Deprivation in childhood linked to impulsive behaviour in adulthood – new study: Inflation is running high around the globe, largely fuelled by Russia’s war in Ukraine and the COVID pandemic. As a result, many households are having to choose between eating and heating. Deprivation has a terrible immediate effect on children – as anyone who …
Why do we laugh? New study considers possible evolutionary reasons behind this very human behaviour: Tetra Images LLC/ Alamy A woman in labour is having a terrible time and suddenly shouts out: “Shouldn’t! Wouldn’t! Couldn’t! Didn’t! Can’t!” “Don’t worry,” says the doctor. “These are just contractions.” Until now, several theories have sought to explain what …
Drug misuse and suicidal behaviour more common on the anniversary of a parent’s death – new research: Risk of hospitalisation was higher in the same month their parent died, as well as during the two months following. Marjan Apostolovic/ Shutterstock Losing a parent during adolescence and young adulthood can be particularly damaging to mental health …
Dealing with unruly behaviour among schoolchildren in a tumultuous world: Every student should have a trusted adult in the building and every teacher should be the coach of a given number of students. GettyImages COVID has left a lasting impact on education in a number of ways. Deficits in learning may never be fully redressed; …
The mathematics of human behaviour: how my new model can spot liars and counter disinformation: Maths can describe how we update our views to make a decision based on the information available. Triff/Shutterstock Understanding the human mind and behaviour lies at the core of the discipline of psychology. But to characterise how people’s behaviour changes …
Boris Johnson’s bad behaviour: how declining trust in the prime minister affects trust in British democracy: A seemingly endless cycle of scandals has come to define Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister. This has peaked in recent months with the revelations about lockdown parties in Downing Street and Johnson being fined by police for his …
A nice Bikini Beach image: Brazilian Behaviour Image by mikecogh The only other time I saw people behaving like this was on a street in Sao Paulo in full view of a crowd of people waiting at a bus stop – that was also a photo shoot. I guess it’s kind of more acceptable on …
From health to the environment, how comics could drive behaviour change: An image from Plastic Nightmare. Jim Lavery, Author provided When we hear the word “comic”, graphic novels oozing with superheroes, villains and other colourful characters are likely to come to mind. It’s true that comics are, traditionally, fictional tales condensed into compelling visual narrative. …
Highway Code changes: what they mean and why they probably aren’t enough to change behaviour: Vitpho/Shutterstock In urban areas, pedestrians and cycle users are particularly at risk on the roads. In inner London between 2013 and 2015, 54% of all road traffic fatalities were pedestrians, and 17% were cycle users. In 2020, there were 141 …
Nudges: four reasons to doubt popular technique to shape people’s behaviour: Can food labelling really help us make 'better' choices? AntGor/Shutterstock Throughout the pandemic, many governments have had to rely on people doing the right thing to reduce the spread of the coronavirus – ranging from social distancing to handwashing. Many enlisted the help of …
Polar bears eating reindeer: normal behaviour or result of climate change?: Alexey Seafarer/shutterstock Recently, scientists in Hornsund, Svalbard – a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic ocean – witnessed a polar bear pursuing a reindeer into the sea before killing it, dragging it ashore and eating it. The video that they captured was widely shared on …
Congo Basin’s vital clues to HIV’s behaviour: how we’re trying to crack its complex code: HIV prevalence in the Congo Basin is relatively low. Yannick Tylle/ GettyImages There have been tremendous gains towards reaching the United Nations 90-90-90 targets to end HIV as a public health threat. The aim was that, by 2020, 90% of …
Science changes — and so should rational behaviour: As the pandemic has progressed, so has scientists' understanding of why masks matter and how best to protect against COVID. James D. Morgan/Getty Images The world around us, and the way researchers study and understand it, changes all the time. The constant change means that what we …
South Africa in the news: Anger as young boy faces ‘appalling, foul-mouthed’ behaviour and ‘vomit-covered toilets’ at Wales rugby game as WRU tell drunks to stay away: For Martyn and Emma Jones, this should have been a month to remember, with their seven-year-old son Tomos attending his first Wales autumn international campaign. But, instead, they …
Change what South African men think of women to combat their violent behaviour: Thousands of activists protest outside the South African parliament in Cape Town, following a week of brutal murders of young women in 2019. EFE-EPA/Nic Bothma South Africans wish to see men and boys change their violent behaviour towards women and girls to …
How Does Consumer Behaviour Affect IT Strategies?: Sandton, September, 20, 2021 – If you want to be recognised as an IT leader in your field, you need to thoroughly understand what your company does and why a constantly evolving IT strategy is necessary. This process will require support from the company Executives as well as a …
What to expect from post-pandemic voting behaviour: Shutterstock The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it an abundance of emotion relating to threat, loss, uncertainty and anxiety. These emotions heavily affect the ways in which we make decisions. It’s widely recognised that emotions such as fear, threat and anxiety even influence the way we vote. The …
Human behaviour: what scientists have learned about it from the pandemic: People haven't been as irrational during the pandemic as some initially thought. Jennifer M. Mason/Shutterstock During the pandemic, a lot of assumptions were made about how people behave. Many of those assumptions were wrong, and they led to disastrous policies. Several governments worried that …