Emotional difficulties among young people have increased, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. In this context, developing social and emotional skills can help strengthen their ability to cope with challenges. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with UniDistance Suisse, the University of Fribourg and Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), examined the effects of regular classroom practice of improvisational theatre, mindfulness meditation and board games designed to explore emotions. Their findings show that these activities have a protective effect on the mental health and self-efficacy of adolescents with the highest levels of anxiety. Improvisational theatre, in particular, fosters the development of empathy and collaboration, regardless of students' anxiety levels. The findings have been published in Social and Emotional Learning: Research, Practice, and Policy.

Across political ideologies, people in the U.S. overwhelmingly gravitate toward technologies presented as natural and reject those that seem unnatural. The findings offer insight on why some proposed climate solutions fail and help explain how greenwashing can take hold.

The child who plays alone during recess may be perfectly content doing so, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.

Both breeding and training dogs have altered how dogs process words and cues from people to communicate.