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Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Jun-2026 18:16 ET (20-Jun-2026 22:16 GMT/UTC)

Ensuring smartphones have not been tampered with

American Institute of Physics
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In AIP Advances, researchers develop a way to remotely fingerprint and identify a cellular device. Using specialized SIM cards and cellular radio standards-compliant base station emulator equipment, the researchers commanded a set of “trusted” cell phones to transmit the exact same sets of signals, allowing them to create a database of what these signals really look like for different phone models. By comparing the signals emitted by an unknown device to the database, the researchers can figure out if the device has been altered.

Journal: AIP Advances

Girls as young as nine know influencer culture is fake, yet it still shapes how they see themselves

University of Surrey
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Girls as young as nine are navigating a culture that tells them to be authentic while quietly punishing them for failing to look perfect, according to a new study from the University of Surrey. Researchers found that influencer culture pulls girls into a constant balancing act between fitting in and being themselves.

Journal: New Media & Society

Pandemic, election crises mark 'critical events' in declining democratic accountability standards, governance scholar writes

University of Kansas
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Christopher Koliba, a governance scholar at the University of Kansas, has published a study documenting the politicization of the pandemic response and election crises of 2020 and 2021 and how they mark "critical events" in the decline of democratic accountability standards. He employs techniques used by historians to document the events and argues the weaponization of falsehoods and other approaches used in the twin crises violate several standards of accountability that mark strong democracies and show the need for commitment to democracy.

Journal: Perspectives on Public Management and Governance

Frictionless AI comes at a human cost to learning, growth and connection

University of Toronto
Peer-Reviewed Publication

AI's greatest strength—removing friction from work and relationships—is also a liability. Prioritizing outcome over process, it eliminates desirable difficulties that drive growth. By subtracting effort from life, AI risks removing the struggles that teach us, the loneliness that connects us, and the labor that makes life meaningful.

Journal: Communications Psychology

A gold-standard survey of the American mood

PNAS Nexus
Peer-Reviewed Publication

American reports of individual well-being have remained relatively stable over decades, but confidence in the nation has sharply declined. James N. Druckman and colleagues analyzed long-term survey data from two National Science Foundation-supported infrastructure projects: the General Social Survey and the American National Election Studies. The analysis examined trends in economic satisfaction, health, happiness, satisfaction with democracy, affective polarization, political efficacy, and institutional confidence.

Journal: PNAS Nexus

Ancient DNA reveals 7,700-year-old "north-south corridor" linking Lake Baikal and northern China

Science China Press
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An international research team has used ancient DNA to uncover a 7,700-year-old "north-south corridor" connecting Siberia's Lake Baikal region with northern China. By analyzing 42 ancient genomes, the study, published in Science Bulletin, challenges the view that major trans-Eurasian contact only began in the Bronze Age. The findings link Early Neolithic groups genetically (via Ancient Paleo-Siberian ancestry) and archaeologically (via similar pottery and burial posture).

Journal: Science Bulletin

Kicking off the “Year of Diversity”

BfR Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
Business Announcement

By signing the Diversity Charter, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is underlining its commitment to an appreciative, respectful working culture in which diversity is recognised, promoted and utilised. The signing on 20 January 2026 also marks the start of the “Year of Diversity” at the BfR. “The diversity of people with their different abilities, experiences and perspectives opens up opportunities for good cooperation and innovative solutions. The Diversity Charter provides a framework for this, which we at the BfR will continue to fill with life,” says BfR President Professor Andreas Hensel.