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Is Instagram Behavior Motivated by a Desire to Belong?
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Is Instagram Behavior Motivated by a Desire to Belong?

Does a desire to belong and perceived social support drive a person’s frequency of Instagram use? The relationship between these motivating factors as predictors of Instagram use are published in a new study in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Click here to read the full-text article free on...

Facebook Can Help College Students with Lower Confidence Build Relationships
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Facebook Can Help College Students with Lower Confidence Build Relationships

Facebook can help first-semester college students maintain relationships with high school friends and assist them in creating new friendships, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. When it comes to making new friends, those with higher confidence in their social skills have less to gain from relying on Facebook, while...

Researcher Studies How Individuals Use Technology to Engage with Their Cultures
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Researcher Studies How Individuals Use Technology to Engage with Their Cultures

As the nation continues to get more diverse, it’s common for immigrant populations in the United States to identify with two or more cultures at the same time. In a new article published in Lingua, M. Sidury Christiansen argues for a redefinition of how we see transnationalism or the movement of people, ideas and capital across...

Problematic Smartphone Use Linked to Poorer Grades, Alcohol Misuse, More Sexual Partners
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Problematic Smartphone Use Linked to Poorer Grades, Alcohol Misuse, More Sexual Partners

A survey of more than 3,400 university students in the USA has found that one in five respondents reported problematic smartphone use. Female students were more likely be affected and problematic smartphone use was associated with lower grade averages, mental health problems and higher numbers of sexual partners. Smartphones offer the potential of instant, round-the-clock...

23% of Young Black Women Now Identify as Bisexual
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23% of Young Black Women Now Identify as Bisexual

Since 1972, social scientists have studied the General Social Survey to chart the complexities of social change in the United States. The survey, which is conducted every couple years, asks respondents their attitudes on topics ranging from race relations to drug use. In 2008, the survey started including a question on sexual identity. As sociologists...

What’s Your Attitude About Body Hair Removal?
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What’s Your Attitude About Body Hair Removal?

As beachgoers scramble to trim their nether regions ahead of swim season, new UNLV research shows they aren’t alone in their ambitions for a bare bikini line. A study led by UNLV anthropology graduate student Lyndsey Craig and co-authored by professor Peter Gray combed through written records from the 1890s to early 2000s from nearly...

Why Fewer and Fewer Americans Are Getting Divorced
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Why Fewer and Fewer Americans Are Getting Divorced

Fewer and fewer Americans are getting divorced, with the rates falling 18% between 2008 and 2016. Among American adults, there is support for divorce when couples do not get along. Women, people from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and adults who have experienced divorce personally or among friends and family are especially likely to be...

Combing Through Someone’s Phone Could Lead to End of Relationship — or Not
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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...

Initially Threatened by Change, People Adapt to Societal Diversity Over Time
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Initially Threatened by Change, People Adapt to Societal Diversity Over Time

President Donald Trump recently introduced immigration reforms that would prioritize education and employment qualifications over family connections in selecting immigrants and nominated immigration hard-liner Kris Kobach as “immigration czar.” The moves, like many by Trump, speak to those who feel threatened by what they perceive as a changing America. Those insecurities are unwarranted, however. With...

The Secret to a Stable Society? A Steady Supply of Beer Doesn’t Hurt
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The Secret to a Stable Society? A Steady Supply of Beer Doesn’t Hurt

A thousand years ago, the Wari empire stretched across Peru. At its height, it covered an area the size of the Eastern seaboard of the US from New York City to Jacksonville. It lasted for 500 years, from 600 to 1100 AD, before eventually giving rise to the Inca. That’s a long time for an...