human behavior

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We Are Most Attracted to the Faces Around Us
We Are Most Attracted
to the Faces Around Us
new study
May 19, 2017 12:04 PM CDT

We Are Most Attracted to the Faces Around Us

'Beauty is in the faces of those we behold'

(Newser) - All parents know their kids are the most mind-bogglingly beautiful creatures they've ever seen. But this bias for beauty appears to extend beyond one's offspring to the faces of those we see the most. Researchers report in the journal Human Nature that people tend to prefer choosing mates...

Experiment Finds More Data Doesn't Always Help Wage Gap

'Knowing this information doesn’t make it easier to advocate for myself'

(Newser) - For Jessica Kirkpatrick, an astrophysicist-turned-data-scientist, information helps bridge gaps. But when she tried to use it to narrow the gender wage gap in her new role as chief data scientist at Hired, she learned that more data isn't always helpful—and that's at least in part down to...

Got Lazy Friends? Take a Look in the Mirror

Personality traits thought to be fixed may actually be 'contagious'

(Newser) - Some geneticists suggest that who we are is not a question of nature versus nurture, but that genes and our environment work together to influence the people we become. New research out of France furthers this notion in its finding that even the personality traits we consider to be our...

How to Tell If You're a Jerk
How to Tell
If You're
a Jerk
in case you missed it
Jan 28, 2017 4:45 PM CST

How to Tell If You're a Jerk

The key question from a philosophy prof: Are you surrounded by them?

(Newser) - A philosophy professor has dug into the nature of jerks—or "jerkitude"—in an essay at Aeon , and if you find yourself nodding along because you are positively surrounded by jerks every day, well, we've got some bad news for you: You're probably a jerk. So...

Our Languages May Have More in Common Than We Thought

New findings challenge long-held theories about languages forming independently

(Newser) - About 100 years ago, one of the founders of modern linguistics, Ferdinand de Saussure, wrote that the relationship between the sounds we make and the concepts they signify are arbitrary. Many have long agreed. But now the inherent randomness of human language is being challenged by a large new study...

Men Think Going Green Will Make Them Wimps
Men Think Going Green
Will Make Them Wimps
study says
Sep 4, 2016 11:01 AM CDT

Men Think Going Green Will Make Them Wimps

But researchers say the right marketing can sway them

(Newser) - A business professor recently set out to learn what is driving one longstanding gender gap. Women tend to be more environmentally conscious than men on all kinds of levels, from energy use to concern about climate change, reports the Washington Post . So Notre Dame business professor James Wilkie conducted seven...

Most Kids With ADHD Grow Out of It
 Most Kids With ADHD 
 Grow Out of It 
NEW STUDY
Aug 4, 2016 9:03 AM CDT

Most Kids With ADHD Grow Out of It

Strong association between sleep problems and ADHD, and both are resolved in many young adults

(Newser) - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is often characterized as restless days followed by restless nights. In fact, the association between poor sleep quality and the disorder is so strong that scientists are now questioning whether lack of sleep is contributing to the rise in ADHD. The good news, researchers report in the Journal ...

Being Near Fancy Stores Makes Us Selfish Jerks
Being Near Fancy Stores Makes Us Selfish Jerks
NEW STUDY
Jun 16, 2016 7:28 AM CDT

Being Near Fancy Stores Makes Us Selfish Jerks

People on streets with high-end stores are considerably less likely to help a stranger in need

(Newser) - If you ever find yourself relying on the kindness of strangers, you'd best hope you're not on a street lined with upscale shops. So conclude French researchers in a study titled, "'Wrong place to get help': A field experiment on luxury stores and helping behavior,"...

Messy Kitchens May Tempt Us to Overeat
 Messy Kitchens May 
 Tempt Us to Overeat 
NEW STUDY
Feb 16, 2016 8:40 AM CST

Messy Kitchens May Tempt Us to Overeat

Study suggests you may not want to leave that sink full of dishes

(Newser) - Research has already suggested that people in neat work environments are more likely to opt for a healthy snack than people in cluttered ones. "Messy rooms are, sort of, enabling people to break free from what's expected of them," one researcher from that 2013 study tells NPR...

Studies Say We've Been Lining Up All Wrong

Last-come-first served is unfair but efficient, researchers claim

(Newser) - Researchers have figured out a way to reduce wait times everywhere lines are found—from the DMV to Disneyland. Unfortunately, their ideas are unlikely to ever be implemented because of people's unbreakable allegiance to the concept of fairness. Quartz reports on two research papers published in 2012 and 2014...

Disobedient Kids Make More Money as Adults
Disobedient Kids Make
More Money as Adults
study says
Jul 24, 2015 4:12 PM CDT

Disobedient Kids Make More Money as Adults

Study finds it's a strong indicator on future income

(Newser) - Parents at their wits' end over an unruly kid might take heart: The brat will probably grow up to earn more than his well-behaving peers, a new study in Development Psychology suggests. Researchers with the University of Luxembourg, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the Free University of Berlin...

How Men React When You Question Their Manhood
 How Men React 
 When You Question 
 Their Manhood 
in case you missed it
Jul 4, 2015 6:50 AM CDT

How Men React When You Question Their Manhood

Study finds men will lie about their height, past relationships, and more

(Newser) - News flash: Men will lie to appear more masculine when their masculinity is called into question. So report researchers at the University of Washington in a study published last week in the journal Social Psychology . Men who were led to believe they fall short of the ideals of manliness (e....

Why Do Docs Botch Surgeries?
 Why Do Docs Botch Surgeries? 
NEW STUDY
Jun 8, 2015 8:41 AM CDT

Why Do Docs Botch Surgeries?

Researchers detail why 69 major errors occurred among 1.5M surgeries

(Newser) - To err is human, and deadly when those humans are doctors. Major surgical errors are pretty rare—some estimates put them at one in 12,000 surgeries—but they do happen, even egregious ones like leaving instruments behind or performing the wrong surgery altogether. Mayo Clinic researchers recently set out...

Compulsive Sex, Gambling Tied to Parkinson's Drugs

Researchers say dopamine agonists should get black-box warnings

(Newser) - Parkinson's drugs are known for a range of side effects, including hallucinations, psychosis, and extreme drowsiness. But researchers say there's also a clear link between the use of some of these drugs and impulse control issues that result in hypersexuality, compulsive gambling, and uncontrollable spending, reports LiveScience . Looking...

Kids With Set Bedtimes Are Better Behaved

Not having a fixed bedtime is like having jetlag, say researchers

(Newser) - New research has uncovered one secret behind well-behaved kids: they have regular bedtimes. The study, published today in Pediatrics, asked parents and teachers to rank the behavior of more than 10,000 7-year-olds, finding those without a consistent bedtime were reported as more hyperactive and with more social and emotional...

Evolution Frowns on Selfish Jerks
Evolution Frowns on
Selfish Jerks
study says
Aug 3, 2013 9:17 AM CDT

Evolution Frowns on Selfish Jerks

They're doomed in the long run, study says

(Newser) - It took a study involving hundreds of thousands of game simulations and fancy phrases such as "zero-determinant strategy" to prove mom's advice was right all along: Be nice. The study by researchers at Michigan State University found that cooperation trumps selfishness when it comes to self-preservation, reports the...

Why We Love to Boast

 Why We 
 Love to 
 Boast 
study shows
May 8, 2012 4:30 PM CDT

Why We Love to Boast

Talking about ourselves stimulates the brain

(Newser) - In the era of Facebook and Twitter, it's clear we love talking about ourselves—indeed, the topic makes up 40% of our everyday conversation. Now scientists can explain why: Doing so stimulates the brain the same way sex, food, and cash do. Researchers scanned subjects' brains and found that...

You're Probably Sub-Average
 You're Probably Sub-Average 
study says
May 3, 2012 3:21 PM CDT

You're Probably Sub-Average

Bell curve may misrepresent human performance

(Newser) - We tend to think of human performance as fitting a bell curve: Most people's output is about average, while there are a few outliers who are either extremely talented or very much the opposite. But people might not work that way, a new study suggests. Researchers analyzed the performance...

Democrats and Republicans Behave Like Schools of Fish
 Political Parties Act 
 Like Schools of Fish 
study says
Dec 19, 2011 1:23 PM CST

Political Parties Act Like Schools of Fish

Vocal minorities can temporarily sway the masses

(Newser) - Wondering about the future of the Tea Party, or what affect the Occupy Movement might have on Democrats? Try asking a bunch of fish. Scientists have found that in a school of fish, a "vocal minority"—that is, a group determined to swim in a certain direction—can...

Study Uncovers Big, Fat (Faced) Liars

Broad faces linked to unethical behavior, finds researchers

(Newser) - Wide-faced men tend to be a lot trickier than their narrow-faced counterparts, according to researchers who measured the faces of hundreds of business school students before running them through assorted behavioral tests. The study found that broad-faced men are three times more likely to lie and nine times more likely...

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