In a Perspective, Mark Hanson and Peter Gluckman explore how maternal stress, caregiving quality, and early environmental conditions can shape the development of executive functions and emotional regulation in children, and how these factors contribute to the emergence of anxiety disorders in young people. Mounting evidence reveals a significant rise in anxiety disorders among adolescents ages 12 to 19, especially in developing countries like the United States, which cannot be fully explained by contemporary stressful events like the COVID-19 pandemic. This pattern suggests that broader longer-term societal or developmental factors are driving the growing prevalence of adolescent anxiety. Here, Hanson and Gluckman highlight how environmental conditions in the earliest stages of life – beginning even before birth – can significantly shape a child’s developing brain, particularly the systems responsible for emotional regulation and executive functioning. According to the authors, these early cues may "prepare" children for adversity, but if the anticipated threats never fully materialize as they grow, such heightened emotional responses may lead to anxiety disorders, especially in adolescence. This mismatch is further compounded by the rapid and dynamic social and technological changes young people now face. “Societies face an emerging burden of mental health issues, especially in young people. Although appropriate interventions are needed to help those already affected, preventative approaches are also critical,” write Hanson and Gluckman. “Solutions will need to adopt a lifecourse perspective, involving more cohesive thinking about parental and caregiver support and the early childhood years by policymakers across health, education, and social welfare."

Nearly every human culture uses clapping to cheer, protest, pray or perform, but a new study reveals that the familiar gesture is as much a scientific event as it is a social one.

High levels of income inequality weaken support for raising the minimum wage, which in turn could further worsen income inequality as people believe this is the way things should be, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. 

New research from the University of Georgia found some bosses thrive on abusive behavior.

Asian Americans are no longer the healthiest racial group among older U.S.-born adults, according to a new study published in the Journals of Gerontology. Non-Hispanic white Americans now report lower rates of disability in this age group, marking a shift in health trends.

Young consumers who shop online and have FOMO (fear of missing out) tend to feel lower levels of social, psychological and financial well-being, a new study finds – but there’s one important caveat. Researchers found that having a stronger attachment to a social media influencer is linked to younger consumers having improved feelings of well-being in those areas.