For the most part, politicians do put their money where their mouths are. A recent study of U.S senators and representatives finds that the more liberal a politician’s voting record is, the more likely the politician is to invest in socially responsible stocks. “Socially responsible investments refer to investments in companies that reflect traditionally liberal...
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Racism Has a Toxic Effect
A new study indicates that racism is toxic to humans. A team of USC and UCLA scientists found that racist experiences appear to increase inflammation in African American individuals, raising their risk of chronic illness, according to the study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology on April 18. “We know discrimination is linked to health outcomes, but no...
How Can Organizations Promote and Benefit from Socioeconomic Diversity?
Although most organizations have begun embracing diversity and inclusion (D&I) practices tailored to individual differences (e.g., race, gender, age), few organizations consider how one’s social class background might affect workplace experiences. The new white paper, “Benefits of Socioeconomic Diversity to Organizations: How Organizations Can Promote and Benefit From Socioeconomic Diversity,” draws on research from various...
Teens at Greater Risk of Violence, Injury During Sexual Assaults Than Previously Thought
A recent study of the forensic evidence in 563 sexual assault cases in Massachusetts found “striking similarities” in the types of injuries and violence experienced by adult and adolescent victims. The similarities suggest that teens are at greater risk of violence and injury during sexual assaults than previously thought, according to the study’s authors, University...
Oncologists See Benefit of Medical Marijuana, but Not Comfortable Prescribing
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study presented at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2019 shows that while 73 percent of surveyed oncology providers believe that medical marijuana provides benefits for cancer patients, only 46 percent are comfortable recommending it. Major concerns included uncertain dosing, limited knowledge of available products and...
Church, Couch, Couple: Social Psychological Connections Between People and Physical Space
Societies and people have reshaped the world many times over. From building cities and communities that live within them, to the smaller changes in a person’s home or place of worship, people influence their space. Benjamin Meagher, a social psychologist at Hope College, argues that the space people shape, also shapes the individual, and that...
Raw or Cooked: This Is How We Recognize Food
Do we see a pear or an apple? The occipital cortex in our brain will activate itself to recognize it. A piece of bread or a nice plate of pasta with sauce? Another region will come into play, called middle temporal gyrus. Different regions are implicated in recognition of different foods, raw in one case...
Combing Through Someone’s Phone Could Lead to End of Relationship — or Not
For some people, the thought of their partner, friend or colleague snooping through their phone, reading their texts and emails, is an automatic deal breaker. However, some relationships can survive the snooping, a new study examining the motivations behind phone snooping has found. Researchers from UBC and the University of Lisbon recruited 102 individuals and...
Gas Vs. Electric? Fuel Choice Affects Efforts to Achieve Low-Energy and Low-Impact Homes
If you want to make your home as energy-efficient and green as possible, should you use gas or electric for your heating and cooling needs? Gas is the more eco-friendly option–for now–for an energy-efficient home in Maryland. That’s the conclusion of a new economic study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which...
Bringing Human-Like Reasoning to Driverless Car Navigation
With aims of bringing more human-like reasoning to autonomous vehicles, MIT researchers have created a system that uses only simple maps and visual data to enable driverless cars to navigate routes in new, complex environments. Human drivers are exceptionally good at navigating roads they haven’t driven on before, using observation and simple tools. We simply...