Psychology

Health & Medicine

Redefining ‘flesh-colored’ bandages makes medicine more inclusive

Peach-colored bandages label dark-skinned patients as outside the norm, says med student Linda Oyesiku. Brown bandages expand who gets to be normal.

Animals

A rare bird sighting doesn’t lead to seeing more kinds of rare birds

The idea that more kinds of rare birds are seen when birders flock to where one has been seen, the so-called Patagonia Picnic Table Effect, is a myth.

Psychology

In the social distancing era, boredom may pose a public health threat

Boredom contributes to pandemic fatigue and may account for why some people don’t follow social distancing rules.

Psychology

The COVID-19 pandemic made U.S. college students’ mental health even worse

College students struggled with mental health problems before the pandemic. Now, some vulnerable students are even more at risk.

Animals

Bonobos, much like humans, show commitment to completing a joint task

Experiments with bonobos suggest that humans aren’t the only ones who can feel a sense of mutual responsibility toward other members of their species.

Neuroscience

Lonely brains crave people like hungry brains crave food

After hours of isolation, dopamine-producing cells in the brain fire up in response to pictures of humans, showing our social side runs deep.

Psychology

‘Deaths of despair’ are rising. It’s time to define despair

A sense of defeat, not mental ailments, may be derailing the lives of less-educated people in the United States.

Science & Society

‘The Origins of You’ explores how kids develop into their adult selves

A new book describes the interplay of nature and nurture as children, at least in Western societies, grow up.

Humans

Ancient sculptures hint at universal facial expressions across cultures

Interpreting the emotions carved onto sculptures from long ago offers a new way to study how humans perceive facial expressions.

Psychology

Why do we miss the rituals put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic?

Even solitary rituals bind us to our groups and help calm anxieties. What happens when those traditions are upended?

Science & Society

Interfaith soccer teams eased Muslim-Christian tensions — to a point

Soccer bonded Christian and Muslim teammates in Iraq, but that camaraderie didn’t change attitudes.

Psychology

Monkeys may share a key grammar-related skill with humans

A contested study suggests the ability to embed sequences within other sequences, a skill called recursion and crucial to grammar, has ancient roots.