EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior - News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 7-Jul-2025 01:11 ET (7-Jul-2025 05:11 GMT/UTC)

Agrivoltaics enjoys comparatively high acceptance

University of Bonn
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Photovoltaic systems are increasingly being installed not only on roofs but also on open land. This does not always meet with citizens’ approval. What is known as agrivoltaics (Agri-PV), however, is viewed more favorably, as researchers at the University of Bonn have now been able to show. In this case, the solar cells are installed in spaces used for agriculture – such as on pastures or as a canopy over grapevines. According to a survey of almost 2,000 people, this form enjoys much higher acceptance than normal solar parks. The study has been published in the journal Land Use Policy.

Journal: Land Use Policy

Efforts to reduce TikTok screen time often increase usage

University of Mississippi
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Messages intended to stop users from endless scrolling on social media may have the opposite effect, according to a new study.

Journal: Journal of Public Policy & Marketing

Starmer: Year One conference to take place in Cambridge

Anglia Ruskin University
Meeting Announcement

The Labour History Research Unit at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in England is hosting the first ever conference to focus on the record to date of Sir Keir Starmer’s government. The public event, called Starmer: Year One, is taking place at Anglia Ruskin’s Cambridge campus on Saturday, 14 June.

Asian elephants have larger brains than their African relatives

Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)
Peer-Reviewed Publication

African elephants are the largest land animals on earth and significantly larger than their relatives in Asia, from which they are separated by millions of years of evolution. Nevertheless, Asian elephants have a 20 percent heavier brain, as scientists from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) were able to demonstrate together with international colleagues. They also showed that elephant brains triple in weight after birth. These results, published in the scientific journal “PNAS Nexus”, provide potential explanations for behavioural differences between African and Asian elephants as well as for the pachyderms' long youth, during which they gain enormous experience and learn social skills.

Journal: PNAS Nexus

Public opinion on who should do content moderation

PNAS Nexus
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Americans perceive small juries of content experts as the most legitimate moderators of potentially misleading content on social media, according to a survey, but perceive large, nationally representative or politically balanced juries with minimum knowledge qualifications as comparably legitimate.

Journal: PNAS Nexus

New study sheds light on Shanghai’s collaborative school reform

ECNU Review of Education
Peer-Reviewed Publication

School-to-school collaboration has the potential to improve student learning outcomes, especially in underperforming schools. A recent study explores the impact of Shanghai’s Strong School Project, which pairs high- and low-achieving schools to boost academic achievement. It examines how peer relationships and principal leadership contribute to significant gains in subjects like Math and Chinese. By fostering collaboration, this approach highlights the power of partnership in reshaping education and enhancing student performance across diverse schools.

Journal: ECNU Review of Education

Almost half of people in poverty feel lonely compared to only 15% of high earners, and it could be harming their health

University of Oxford
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from the University of Oxford, published in Public Health, shows that European people in the lowest income deciles are much more likely to feel lonely than those in the highest income deciles, despite no difference in how often they socialise. Furthermore, both poverty and loneliness were strongly associated with higher scores on a defensive symptom cluster characterised by elevated levels of pain, fatigue and low mood.

The study also showed that the symptom-reducing effects of social connection were strongest for people living in poverty. These findings have important implications for social, economic, and health policy, suggesting that strong social relationships may serve as important buffers against some of the health consequences of poverty.

A new study from the University of Oxford, published in Public Health, shows that European people in the lowest income deciles are much more likely to feel lonely than those in the highest income deciles, despite no difference in how often they socialise. Furthermore, both poverty and loneliness were strongly associated with higher scores on a defensive symptom cluster characterised by elevated levels of pain, fatigue and low mood.

The study also showed that the symptom-reducing effects of social connection were strongest for people living in poverty. These findings have important implications for social, economic, and health policy, suggesting that strong social relationships may serve as important buffers against some of the health consequences of poverty.

Journal: Public Health

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