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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-May-2026 15:15 ET (21-May-2026 19:15 GMT/UTC)

Beyond green tech: the real reason digital economies drive down carbon emissions

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Nations around the globe are grappling with a massive dual challenge: maintaining economic momentum while drastically slashing carbon outputs. Many policymakers have placed their bets on the digital economy as a modern solution for climate change. However, the exact mechanics of how data and connectivity actually clean up our air have remained somewhat murky. Now, a comprehensive evaluation of 259 Chinese cities cuts through the noise, mapping exactly how digital transformation drives environmental progress.

Journal: Carbon Research

The high cost of cold feet: why backtracking on green energy hurts economies more than progress helps

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

It is well known that pollution damages ecosystems, but putting a precise price tag on that damage, and figuring out how government budgets can effectively lower it,is a complex puzzle. Rather than simply tallying up carbon emissions, a fresh economic analysis looks directly at the actual financial burden of pollution across six Mediterranean nations. The conclusion? Policy synchronization is the ultimate money-saver, and political hesitation is incredibly expensive.

Journal: Carbon Research

Social media and monetization in the Ukraine-Russia war

University of Chicago Press Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The internet has become a battleground, writes the author of a new article in the Journal of Anthropological Research, and particularly so in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has been called the first “TikTok war.” In “Social Media Warfare: Monetization and Materiality in the Ukrainian Armed Forces Since February 24, 2022,” Marcello Fantoni uses ethnographic interviews with former and current members of the Ukrainian military to analyze the role of social media in the conflict, and how social media helps create a “feedback loop” in which combat operations funded by donations incur the need for even more financial support.

Journal: Journal of Anthropological Research

Why a canceled meeting feels so liberating

Rutgers University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Unless your employer is Lumon Industries where the Severance workday never ends, a canceled meeting can feel like a gift of limitless time.

A Rutgers University study published in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research explains why: Unexpectedly gaining time alters our perception of how that time passes, which in turn affects how we spend it.

“An hour gained feels longer than 60 minutes, and that deviation from expectation creates a unique sense of opportunity,” said Gabriela Tonietto, an associate professor of marketing at the Rutgers Business School and lead author of the study.

Journal: Journal of the Association for Consumer Research

Alignment of large language model responses with human therapists in motivational interviewing

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest large language models (LLMs) can produce contextually appropriate motivational interviewing-consistent responses, but limitations in coherence and stylistic alignment highlight the need for further validation before clinical use. Motivational interviewing, a structured counseling approach, provides an empirically grounded setting for evaluating alignment between LLM-generated and human therapist responses.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Sleep health dimensions from wearables and transdiagnostic mental health in young adolescents

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: Using Fitbit data in a longitudinal cohort of 3,393 young adolescents, 6 sleep health dimensions were identified: irregularity, timing, duration, social jetlag, weekend oversleep, and continuity. Greater irregularity was associated with higher concurrent transdiagnostic mental health symptoms, whereas shorter duration was associated with higher symptoms at 1-year follow-up. These findings demonstrate the multidimensional nature of adolescent sleep health and can help guide selection of sleep health domains and representative measures to enhance reproducibility and suggest potential intervention targets.

Journal: JAMA Pediatrics

Prescription drug promotion by social media influencers

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: This systematic scoping review study of prescription drug promotion by influencers found that such promotion carried risks of inaccurate or misleading advice, often amplified through personal and emotionally resonant narratives in an environment with limited oversight and enforcement. Despite the small and fragmented evidence base, these findings highlight the urgent need for updated regulatory guidance, standardized and enforceable disclosure requirements, stronger platform accountability, and targeted digital literacy initiatives. Policymakers and researchers should act proactively to safeguard public health.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

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