EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 22-Jun-2026 12:16 ET (22-Jun-2026 16:16 GMT/UTC)

12-Feb-2026

Surviving slavery: family ties were vital

Radboud University Nijmegen
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Young children who grew up in slavery on Surinamese plantations were much more likely to die if they were without a mother. This is evident from a historical analysis of Surinamese slave registers by researchers at Radboud University and Wageningen University & Research. Their work was published this month in Demography. The presence of grandmothers, aunts and uncles also significantly increased children's chances of survival.

Journal: Demography

12-Feb-2026

From polls to public policy: how artificial intelligence is distorting online research

IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Artificial intelligence is increasingly able to simulate human behavior and answer online surveys and political polls, putting the reliability of survey-based research at risk. Consequences can be serious for science and research, but also for policy and participation of people in democratic processes, as surveys are widely used in political polls. Three researchers working at the IMT School for Advanced Studies in Lucca and the University of Cambridge express their worry in a comment in Nature, and propose some possible countermeasures.

Journal: Nature

12-Feb-2026

Young carers falling behind by end of primary school

Anglia Ruskin University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research has found that children with caring responsibilities are 35% less likely than their peers to reach the expected standard for reading, writing and maths by the end of primary school.

Journal: International Journal of Educational Research

12-Feb-2026

Addictive digital habits in early adolescence linked to mental health struggles, study finds

Elsevier
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research following US adolescents ages 11–12 shows that problematic use of mobile phones, social media, and video games was associated with higher risks of mental health problems, sleep disturbance, and suicidal behaviors one year later. The study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, reveals that the links between problematic screen use and mental health are stronger than those previously reported for overall screen time and highlights the risks of addictive use.

Journal: American Journal of Preventive Medicine

12-Feb-2026

Rich medieval Danes bought graves ‘closer to God’ despite leprosy stigma, archaeologists find

Frontiers
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists studying social exclusion based on illness in medieval Denmark expected to find that people with chronic diseases, especially leprosy — a heavily stigmatized disease that Christianity associated with sin — would be barred from burial in prominent, prestigious graves. However, they found that these higher-status burial places were still open to leprosy or tuberculosis patients, despite the social stigma. This suggests that medieval communities may have treated severely ill people with more compassion than traditional portrayals, like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, suggest.

Journal: Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology
Funder: National Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundation, American-Scandinavian Foundation, Velux

11-Feb-2026

Brexpiprazole as an adjunct therapy for cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia

Meijo University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Cognitive impairment, including decreased attention and memory, remains one of the most disabling aspects of schizophrenia, affecting social life of patients. However, no effective treatment has yet been established for it. Now, researchers have investigated the effect of adding brexpiprazole on cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia. The findings revealed that patients with schizophrenia receiving adjunctive brexpiprazole showed a meaningful improvement in information processing speed, without worsening psychiatric symptoms.

Journal: Heliyon

11-Feb-2026

University of Tennessee and UCOR extend partnership through MOU renewal

University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Business Announcement

The University of Tennessee and United Cleanup Oak Ridge (UCOR) have strengthened their 10-year formal partnership of developing highly skilled workers for nuclear and environmental cleanup work with an expanded Memorandum of Understanding focused on the increased importance of nuclear and criticality safety career opportunities at Department of Energy operations across the United States.