EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Jun-2026 17:15 ET (21-Jun-2026 21:15 GMT/UTC)

25-Feb-2026

Citizens engage with information in different ways during a crisis – understanding this can support public authorities’ communication efforts

University of Eastern Finland
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The COVID-19 pandemic was a major health crisis that challenged citizens’ information management routines. Epistemic ideals guided how people scanned and filtered information, engaged with it and adapted their behaviour accordingly. Conducted in Finland, a recent study found that four distinctive profiles characterise citizens’ engagement with information.

Journal: International Journal of Public Sector Management

24-Feb-2026

From ancient myths to ‘Indo-manga’: Artists in the Global South are reframing the comic

University of Cambridge
Book Announcement

A new collection of studies about comics argues that Western ideas about what “counts” as a comic have sidelined innovative work from the Global South. The book features case studies of new comics from Latin America, Africa and Asia – including Black feminist art from Brazil, reinventions of Māori creation narratives, comics created by Somali refugees, and India’s new wave of “Indo-manga”. It argues that comics are powerful tools of expression for the world’s marginalised communities and argues for Western publishers’ grip on the medium’s boundaries to be challenged.

24-Feb-2026

Ancient diets reveal surprising survival strategies in prehistoric Poland

Uniwersytet Gdanski
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international team of archaeologists and scientists has reconstructed the diets of prehistoric communities from north-central Poland, shedding new light on how people adapted to changing environments and shifting social landscapes over three millennia between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age.

Journal: Royal Society Open Science
Funder: Narodowe Centrum Nauki, Narodowe Centrum Nauki, European Research Council Advanced Grant, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship, Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education

24-Feb-2026

Heads or tails: Does it matter what part of a therapy dog gets patted?

University of British Columbia Okanagan campus
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Is it a scratch behind the ears while staring into those puppy dog eyes, or is it a gentle pat on the back and a wagging tail that makes spending time with a therapy dog so comforting?

New research from UBC Okanagan suggests that when it comes to boosting wellbeing, it does not matter which part of a therapy dog students interact with—just that they do.

24-Feb-2026

AI may boost productivity — but it can hurt a creator’s reputation, new research finds

Florida International University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As Hollywood celebrates creativity at the Oscars, new research from Florida International University’s College of Business suggests that how creative work is made may matter just as much as the final product – especially when artificial intelligence is involved.

Journal: Academy of Management Discoveries

24-Feb-2026

Ambitious climate policy ensures reduction of CO2 emissions

Heidelberg University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Global efforts to combat climate change in the last two decades have contributed to considerably cutting carbon emissions, according to a new study on climate policies conducted primarily by scientists from Germany and the United Kingdom, among them experts from Heidelberg University. It shows that states with larger and stricter policy portfolios are cutting their emissions most effectively.

Journal: Nature Communications

24-Feb-2026

HSE University scholars uncover E-learning preferences of top students

National Research University Higher School of Economics
Peer-Reviewed Publication

HSE University experts have analysed students’ digital footprints and shown for the first time that final grades depend on one’s personal approach to an online course. Balanced students have proven to be more successful than those who follow a more traditional and practical approach. The findings from this study will help create a more adaptive and personalised educational system. This research has been published in the journal The Internet and Higher Education.

Journal: The Internet and Higher Education