EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior - News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 31-Dec-2025 10:11 ET (31-Dec-2025 15:11 GMT/UTC)

11-Aug-2025

Is the 'love hormone,' oxytocin, also the 'friendship hormone'?

University of California - Berkeley
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A UC Berkeley study found that social prairie voles lacking the receptor for oxytocin are slow to form friendships, are less motivated to reach their friends, and are less aggressive toward and avoidant of unfamiliar peers. This points toward a role for oxytocin in both the ‘approach’ and ‘avoid’ sides of maintaining specific friendships, affecting selectivity.

Journal: Current Biology
Funder: NIH/National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Science Foundation

11-Aug-2025

PSU researchers release final report in landmark project exploring impacts of Measure 110 decriminalization

Portland State University
Reports and Proceedings

Portland State University researchers have released the final findings in a three-year project examining the impacts of multiple drug policy shifts including Measure 110 which decriminalized drug possession in Oregon.

The final report finds little evidence that Measure 110 was responsible for rising crime or overdose deaths. Instead, researchers found that trends in crime rates and overdose fatalities were primarily driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of fentanyl. The report also offers crucial insights for the implementation of the state’s new drug policy (HB 4002), emphasizing that policy change alone isn't enough — successful deflection to treatment depends on robust resources and coordination.

11-Aug-2025

Why oxytocin treatments for social behavior are inconsistent

Society for Neuroscience
Peer-Reviewed Publication

When rhesus monkeys are already socially motivated, oxytocin prolongs their social behavior by promoting activity within and communication between two brain areas.

Journal: JNeurosci
Funder: U.S. National Science Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

11-Aug-2025

Victims of ‘enforced disappearances’ face unique mental health challenges, says Dr Anis Ahmed

Aston University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Dr Anis Ahmed, clinical lead in psychiatry at Aston Medical School, has co-written an article looking at the mental health challenges for the victims of ‘enforced disappearances’.

Journal: Medicine Science and the Law

11-Aug-2025

Study urges reform in mental health screening for incarcerated youth

Florida Atlantic University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research finds troubling gaps in the accuracy and fairness of mental health screenings used with incarcerated youth who have been adjudicated delinquent in the U.S. With a significant number of them entering correctional facilities and already facing serious mental health challenges, including high rates of depression and suicide risk, proper identification and timely intervention are critical. However, research findings suggest that the most used screening tools may not be as reliable for everyone as once believed.

Journal: Behavioral Disorders
Funder: Institute of Education Sciences

11-Aug-2025

After the storm: to rebuild or relocate?

Society for Risk Analysis
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As climate hazards escalate, communities facing repetitive disasters in high-risk areas must weigh the economic and social trade-offs of rebuilding versus relocating. A Risk Analysis study has found that residents and government officials may have different ideas about how public funds should be spent to adapt to extreme weather events brought on by climate change.

Journal: Risk Analysis

11-Aug-2025

How parental leave affects the wages of PhD graduates

University of Würzburg

How does parental leave affect the income of mothers and fathers with PhDs? A research team at the University of Würzburg investigated this question in cooperation with the German Center for Higher Education Research and Science Studies.

Journal: Journal of Marriage and Family