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Emojis give your friends a better impression of you

2 July 2025

Red heart or thumbs up? Sending emojis to close friends makes them see you as more attentive and likeable than text-only messages do – no matter which emojis you use
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 29: Pro Affirmative Action supporters and and counter protestors shout at each outside of the Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday, June 29, 2023 in Washington, DC. In a 6-3 vote, Supreme Court Justices ruled that race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina are unconstitutional, setting precedent for affirmative action in other universities and colleges. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Building a true meritocracy means removing barriers, not ignoring them

29 January 2025

US President Donald Trump has pledged to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programmes in government agencies in order to build a “merit-based” society. But psychological research shows that such initiatives can create fairer outcomes, if employed...
The surprising science that reveals what it takes to win The Traitors

The surprising science that reveals what it takes to win The Traitors

24 January 2025

As the finale of the UK series approaches this evening, these are the best tactics to win the game of backstabbing and treachery, according to forensic psychology, game theory and evolutionary biology
Digitally generated image of man looking at the sunset in the horizon through a big round open window in a wall.

The relentless push for productivity misconstrues how our brains work

9 October 2024

The latest neuroscience shows that, contrary to a lot of productivity advice, the drive to make the most of every waking moment will diminish your capacity for creative thinking

We may finally know how the placebo effect relieves pain

24 July 2024

A brain circuit discovered in mice could explain why placebo treatments ease pain in people
Abstract virtual artificial Intelligence interface with human head hologram on USA flag and sunset sky background. Multiexposure; Shutterstock ID 2177872151; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

How the US used science to wage psychological war

15 May 2024

The US has been honing its psychological warfare skills since the 19th century, when it started sending anthropologists onto battlefields, says Annalee Newitz
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 31: Members of the public walk past a government poster reminding people to socially distance and abide by the lockdown restrictions in the city center on January 29, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. This week, nearly 104,000 have died due to covid-19 in the United Kingdom, according to the Office for National Statistics and its counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The agencies registered an additional 7,776 deaths with coronavirus cited on the death certificate in the most recent week. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Why do some people experience anxiety more intensely than others?

2 April 2024

A new understanding of how our genes, environment, brain and gut interact is helping to explain differences in our disposition to anxiety
Conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories

11 January 2024

It is easy to dismiss conspiracy theories as unhinged beliefs held by a small number of paranoid idiots, but that seriously underestimates them. Belief in conspiracy theories is very widespread, the product of normal human psychology, and extremely influential...

Professional goalkeepers perceive the world differently

9 October 2023

Psychological tests reveal that goalkeepers are much better than outfield players or non-footballers at segregating visual and auditory information
Claudio was born with a joint condition that restricted the range of motion in the joints of his neck

Man who sees upside down provides clues on how we process faces

22 September 2023

A man with a condition that has rotated his head backwards can identify upright and inverted faces with similar accuracy, suggesting that facial processing skills are based on experience and evolutionary factors

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