Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 16-Jan-2026 20:11 ET (17-Jan-2026 01:11 GMT/UTC)

15-Oct-2025

Indian literary genius survived British imperialism in forgotten villages, research reveals

University of Cambridge
Grant and Award Announcement

‘Pundits’ kept Sanskrit scholarship alive in remote settlements as British control swept across India, a major new research project will show. The largely forgotten literary figures and their works – ranging from erotic plays to legal treatises – are neglected treasures of Indian intellectual achievement, argue Cambridge researchers.

Funder

Arts and Humanities Research Council

15-Oct-2025

Study finds emotional tweets by politicians don’t always win followers and can backfire with diverse audiences

Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

When a politician uses emotionality in social media to engage with his or her constituents, two things happen. One is the politician sees an increase in engagement with individual constituents and then at scale. The second outcome is that the politician may actually expand his or her following.

Journal

Information Systems

15-Oct-2025

New study reveals alarming mental health and substance use disparities among LGBTQ+ youth

University of Delaware
Peer-Reviewed Publication

By eighth grade, LGBTQ+ students were already using alcohol and other drugs at higher rates and up to 80% reported current anxiety symptoms – compared to about half of other students. University of Delaware expert Eric Layland and his team have suggestions to mitigate this trend. 

Journal

Delaware Journal of Public Health

15-Oct-2025

Starting university boosts recycling and greener travel, a University of Bath study finds

University of Bath
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Starting university doesn’t just change where students live or study; it can also lead to changing their habits. New research from the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) at the University of Bath shows that young people are more likely to adopt sustainable behaviours, like recycling and active travel, during major life transitions.

Journal

PLOS Climate

15-Oct-2025

U.K. food insecurity is associated with mental health conditions

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Food insecurity affects about 1 in 13 (7.8%) U.K. households, with higher rates of food insecurity found in Black British households and people with long-term mental health conditions, according to a new study published October 15, 2025 in the open-access journal PLOS One by Maddy Power of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, U.K., and colleagues.

Journal

PLOS One

15-Oct-2025

Lending a hand to close friends boosts daily mood in older adults

University of Michigan
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Providing practical help to a close friend—such as picking up medication, cooking a meal or helping with household chores—may be linked to a more positive mood among older adults in daily life. 

Journal

Research on Aging

Funder

National Institute on Aging

15-Oct-2025

Pilot shows promise and challenge of using simulations to prepare students for social work practice

New York University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers report on the results of a pilot initiative on VR and actor-assisted teaching and learning at the NYU Silver School of Social Work.

Journal

Studies in Clinical Social Work Transforming Practice Education and Research