A randomized controlled trial found that cash transfers to low-income mothers slowed biological aging in their children, measured by epigenetic markers. The intervention also increased spending on activities with young children and brain activity, without affecting other measures of health and development.
Mara Mather's research focuses on the interplay between brain, body, and emotions, exploring how changes in the autonomic nervous system affect brain health across the lifespan. Her work aims to understand the consequences of physiological changes on brain health and develop interventions to promote emotional well-being.
A new study shows that AI can discover novel strategies that humans can adopt and preserve across generations. The study found that AI agents can discover optimal strategies that are difficult for humans to find, and that these strategies can be passed on and maintained over time. This discovery has significant implications for the rol...
A review article published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that nature can enhance cognitive performance and emotional well-being even in the absence of prior stress or depletion. The study analyzed 54 studies and consistently reported positive effects on attention, positive affect, and well-being from a neutral baseline.
A large meta-analysis has consistently shown that social inequality, such as poverty and racism, accelerates biological aging measured by epigenetic clocks. Newer biological aging measures are most sensitive to social conditions, with second- and third-generation clocks showing stronger associations with socioeconomic conditions.
A large-scale field experiment with Finnish ice fishers found that experienced anglers rely more on their own knowledge when successful and on social information when unsuccessful. The study also showed that age, gender and environmental factors influence decision-making strategies.
The Berlin Aging Study (BASE) dataset is now publicly accessible, providing detailed longitudinal data on health and well-being. Researchers can explore the connections between physical, psychological, and social factors and aging, shedding light on why people age differently.
A field experiment on Reddit examines what distinguishes passive from active users, testing interventions to increase participation. The results show that a heated environment can motivate the active minority to comment, while financial incentives and positive feedback increase activity.
A recent study found that social benefit recipients have significant reservations about AI-supported decisions, rejecting them more frequently than non-recipients. The study also revealed that non-recipients systematically overestimate the willingness of affected individuals to trust AI.
A new study found that people are more likely to cheat when delegating tasks to AI systems, especially with ambiguous interfaces. Researchers warn of a rise in unethical behavior as AI agents become increasingly accessible.
A meta-analysis of 92 studies worldwide found that nearly one in three people avoid or are likely to avoid medical information. The strongest predictors of this behavior were not related to demographic factors but rather social and structural environment. Restoring trust in the medical system could lead to greater engagement with medic...
Researchers challenge simplistic statements on food decisions, citing methodological flaws in a 2007 study. They propose defining food-related decisions in concrete terms and advocate for methodological pluralism to gain a realistic picture of people's everyday food choices.
Researchers found that a combination of sensory stimuli (visual, auditory, and olfactory) in virtual reality led to improved mood and feelings of connection with nature. The study suggests potential applications for clinics, waiting rooms, and urban spaces to support mental well-being.
Researchers found that combining humans and AI systems leads to more accurate diagnoses, especially for complex cases, while minimizing errors. The study suggests that humans and AI complement each other, with AI providing information that humans can build upon.
The study found that online headlines have become more emotionally dynamic and narrative-driven, appealing strongly to emotions, while also becoming more negative on average. This shift reflects the growing importance of headlines as a key element in digital competition for attention.
A recent study reveals substantial differences in fear levels towards AI replacement of jobs across cultures, with India, Saudi Arabia, and the US reporting highest fear levels. The study highlights occupation-specific fears, with judges consistently ranked as most feared and journalists as least feared.
A systematic meta-analysis of online misinformation found that education level has no significant impact on people's ability to distinguish true from false information. In fact, older adults were better at distinguishing between true and false headlines than younger adults. The study also showed that individuals with higher analytical ...
A new review article highlights the potential of behavioral science for public policy, focusing on developing self-control and decision-making skills. The authors argue that boosting is essential to navigate and resist manipulative forces in a highly commercialized environment.
Researchers at Max Planck Institute for Human Development identified five key dimensions of transformative life decisions: conflicting cues, change of self, uncertain experiential value, irreversibility, and risk. The study proposes simple decision strategies to address these dimensions, including tallying, ideal self-realization, lear...
A longitudinal study found no significant difference in deceased donor rates between opt-in and opt-out countries, but fewer living donors in opt-out countries. The results suggest that switching to an opt-out system does not automatically lead to more organ donations without accompanying measures.
The article discusses the potential benefits and risks of large language models (LLMs) on collective intelligence and proposes recommendations for action. LLMs can increase accessibility and accelerate idea generation, but also pose risks such as undermining motivation to contribute to collective knowledge commons.
Researchers developed a fully automated solution using knowledge engineering methods to aggregate independent diagnoses and increased diagnostic accuracy from 46% to 76%. The collective solution improved across various medical specialties, chief complaints, and diagnosticians' tenure levels.
A study of 50 pairs found that kids ate significantly more fruits and veggies if they stayed at the table for just 10 minutes longer, with a notable increase in daily portions. The results suggest that bite-sized pieces of fruit and vegetables are key to enticing children to eat more.
Researchers found that interactive simulation formats were more effective than conventional text-based formats in convincing vaccine-hesitant adults to get vaccinated. The study suggests that interactive simulations can boost people's decision-making competence, leading to positive changes in vaccination intentions and benefit-to-harm ...
A study of over 2,500 U.S. respondents found that most would remove posts spreading misinformation about democratic elections, vaccinations, the Holocaust, and climate change. Characteristics like topic, severity, and repetition had a stronger impact on decisions than account characteristics.
A systematic review of digital media's effects on democracy found both positive and negative impacts, depending on the political context. Digital media can increase political knowledge and diversity of news exposure, but also foster polarization and populism in established democracies.
Listening to birdsong reduces anxiety and paranoid perceptions in healthy individuals, whereas traffic noise generally worsens depressive states. This study provides evidence for the positive influence of birdsong on mental health, with implications for further research and potential applications.
A study by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the Technical University of Dresden investigates why many people choose not to read their Stasi files. The researchers found that the majority of reasons for deliberate ignorance include concerns about social relationships, mistrust in information accuracy, and a desire to a...
A study by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development found that a one-hour walk in nature decreases stress-related brain activity, particularly in the amygdala region. This suggests that nature has a positive impact on brain regions involved in stress processing, potentially leading to improved mental health and well-being.
A study by Max Planck Institute for Human Development found that children use spontaneous strategy changes and broader attentional focus to achieve better results, similar to adults. This broadens the understanding of learning behavior in children.
The study reveals that focusing on occupation and contact network structures can effectively contain pandemic spread while reducing economic costs. The findings suggest simpler methods for mitigating the impact of pandemics without causing significant economic disruption.
A study published in Science Advances reveals that individuals with less memory loss in old age tend to gain more knowledge, contrary to the previously assumed compensatory power of crystallized abilities. The findings suggest a strong dependency between changes in fluid and crystallized abilities.
A study found that adolescents' ratings of food products were influenced by naturalness, with simpler judgments on taste components. Experts also applied the same rule, but with more consistent knowledge about food ingredients. The results suggest that nutrition education for adolescents should target their knowledge about food ingredi...
The locus coeruleus, a tiny cell structure in the brainstem, regulates our brain's sensitivity to relevant information. Noradrenaline, produced by the blue spot, modulates alpha oscillations, allowing us to focus attention.
Researchers found five aspects underlie feelings of repugnance: moral outrage, regulation desire, monetary value translation, exploitation concern, and seller risk exposure. Transactions triggering strong repugnance often require policy interventions to protect vulnerable individuals or address unknown risks.
A recent study by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development found that spending time outdoors positively affects brain structure and gray matter in the right dorsolateral-prefrontal cortex. This area is involved in planning, regulation of actions, and cognitive control. The results persist even when other factors are kept constant.
A study published in Applied Network Science found that polarization and mobilization on social media can affect infection figures, particularly in the USA. The research suggests that politicized information dissemination can exacerbate the incidence of infection, especially when opposing measures are not consistently followed.
Researchers at Max Planck Institute for Human Development discovered that the brain rapidly shifts from a rhythmic to a 'noisy' state when task demands increase. This shift enables flexible information processing, allowing individuals to adapt to changing environments and make better decisions.
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development argue that neural variability is a key dimension for understanding brain-behavior relationships. Studies have shown that neural variability has a direct influence on behavior, with individuals who can adapt their neural variability performing better on tasks.
The article highlights four major challenges in the online world: manipulative choice architectures, personalized information, false and misleading information, and distracting environments. To address these challenges, researchers propose interventions such as boosting tools, self-nudging, and media literacy education.
Researchers demonstrate that no single algorithm can determine whether a superintelligent AI would produce harm, and deciding on its intelligence is incomputable. The study's containment problem highlights the challenges of controlling such an AI.
A nationwide study in Germany found that most people want to be informed about the uncertainty in COVID-19 scientific data. The study suggests that communicating uncertainty openly can be more effective than presenting certain information as if it were absolute.
Researchers found that people tend to stick to their original estimate or adopt the nearest peer's estimate, compromising only when peers are not in close agreement. This 'egocentric discounting' effect is influenced by the consistency of others' beliefs with one's own, leading to prioritization of confirmation over conflicting views.
A study by MIT and Max Planck Institute found that people perceive AI as creative genius or tool depending on information presented. The researchers manipulated language to change degree of humanization, influencing recognition and responsibility assigned to humans behind AI systems.
Researchers propose interventions from behavioral science perspectives to empower users in online environments, such as nudging and boosting, to make informed decisions. The study identifies the need for more transparent algorithms and context-based feedback to counter echo chambers and promote critical thinking.