Science News

In online discussions, people provide vital emotional support for others. Now computer scientists have created an index that automatically identifies Good Samaritans.

A new study led by University of Pittsburgh researchers reveals that moderate amounts of alcohol—consumed in a social setting—can enhance positive emotions and social bonding and relieve negative emotions among those drinking.

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but names can hurt just as much. Indeed, according to converging evidence reported in a new review in Current Directions in Psychological Science, physical and social pain are processed in some of the same regions of the brain.

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Studies have shown that not every dollar contributes equally to perceived wealth, people’s standing relative to those around them often predicts well-being better than net worth does, and increasing income trends are preferred over decreasing ones.

If humans were twice as intelligent, we would be more fulfilled on an individual scale, but society as a whole would be just as conflicted as it is now.

Researchers figure out why, in some cases, we experience schadenfreude, or joy in the misfortune of others. Turns out, the emotional blip provides a self-affirming boost, making us feel better about ourselves.

Given that lower-class individuals are more dependent on their social environments and on others than their upper-class counterparts, we might also expect that these individuals will exhibit more emotional contagion in interactions. Specifically, being constantly vigilant of others' emotions may make an individual prone to unintentionally experiencing the emotions of others.

Lincoln, among other things, was a very dedicated father. When his sons broke into meeting rooms he would famously, or perhaps infamously amongst cabinet members, halt proceedings to play. This inherent need to please, and indeed the boys’ innate confidence to hurl him away, was a bond that Lincoln may or may not have attributed to the work of evolution. His personal stance on religion and evolution is a hotly debated subject. He was however, indisputably, born on the same day as another giant of the 19th century who had a very clear opinion on the matter – Charles Robert Darwin. The pair were born merely hours apart on the 12th February 1809, 203 years ago yesterday.

Most doctors don’t recommend Tylenol for a broken heart or a supportive friend for a headache. But an article published by Janet Taylor Spence Award recipient Naomi I. Eisenberger in the February 2012 edition of Current Directions in Psychological Science shows there is a growing body of evidence that social pain shares some of the neural circuitry that underlies physical pain.