Society

It might start as a joke, a belief, or a rumor. At first, it’s easy to dismiss. But then it gains a twist, builds momentum, and spreads like wildfire. What causes some ideas to die […]

Becoming a grandparent is often envisioned as a deeply intimate, hands-on journey, holding a newborn, sharing first smiles, witnessing the first wobbly steps. It is traditionally grounded in physical presence, marked by spontaneous visits.This article […]

Most people know that each time the fictional character Pinocchio lied, his nose would grow. While a growing nose makes for a fun children’s story, a UBC Okanagan researcher says it’s hard to know when […]

A friend offhandedly told me recently, “It’s so easy to get my daughter to behave after her birthday—there are so many new toys to take away when she’s bad!”This article is brought to you by […]

An EPFL study has found that urban areas follow the same universal rules observed in the natural world. From population size to carbon emissions and road networks—could the key to sustainable urbanization lie in the […]

From toddlers’ timeouts to criminals’ prison sentences, punishment reinforces social norms, making it known that an offender has done something unacceptable. At least, that is usually the intent—but the strategy can backfire. When a punishment […]

Have you ever noticed that a natural conversation flows like a dance—pauses, emphases, and turns arriving just in time? A new study has discovered that this isn’t just intuition; there is a biological rhythm embedded […]

When aviators face a close brush with death, their harrowing experiences often become stories—told again and again in break rooms, over beers or in quiet conversations with trusted colleagues. But what effect do these stories […]

In a new study, high-energy, less acoustic songs evoked personal memories featuring amusement and excitement, while lower-energy, more acoustic songs evoked memories characterized by calmness, romance and sadness. Safiyyah Nawaz and Diana Omigie of Goldsmiths […]

Dinner and a movie. Bowling. Hiking. A cup of coffee. There are so many options for where to go for a first date. But each of them comes with the worry: Is this going to […]