A new study reveals that school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile were associated with a sharp decline in reports of violence against children—highlighting the critical role schools play in child protection.

Reading reviews from others helps inform our decision-making on what to buy, where to visit, or who should provide our services. However, research from Bayes Business School (formerly Cass) suggests writers of online reviews are also more likely to repurchase items or experiences themselves and recommend to others if they are induced to write emotionally rather than factually.

A new study, based around escape room challenges, has shown how two different types of narcissism can affect the morale and performance of a team. Narcisstic Rivalry - where someone is competitive and combative - wrecked team bonds and led to poorer performance. Narcissistic Admiration - where someone is charming, confident and likes being the centre of attention - did not help or harm performance, but teammates grew tired of these individuals as the tasks went on. 

Cambridge researchers have discovered why living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood may be linked to an increase in an individual’s risk of dementia.  In research published today, they show how it is associated with damage to brain vessels – which can affect cognition – and with poorer management of lifestyle factors known to increase the chances of developing dementia.

A team of sports scientists and cognitive biologists at the University of Vienna has demonstrated in a new study that solving a task together can promote spontaneous movement synchronization. Such synchronization serves as a kind of "social glue" and plays an important role in the social functioning of communities. To better understand this mechanism, the researchers examined how working on a jigsaw puzzle together influenced movement synchronization during trampoline jumping. The results showed that pairs who had worked together on a puzzle subsequently displayed greater synchronization on the trampoline than pairs who had worked on the puzzle individually. Initial mutual rapport also had a positive effect. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.

People need to feel that climate change is affecting them now or that taking action is a patriotic act for their country to overcome apathy towards environmental efforts, a new global study published in Communications Psychology today (Wednesday 5 November).