Social and Behavioural

Explore Social and Behavioural

Dr Kerstin Liesenfeld | How do we develop and maintain authenticity throughout our lives?

Dr Kerstin Liesenfeld | How do we develop and maintain authenticity throughout our lives?

As our world becomes increasingly complex, the need for genuine self-development and “inner work” grows more important. Dr Kerstin Liesenfeld and colleagues at the Liesenfeld Research Institute explore how people develop and maintain authenticity throughout their lives. Their research reveals that authentic development follows distinct patterns and stages, occurring at different rates across various aspects of our personalities. This understanding could help shape more effective approaches to personal development and coaching.

read more
Dr. Carlos Lastra | A Silent Struggle: Understanding Childhood Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dr. Carlos Lastra | A Silent Struggle: Understanding Childhood Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In early 2020, the world changed almost overnight. As COVID-19 swept across the world, homes were repurposed as schools, playgrounds and classrooms were abandoned, and family routines changed utterly or vanished. People were forced to adapt to remote working, many lost their jobs, and a significant proportion of us experienced anxiety about the virus that had turned the world upside down. However, amid this pandemonium, one group of people was especially vulnerable: children. We often think of childhood as a carefree time, protected from responsibilities, worries and burdens. However, the pandemic shattered this illusion. For many children, it caused confusion, isolation, and fear. Recognizing the need to understand this impact, Dr. Carlos Lastra and his team of researchers at Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Jersey, undertook an essential study: assessing how the pandemic affected anxiety levels in children and adolescents.

read more
Prof. Olya Bryksina | The Essence of Team Spirit: Why Helping Others in a Group Can Be More Motivating Than Helping Yourself

Prof. Olya Bryksina | The Essence of Team Spirit: Why Helping Others in a Group Can Be More Motivating Than Helping Yourself

Are we primarily motivated by self-interest, or can activities that advance the progress of others provide similar or even greater levels of motivation? Logically, it would seem that people are most motivated to achieve specific goals when they are doing things that benefit themselves. Examples include studying for an exam, doing regular physical exercise, or working toward a career milestone; all activities that have tangible and readily apparent benefits for the individual pursuing them. Consequently, many of us would tend to believe that personal progress is our biggest driver. However, a recent study by Prof. Olya Bryksina from the University of Winnipeg reveals a surprising twist in how motivation works, especially when we’re part of a group. In her innovative research, published in Motivation Science in 2025, Professor Bryksina explores a question many of us encounter daily but rarely think deeply about: What makes people put in effort when working toward a shared goal as part of a group? Her findings suggest something profound, that helping others in a group can be more motivating than helping ourselves.

read more
Troy Norris | The Wellbeing Balance Model: A Personalized Approach to Design Effective Wellbeing Interventions

Troy Norris | The Wellbeing Balance Model: A Personalized Approach to Design Effective Wellbeing Interventions

Research from Troy Norris at the WellBalance Institute for Positive Wellbeing reveals how a novel approach to measuring wellbeing can lead to more effective personalized interventions. The Wellbeing Balance and Lived Experiences (or WellBalance) Model and Assessment extends traditional wellbeing measures by evaluating both positive experiences and the feelings they generate, enabling tailored approaches to enhance individual flourishing based on specific life circumstances.

read more
Professor Rumi Kato Price | New Approaches to Defining and Measuring Human Trafficking

Professor Rumi Kato Price | New Approaches to Defining and Measuring Human Trafficking

Research from Professor Rumi Kato Price at the Washington University School of Medicine and her colleagues, Professors Sheldon Zhang and Annah Bender, reveals how research-driven, standardized indicator approaches can better identify human trafficking victims than traditional legal and prosecutorial frameworks. Their work in Cape Town, South Africa demonstrates that trafficking victimization exists on a spectrum rather than as a binary classification, with implications for improving identification and support for victims worldwide.

read more
Defending Authentic Leadership: A Response to Critical Claims

Defending Authentic Leadership: A Response to Critical Claims

A recent paper from Professor William Gardner at Texas Tech University and Professor Kelly Davis McCauley at West Texas A&M University challenges a critique that characterized authentic leadership theory as “wrong” and “perilous.” Their analysis demonstrates how misrepresentations of the theory can undermine valuable leadership approaches, while highlighting the empirical support and practical benefits of leaders striving for authenticity in organizational settings.

read more
Evaluating the Impact of University Chaplains: A Two-Phase Research Study

Evaluating the Impact of University Chaplains: A Two-Phase Research Study

Research from Dr Christopher W. B. Stephens and Sue Miller at the Susanna Wesley Foundation, Southlands College, Roehampton, reveals how university chaplains can effectively evaluate and demonstrate their impact within higher education institutions. Their work shows how chaplains can meet institutional demands for accountability while maintaining the unique spiritual and pastoral nature of their work, offering insights into evaluating the distinctive aspects of chaplaincy services.

read more
Dr. Oksana Komarenko and Dr. Gerardo Ramirez | Pressure Points: The Science of Performing When It Matters Most

Dr. Oksana Komarenko and Dr. Gerardo Ramirez | Pressure Points: The Science of Performing When It Matters Most

Performing at your best when it matters most is something a lot of people struggle with. You can prepare for days, even weeks, but the moment you step on stage, walk into an interview, or face a big audience, things shift. Suddenly, what felt solid in practice starts to slip. I’m Dr. Oksana Komarenko. I teach at Ball State University, and I’m also an opera singer. I know what it’s like to face high-pressure moments. During my first major solo recital, my hands started shaking so badly I could barely control them. Everything I had rehearsed felt just out of reach. And I’m not the only one. Research shows that over 77 percent of performers experience the same thing when the pressure is on.

read more
Prof. Jason Dana | The Confidence Conundrum: Why Unstructured Interviews Are Misleading

Prof. Jason Dana | The Confidence Conundrum: Why Unstructured Interviews Are Misleading

Employers and other decision makers typically use interviews to make their final decision on candidates applying for important positions. The process begins by reviewing resumes, and checking references, before the final and typically most important act, the interview. Within mere minutes, an interviewer can form a strong impression of a candidate. For instance, this may run along the lines of “this person seems confident, articulate, and driven” or “this person does not represent themselves well, and likely won’t be a good fit”. By the end, the interviewer may feel that they truly understand the candidate. But what if that feeling is just an illusion? This is the question tackled by Prof. Jason Dana of Yale University and his colleagues in their research on unstructured interviews. Their findings challenge one of the most common hiring and admissions practices: the belief that sitting down with a candidate and having a free-flowing conversation reveals valuable insight. In reality, their study suggests that unstructured interviews often do more harm than good, leading decision-makers to rely on misleading impressions rather than objective facts.

read more
Professor Joanne Wood | A more complex view of how self-esteem shapes romantic relationships

Professor Joanne Wood | A more complex view of how self-esteem shapes romantic relationships

Research by Professor Joanne Wood at the University of Waterloo reveals how self-esteem influences romantic relationships through a chain of psychological and behavioral effects. Their work challenges simple explanations and demonstrates how one partner’s self-worth can create ripple effects that impact both partners’ relationship satisfaction.

read more
Professor Denise Troutman | Rethinking ‘Sassy’: The Complex Intersections of Race, Gender, and Linguistic Politeness

Professor Denise Troutman | Rethinking ‘Sassy’: The Complex Intersections of Race, Gender, and Linguistic Politeness

Research by Professor Denise Troutman at Michigan State University examines how race, gender, and social context shape perceptions of politeness and impoliteness in language, particularly focusing on the term ‘sassy’ when applied to African American women and girls. The research challenges traditional theories of politeness and reveals a need for cultural contextualizations to avert harmful stereotypes.

read more
Dr. Mabrouka Abuhmida | From Shame to Support: Mental Health Stigma in Conservative Communities

Dr. Mabrouka Abuhmida | From Shame to Support: Mental Health Stigma in Conservative Communities

In many regions around the globe, common mental health issues are cloaked in secrecy by those who experience them, and are frequently stigmatized and misunderstood by others. This is a particularly serious issue in conservative communities, where cultural and religious values have significant effects on the provision and use of appropriate mental health care resources. In a new mini-review article published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, Dr. Mabrouka Abuhmida, Dr. Wendy Booth and Dr. Felix Anyanwu of the University of South Wales in the UK, have explored this critical topic, revealing the damaging impact of stigma in such communities, and exploring new solutions to enable adequate mental healthcare in this context.

read more
Dr Nina Gmeiner | 21st Century Trends in Property Regimes: Progressive Commons

Dr Nina Gmeiner | 21st Century Trends in Property Regimes: Progressive Commons

The ownership of goods, including both material objects and immaterial goods such as intellectual property, is defined by property regimes. Property regimes are sets of rules that define ownership. They determine who can own goods, legitimate ways of acquiring and using them, and duties associated with owning them. Two important categories of property regimes are private property and common property regimes. Private property regimes focus on ownership by a single person or entity, while common property regimes involve ownership by several people or entities. Nina Gmeiner and her colleagues from the research project RightSeeds explored the recent emergence of a class of property regimes known as progressive commons.

read more
Professor Samantha Punch | Benefits of Bridge: The Partnership Mindsport

Professor Samantha Punch | Benefits of Bridge: The Partnership Mindsport

Bridge is a popular card game played socially and competitively by millions of people throughout the world. Each game consists of four players divided into two pairs, or ‘partnerships’. They compete against each other to win ‘tricks’ through cooperation, strategic thinking and logical deduction. Professor Samantha Punch at the University of Stirling leads ‘Bridge: A MindSport for All’. This research-led project explores the benefits of bridge amongst the circuit of international players.

read more
Dr Robert Walsh | Propaganda and Mass Deception Depend Upon the Tribal Mind

Dr Robert Walsh | Propaganda and Mass Deception Depend Upon the Tribal Mind

Propaganda is the systemic use of language with the intent to brainwash rather than to persuade. Deceptive communication designed to mislead the masses is commonplace in the Information Age. Dr Robert Walsh of Sisseton Wahpeton College in South Dakota recently examined how propagandists bend language for mass deception. He argued that what makes propaganda insidious is a vestige of our prehistoric past – the Neolithic or Tribal Mind.

read more
Debra Klages | Post-traumatic Growth in Health Professionals Who are Mothers of Adult Children with Schizophrenia

Debra Klages | Post-traumatic Growth in Health Professionals Who are Mothers of Adult Children with Schizophrenia

For young people with schizophrenia, their first experience of psychosis is often highly traumatic. Because of the close, nurturing relationships mothers typically have with their children, they too can experience trauma while witnessing their children’s disturbing psychotic episodes. As a result, mothers of adult children with schizophrenia often experience negative impacts on their physical and psychological health. Debra Klages takes a unique perspective by shedding light on how the traumatic experiences of health professionals with dual roles as mothers can lead to personal and professional growth and resilience.

read more
Professor Zygmunt Pizlo | How Fundamentals in Physics Can Explain Perception and Cognition

Professor Zygmunt Pizlo | How Fundamentals in Physics Can Explain Perception and Cognition

Psychophysics is the formal study of perception – our sensory experience of the world. Professor Zygmunt Pizlo at the University of California-Irvine explains that while symmetry is fundamental in both physics and mathematics, it is also fundamental to our understanding of vision. He believes there is much to gain in expanding the existing boundaries of psychology, cognitive science and neuroscience by embracing established fundamentals in physics.

read more
The Multi-theory Model of Health Behavior Change: Understanding Meditation, or ‘Dhyana’ | Professor Manoj Sharma

The Multi-theory Model of Health Behavior Change: Understanding Meditation, or ‘Dhyana’ | Professor Manoj Sharma

Meditation is the regular, purposeful practice of becoming aware of one’s bodily sensations, thoughts, or other points of focus. Professor Manoj Sharma, a global health promotion leader and Chair of the Social and Behavioral Health department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, wished to test whether a health behavioral model that he developed could explain why adults begin and maintain a meditation practice. While this multi-theory model – or ‘MTM’ – has been applied to many health-related behaviors, two domains are core to the model: initiation of a health behavior and sustenance of this behavior.

read more
Professor Kieran Kilcawley | Using Flavour Chemistry to Identify Biomarkers Behind the Sensory Perception of Irish Grass-fed Beef and Lamb

Professor Kieran Kilcawley | Using Flavour Chemistry to Identify Biomarkers Behind the Sensory Perception of Irish Grass-fed Beef and Lamb

For many consumers, the origin of the food they buy is of great importance. For instance, Irish beef and lamb is often seen as superior quality meat, as the animals are typically reared outdoors on a diet of predominately fresh grass. However, are Irish beef and lamb actually any different to meats produced elsewhere, from animals reared indoors in less sustainable production systems? Professor Kieran Kilcawley and his team at the Teagasc Agriculture and Food Development Authority in Ireland, in conjunction with University College Dublin, are investigating the ‘flavour chemistry’ of beef and lamb. Their aim is to determine whether there are fundamental differences in the chemical properties of meat due to the animal’s diet and origin.

read more
Dr William Durkan | Exploring How the Geography of Voter Turnout Impacts Election Results

Dr William Durkan | Exploring How the Geography of Voter Turnout Impacts Election Results

Voter turnout plays a key role in the functioning of democracies. If only a minority of citizens vote, the elected government might not accurately represent the views of the population. In contrast, when voter turnout is high, a country’s government has a strong mandate to make decisions on its citizens’ behalf. The geographical distributions of voters and voter turnout also significantly affect the outcome of elections. Dr William Durkan of Maynooth University in Ireland recently explored the changing geographies of voter turnout in US presidential elections from 2012 to 2020, using the state of Michigan as a case study.

read more
Sarah Leighton | Can Psychiatric Assistance Dogs Help Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

Sarah Leighton | Can Psychiatric Assistance Dogs Help Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

Psychiatric assistance dogs trained to help with mental health symptoms have become increasingly popular as a complementary intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sarah Leighton and her colleagues from Purdue University and the University of Arizona in the USA are exploring the effectiveness of psychiatric assistance dog partnerships for military veterans with PTSD.

read more
Do European Citizens Accept EU and National Policies Equally?

Do European Citizens Accept EU and National Policies Equally?

Following the global financial crisis of 2007 and 2008, a related economic emergency known as the Euro Crisis spread throughout Europe. To counter this crisis, the EU imposed a series of austerity measures in the worst-hit countries, which fuelled outrage across Europe. However, it is unclear whether citizens were more outraged about these policies because they had been implemented by EU institutions rather than national governments. Professor Sonia Alonso and Professor Ignacio Sánchez-Cuenca recently set out to understand whether the willingness of citizens to accept unpopular policies varies depending on whether they were introduced by their national governments or by EU institutions.

read more

Increase The Impact Of Your Research!

Explore partnership opportunities

Stay Up To Date With SciPod

Subscribe to receive our latest SciPods straight to your mailbox

 

Follow Us On: