EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-May-2026 00:16 ET (31-May-2026 04:16 GMT/UTC)

13-Jan-2026

Schizophrenia: The cerebellum’s unexpected role

Université de Genève
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Apathy, social withdrawal, and loss of motivation — the so-called ''negative'' symptoms of schizophrenia — are among the most disabling and hardest to treat. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has uncovered the unexpected role of the cerebellum in the emergence of these symptoms, through its ability to modulate the brain’s reward system. This mechanism, which has remained largely unexplored until now, opens the door to new targeted and non-invasive therapeutic approaches. The study is published in Biological Psychiatry.

Journal: Biological Psychiatry

13-Jan-2026

Study: Western populations endorse support for Ukraine

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New study by LMU and the University of Konstanz shows broad public approval for the support of Ukraine to maintain its political and territorial sovereignty.

The possibility of high casualty numbers and the risk of nuclear escalation constrain support and carry more weight than economic costs.

Over 10,000 people in five major NATO countries, supporting Ukraine, were surveyed for the study.

Journal: Nature Communications

12-Jan-2026

Work hard, play hard?

Flinders University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As Australians return to work after the holidays, many will be reflecting on their health and wellbeing goals for the year ahead. New research reveals that while workplace factors like long hours, work-related stress and shift work do influence high-risk drinking, personal and social factors play an even bigger role.

Journal: Drug and Alcohol Review
Funder: Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing

12-Jan-2026

Psychosis patients ‘living in metaphor’ -- new study radically shifts ideas about delusions

University of Birmingham
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People experiencing delusions during an episode of psychosis may be ‘living out’ a deeply held emotion, according to new research that provides a ‘radically different perspective’ on one of the most puzzling elements of psychosis.

Journal: The Lancet Psychiatry

12-Jan-2026

Canada–Estonia partnership advances community-centered clean energy

University of Victoria
Business Announcement

The ACET–Estonian Islands Community Energy Partnership unites the University of Victoria (UVic)-led Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET) initiative with the Estonian Islands Energy Agency (EISEA) to co-design and deliver applied clean energy research that responds directly to local priorities.

Funder: Canada First Research Excellence Fund

12-Jan-2026

Paulson Family Foundation makes an additional $19 million donation to Hebrew University to fund a new building for electrical engineering. Together with its previous gift brings the total donation to $46 million

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Grant and Award Announcement

The Paulson Family Foundation announced an additional $19 million donation to Hebrew University. Together with the foundation's previous donation of $27 million, this brings its total support to $46 million. The donation will be used for expansion of a state-of-the-art research and teaching complex dedicated to STEM disciplines critical to Israel's high-tech future. The combined gifts represent one of the largest donations ever received by the Hebrew University, and represent a significant investment in Israeli higher education and innovation.

Funder: The Paulson Family Foundation

12-Jan-2026

Treasure trove of data on aging publicly accessible

Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Reports and Proceedings

One of the most important gerontological data sets has been opened to the research community. The data of the Berlin Aging Study (BASE) are accessible via the Research Data Center of the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID). This secures a valuable set of data and makes them available for new analyses.