A core assumption in any democracy is that citizens with access to information will make reasoned decisions on political candidates and policy issues. But a new study by UC Berkeley social scientists finds that Americans usually don’t consider the full scope of difficult issues, instead basing their opinions on mental shortcuts that sidestep complexity. The paper offers striking insight into the differences in cognitive reasoning patterns among Americans. While some people in the study did closely analyze a range of issues before coming to an opinion, others did a quick back-of-the-napkin tally of plusses and minuses, or even more commonly based their opinions on just one factor, the authors found.

As Florida considers dropping its measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine mandate for school attendance, a new University of Maryland study predicts that such a policy change could spark the largest measles epidemic in the United States in nearly 50 years.

A recent study suggests that the built environment surrounding us — specifically, whether our community has accessible green space — may play a surprisingly powerful role in shaping suicide risk.