When the world becomes too loud: The sensory toll of trauma on young children
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-May-2026 05:16 ET (21-May-2026 09:16 GMT/UTC)
New research reveals that for many young children, the trauma of war can fundamentally alter how their nervous systems process and respond to the physical world. The study found that nearly half of the young survivors of the October 7 attacks developed atypical sensory patterns, causing common stimulus such as sounds, movements and touches to be perceived as overwhelming threats. These findings emphasize the critical importance of addressing sensory needs to ensure that daily environments no longer feel like a source of distress for children during their most vulnerable stages of development.
The Global Flourishing Study (GFS), the most comprehensive empirical investigation of human flourishing ever undertaken, today made its first two waves of data publicly available through the Center for Open Science at no cost and without pre-registration. Researchers, journalists, policymakers and the public can now freely access the dataset on the Open Science Framework (OSF) website.
In a new study, Canadian adults aged 65 and older were more likely to have flourishing mental health if they were male, married, and reported having social support, important spiritual beliefs, and excellent health, among other characteristics. Daniyal Rahim of the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on April 8, 2026.
Scientists have warned that a new UK Government report on global biodiversity loss and national security risks distorting evidence and driving ineffective policy by framing ecological degradation and its impacts on migration as a security threat.
Workers perform better, have less burnout and experience greater job satisfaction when their standards for perfection match their supervisor’s expectations, according to a University of Florida study.