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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-May-2026 23:15 ET (21-May-2026 03:15 GMT/UTC)

US trends in long-term opioid therapy

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: From 2015 to 2023, the number of U.S. patients who were prescribed long-term opioid therapy declined, potentially owing to national opioid stewardship efforts and growing awareness of the risks. However, approximately 4 million to 5 million patients were prescribed long-term opioid therapy in 2023, depending on the definition used. Moreover, there were demographic shifts in the patients prescribed long-term opioid therapy over this period in that patients were older and the largest proportion now had opioid therapy covered by Medicare. Because older adults are at higher risk of adverse events from polypharmacy, the increased rates of coprescribing, particularly with gabapentinoids, raises additional safety concerns.

Journal: JAMA

Should emojis be used in workplace communications?

University of Ottawa
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from the University of Ottawa examined how emojis impact perceptions of competence and appropriateness for those who utilize them in professional settings. For this small-scale study, participants read workplace instant messages that varied in tone and emoji use.

Journal: Collabra

The World’s happiest country launches a 100-year study to understand human wellbeing

Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
Business Announcement

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is launching Future Finland, a century-long research initiative that will follow the entire generation of children born in Finland between 2025 and 2029, together with their families.

Funder: Finnish Cultural Foundation

Can optimism protect against dementia?

Wiley
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Higher optimism is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Journal: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Orange County voters sour on Trump and Newsom

University of California - Irvine
Reports and Proceedings

New UCI-OC Poll reveals deep dissatisfaction with leaders, surging independent bloc and no clear front-runner in gubernatorial race

Learning CBT form the inside out: Self-practice training program shows promise for future therapists

The University of Osaka
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at The University of Osaka developed an eight-week training program that teaches CBT by encouraging graduate students to apply CBT techniques to their own experiences and reflect on the process. In a preliminary study of 29 trainees, the program showed high satisfaction, low adverse events, and perceived benefits in CBT understanding, self-awareness, and reflective skills. The approach may provide a promising new model for training mental health professionals.Researchers at The University of Osaka developed an eight-week training program that teaches CBT by encouraging graduate students to apply CBT techniques to their own experiences and reflect on the process. In a preliminary study of 29 trainees, the program showed high satisfaction, low adverse events, and perceived benefits in CBT understanding, self-awareness, and reflective skills. The approach may provide a promising new model for training mental health professionals.

Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Research questions legitimacy of promoting harmful products

University of Otago
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new paper led by Associate Professor Leah Watkins and Professor Rob Aitken, of the Otago Business School, shows how industries such as tobacco, alcohol, gambling, and ultra-processed food have invested heavily in marketing strategies, including digital and social media channels, that increase the consumption of products associated with disease, addiction, and social harm.

Journal: Journal of Macromarketing

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