EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 27-Oct-2026 22:16 ET (28-Oct-2026 02:16 GMT/UTC)

15-Jul-2026

Hanyang University study finds carbon-based pricing encourages greener tourist intentions

Hanyang University Research Strategy Planning Team
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tourism is a growing source of carbon emissions, yet voluntary. This study found that CO₂-based pricing, particularly when environmental costs are presented as visible surcharges rather than discounts, increases tourists' intentions to conserve energy and resources. From a green capitalism perspective, the findings show how market-based price signals can align consumer behavior with sustainability goals while remaining compatible with business interests and existing consumption patterns.

Journal: Annals of Tourism Research

15-Jul-2026

Loneliness strongly linked to poorer mental health and wellbeing, study finds

University of Bristol
Peer-Reviewed Publication

People who feel lonely are much more likely to experience poorer mental health and lower wellbeing, a new collaborative study led by the University of Bristol, Nesta and Amsterdam UMC has found. Loneliness was also found to be linked with worse general health, including experiencing multiple health conditions. Social isolation is associated with lower wellbeing, too.

Journal: Nature Communications
Funder: Nesta

15-Jul-2026

Films shape the way we remember World War II and Soviet repression

Estonian Research Council
Reports and Proceedings

Films are often watched for entertainment, but beyond providing a pastime, they also play an important role in shaping people’s memories. Moreover, films also shape how society in general remembers its history. Hanna Maria Aunin’s research reveals that post-Soviet Estonian films tend to gloss over certain difficult historical topics.

Funder: European Research Council

14-Jul-2026

India’s immunization program reduced child mortality but highlights need for coordinating health, education policies

University of Notre Dame
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Research from the University of Notre Dame shows how India’s immunization program saved children’s lives and highlights the need for stronger connections between health and education policies.

Journal: Journal of Population Economics
Funder: University of Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Libraries

14-Jul-2026

How virtual reality can transform behavioral science and enhance reproducibility

University of California - Merced
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A consortium paper sets out new protocols and develops an interactive online checklist for VR researchers to ensure their studies are rigorous, reproducible, and available to all.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Funder: Swissuniversities

14-Jul-2026

Powering up economies, WVU with Pitt and Carnegie Mellon will recharge energy security and resilience with $320M for new technology, AI, infrastructure, and jobs

West Virginia University
Grant and Award Announcement

The Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure Consortium, led by West Virginia University in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and more than 60 regional partners, will use $321 million in public and private funding to develop the nation’s next leading industrial energy innovation hub in the heart of Appalachia.

14-Jul-2026

Uncanny valley effect observed in macaques through 3D animated monkey avatars

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new tool that allows researchers to create realistic full-body animations of monkeys has provided the first evidence that non-human primates experience the “uncanny valley” phenomenon for body avatars, according to a study by Lucas Maximilian Martini at the University Clinic Tubingen in Germany and colleagues at KU Leuven in Belgium, publishing July 14^th in the open access journal PLOS Biology.

Journal: PLOS Biology