EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Jun-2026 11:15 ET (21-Jun-2026 15:15 GMT/UTC)

28-May-2026

Why is economic inequality the status quo?

Association for Psychological Science
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The latest PSPI issue examines the political psychology of economic inequality and highlights the cognitive processes that sustain high levels of inequality across nations.

Journal: Psychological Science in the Public Interest

28-May-2026

How farmers respond to climate-related risk

University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences
Peer-Reviewed Publication

As climate change increases the frequency of drought, excessive rainfall, and other extreme weather events, farmers face growing uncertainty about crop production. Understanding how farmers perceive and respond to that uncertainty can help improve agricultural policy and climate adaptation strategies. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Michigan State University examines farmer risk preferences when dealing with climate impacts.

Journal: Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

28-May-2026

Supermarket receipts show trends in menstrual pain relief

PLOS
Peer-Reviewed Publication

More than a quarter of women buying menstrual products also purchase pain relief at the same time—and those in lower-income areas are significantly less likely to do so—according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Digital Health by Dr. Victoria Sivill of the University of Bristol, UK, and colleagues, which used supermarket loyalty card data to map menstrual pain disparities across England.

Journal: PLOS Digital Health

28-May-2026

AI can mass-produce finance research papers indistinguishable from human work

Penn State
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study, co-authored by a Penn State Smeal College of Business professor, shows that AI can mass-produce academic papers that look nearly indistinguishable from human-authored research, raising concerns about the potential impact on the academic community.

Journal: Journal of Economic Literature
Funder: Inquire Europe

28-May-2026

Multinational firms drive growth but can come with steep environmental costs, study finds

University of British Columbia
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Multinational companies can boost local economies but often come with higher environmental costs than domestic firms, according to new research by UBC faculty of land and food systems associate professor Dr. Frederik Noack in Nature Climate Change.

Journal: Nature Climate Change

28-May-2026

Patient digital engagement with after visit summary in ambulatory care

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of ambulatory visits, digital after visit summary engagement increased but remained low and was associated with a high time investment for physicians. This inefficiency in postvisit communication emphasizes the need to reconsider such communication, particularly with unmarried males, non-English-speaking populations, and publicly insured populations, and in specialty care settings.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

28-May-2026

Drexel study reveals how people use AI for mental health support — and where they see risks

Drexel University
Reports and Proceedings

As more people turn to artificial intelligence chatbots for emotional and mental health support, a new study from Drexel University suggests that most users see these tools as supplements to — not substitutes for — human therapy. Drawing on millions of Reddit posts, the study highlights both the growing appeal of AI support tools for emotional reassurance, coping and practical guidance, as well as the concerns users express about emotional dependence, misinformation and overreliance on the technology.

Meeting: 2026 Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics