information. The paper, “That’s another doom I haven’t thought about”: A User Study on AI Labels as a Safeguard Against Image-Based Misinformation, was presented at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2026) and received an Honorable Mention.

Copper imbalance linked to white matter development and social behavior in autism

Niigata University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers in Japan found that lower plasma copper levels and reduced white matter volume in individuals with autism spectrum disorder were associated with clinical symptom scores, including social symptom severity. Using a mouse model, they show that developmental copper deficiency disrupts brain vascular and metabolic signaling, impairs oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination, and alters social behavior through mitophagy and mTOR suppression.

Journal: Science Advances
Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, Mochida Memorial Foundation for Medical and Pharmaceutical Research, Takeda Science Foundation, Uehara Memorial Foundation, Naito Foundation, Inamori Foundation, SENSHIN Medical Research Foundation, Osaka Medical Research Foundation for Intractable Diseases, Kinoshita Memorial Foundation, Hirose Foundation, The University of Osaka, CNDD Genomics and Bioinformatics Core

Metacognitive laziness and AI: researchers propose a scale to measure a growing educational concern

ECNU Review of Education
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study in ECNU Review of Education describes the initial development and preliminary validation of the Metacognitive Laziness Scale (MLS), a six-item instrument designed to measure students’ tendency to offload metacognitive tasks to generative AI rather than engaging in self-regulated learning. In a sample of 144 health professions students in Hong Kong SAR, early findings suggest the MLS may help identify AI-dependent learning patterns.

Journal: ECNU Review of Education

New study finds seashore play helps young children build ocean awareness and sustainability skills

ECNU Review of Education
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The study reveals that early childhood education can play a vital role in fostering ocean awareness by engaging young children in collaborative, play-based exploration of coastal environments.

Journal: ECNU Review of Education