A growing number of young people are identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and many are challenging binaries in gender and sexual identity to reflect a broader spectrum of experience beyond man or woman and gay or straight. But not everyone is participating equally in these diverse forms of expression, according to new research...
Culture
Sexual Harassment Claims Considered More Credible If Made by ‘Prototypical’ Women
Women who are young, “conventionally attractive” and appear and act feminine are more likely to be believed when making accusations of sexual harassment, a new University of Washington-led study finds. That leaves women who don’t fit the prototype potentially facing greater hurdles when trying to convince a workplace or court that they have been harassed....
Why We Use Our Smartphone at Cafés
Maybe you’re like us. We’re the folks who are on our smartphones almost all the time, even when we’re with others. We know it annoys a lot of people, but we do it anyway. Why? Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have looked at why people in cafés pull out their...
Delivering the News with Humor Makes Young Adults More Likely to Remember and Share
In the early decades of televised news, Americans turned to the stern faces of newsmen like Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw, and Dan Rather as trusted sources for news of the important events in America and around the world, delivered with gravitas and measured voices. The rise of comedy-news programs, helmed by the likes of Jon...
Far-Right Activists on Social Media Telegraphed Violence Weeks in Advance of the Attack on the U.S. Capitol
The attack on the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 was shocking, but no one following right-wing activity on social media should have been surprised. The attempt by President Donald Trump’s far-right supporters to violently stop Congress from certifying the Electoral College vote and formalizing Joe Biden’s election victory was consistent with their openly expressed...
Cuba Cracks Down on Artists Who Demanded Creative Freedoms After ‘Unprecedented’ Government Negotiations
Cuban artists and intellectuals want more rights – and, in an unusual show of dissent, they demanded the government sit down with them to negotiate. At 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 27, about 300 people gathered outside the Ministry of Culture in Havana to demand freedom of expression, an end to police harassment and the right...
The 16 Facial Expressions Most Common to Emotional Situations Worldwide
Whether at a birthday party in Brazil, a funeral in Kenya or protests in Hong Kong, humans all use variations of the same facial expressions in similar social contexts, such as smiles, frowns, grimaces and scowls, a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, shows. The findings, published in the journal Nature, confirm the...
Female Language Style Promotes Visibility and Influence Online
A female-typical language style promotes the popularity of talks in the digital context and turns out to be an underappreciated but highly effective tool for social influence. This was shown by University of Zurich (UZH) psychologists in an international study in which they analyzed 1,100 TED Talks. A large part of social interaction nowadays takes...
Why the Virgin of Guadalupe Is More Than a Religious Icon to Catholics in Mexico
Each year, as many as 10 million people travel to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, in what is believed to be the largest Catholic pilgrimage in the Americas. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the pilgrimage, which is due to take place on December 12, will instead be held online this year....
New Study Shows Every Week of Lockdown Increases Binge Drinking
Harmful drinking among adults increases the longer they spend at home in lockdown, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse. The research, based on a survey of nearly 2,000 over-18s in the US, is the first to highlight the relationship nationally between hazardous drinking and life stresses triggered...