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Donkeys are a common sight in northern Namibia. What colonial history has to do with it

Donkeys are an unassuming yet ubiquitous presence in northern Namibia. They traverse sandy village roads, pull carts stacked with firewood, and graze freely along the northern edge of Etosha National Park.This article is brought to […]

Most AI assistants are feminine—and it’s fueling dangerous stereotypes and abuse

In 2024, artificial intelligence (AI) voice assistants worldwide surpassed 8 billion, more than one per person on the planet. These assistants are helpful, polite—and almost always default to female.This article is brought to you by […]

For couples, one affectionate communicator can help both partners feel relationship satisfaction

If you really like holding hands and saying “I love you” but your partner doesn’t, your relationship is still probably better off than if both of you had a modest interest in expressing affection.This article […]

A brief history of sugar

A few thousand years ago, sugar was unknown in the western world. Sugarcane, a tall grass first domesticated in New Guinea around 6000BC, was initially chewed for its sweet juice rather than crystallized. By around […]

Crime victims with neurodevelopmental disorders may experience victim blaming

A recent study shows that people judge crime victims with neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome) based on both the type of disability and the type of crime. These factors also influence […]

Dealing with a difficult relationship? Here’s how psychology says you can shift the dynamic

Relationships can feel like both a blessing and the bane of your existence, a source of joy and a source of frustration or resentment. At some point, each of us is faced with a clingy […]

We interviewed Australian women who sexually abused children—this is what we learned

Child sexual abuse cases involving female perpetrators are confronting and distressing. When these cases make the news, they often provoke shock and outrage.This article is brought to you by Phys.Org.

Takeout meals serve as both reward and comfort after work, study finds

A unique study exploring popular ways to “self‑gift” has found that ordering a takeout meal is a preferred treat regardless of whether people have had a good or a bad day at work.This article is […]

Most men do not subscribe to toxic masculinity traits, study finds

A growing niche space, the manosphere, has been taking shape in today’s online forums and social media, preaching an aggressive definition of what it means to be a man. It promotes traits such as misogyny, […]

Digital media breaks can improve well-being

What effect does it have on our well-being when we put our smartphones aside for a while or otherwise disconnect from digital media? Alicia Gilbert, a research associate at the Department of Communication at Johannes […]