https://phys.org/science-news/social-sciences en-us The latest news on social sciences, history, political science, psychology and sociology Forced migrant survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) have experienced acts of everyday and extraordinary kindness from people they met throughout their journeys, a new study reveals. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-lifesaving-life-kindness-shown-migrants.html Social Sciences Political science Fri, 21 Jun 2024 06:15:27 EDT news638169321 Festivals and mass gatherings can empower and inspire people making lifestyle changes for a sustainable future, according to new research from a vegan festival which suggests the power of these collective experiences may have been underestimated. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-festivals-powerful-sustainable-lifestyle.html Social Sciences Political science Fri, 21 Jun 2024 06:13:59 EDT news638169234 Oh, the joy of inflicting pain upon others. The Germans have a word for it: "schadenfreude," meaning "malicious pleasure." And tapping into its sentiment properly can, ironically, do a lot of good by raising money for charity. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-joy-inflicting-pain-prosocial-behavior.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Fri, 21 Jun 2024 05:49:13 EDT news638167749 More than 4 million Ukrainians were forced to flee following the invasion of their homeland by Russian forces in February 2022, with the vast majority heading to neighboring countries and other European nations. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-ukrainians-displaced-war-home-safe.html Social Sciences Political science Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:58:02 EDT news638114281 One of the cornerstones of liberal democracies is the political debate on how to shape society. However, discussions about politics often lead to frustration or result in a long-term strain on social relationships. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-people-enjoy-politics-social-political.html Social Sciences Political science Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:23:02 EDT news638112181 Researchers led by Sophie Bavard at the University of Hamburg, Germany, found that people can infer hidden social preferences by observing how fast others make social decisions. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-behavioral-social-inferred-decision.html Social Sciences Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:00:02 EDT news638094733 Family conditions—specifically, how similar one's social status and background is to one's parents' status—may play a bigger role in determining how easily an individual can shift into a wealthier socioeconomic class than gender inequality, according to a study of 153 countries published June 20, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Khanh Duong from Maynooth University, Ireland. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-family-conditions-impact-upward-social.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:00:02 EDT news638093462 In democracies where civilian control is followed, the power to make crucial decisions, like those of national security, is mainly exercised by elected officials, allowing the citizens who elect them to influence such decisions indirectly. This role can give people a sense of participation in matters of national importance, potentially associated with their political trust. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-exploring-relationship-civilians-military-japan.html Social Sciences Political science Thu, 20 Jun 2024 12:41:04 EDT news638106061 Lynn Conway may hold the record for longest delay between being unfairly fired and receiving an apology for it. In 1968, IBM—a company that now covers its logo in a rainbow flag each June for Pride Month—fired Conway when she expressed her intention to transition. She died on June 9, 2024 at age 86. IBM eventually apologized to the now-famous computing expert, but only 52 years later, when Conway was 82 years old. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-lynn-conway-trans-woman-tech.html Social Sciences Thu, 20 Jun 2024 11:58:04 EDT news638103482 In the ever-evolving online gaming landscape, one seemingly simple online game has captivated players. The free-to-play clicker Banana has amassed more than 850,000 concurrent players on the gaming platform Steam. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-behavioral-economics-theory-popular-banana.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Thu, 20 Jun 2024 11:57:04 EDT news638103421 Once upon a time, newly minted graduates dreamt of creating online social media that would bring people closer together. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-social-media-fueling-political-polarization.html Social Sciences Political science Thu, 20 Jun 2024 11:10:02 EDT news638099446 European tourism is getting a makeover to strengthen remote communities with the help of EU-funded researchers. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-europe-tourist-hordes-beaten-track.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Wed, 19 Jun 2024 13:32:54 EDT news638022770 The inclusion of trans women athletes—women who were assigned male at birth—is one of the most controversial issues in world sports. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-sports-tightening-transgender-policies-inclusion.html Social Sciences Wed, 19 Jun 2024 12:08:04 EDT news638017681 The spike in reports of women murdered by men this year has prompted widespread conversations across Australia about how we end gender-based violence. Much of this discussion has been about the importance of creating a more gender-equal society. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-gender-equality-violence-women-puzzle.html Social Sciences Wed, 19 Jun 2024 12:05:04 EDT news638017501 As more organizations attempt to increase the representation of women in traditionally male-dominated occupations (such as engineering, technology or banking), new research from George Washington University professor Jennifer Merluzzi indicates that simply hiring more women into these fields may not make diversity efforts more effective. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-biases-undermine-diversity-efforts-policing.html Social Sciences Political science Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:39:21 EDT news638012353 Direct reciprocity facilitates cooperation in repeated social interactions. Traditional models suggest that individuals learn to adopt conditionally cooperative strategies if they have multiple encounters with their partner. However, most existing models make rather strong assumptions about how individuals decide to keep or change their strategies. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-cooperation-evolve-limited-payoff-memory.html Mathematics Social Sciences Wed, 19 Jun 2024 10:33:15 EDT news638011991 For roughly 80 years, the United States has managed the threat of nuclear terrorism through nonproliferation treaties, agency programs, intelligence activities, international monitoring support and more, withstanding the Cold War, the fall of the Soviet Union, and 9/11. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-nuclear-terrorism-high-tools-alliances.html Social Sciences Political science Wed, 19 Jun 2024 09:20:01 EDT news638006399 Advertising has long been known to depict a virtual reality of life, leading some people to expect more out of life than is practical. This is driven by idyllic imagery and storytelling, among other techniques such as an emphasis on materialism. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-explores-advertising-contributes-declines-happiness.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 18 Jun 2024 16:32:03 EDT news637947121 It's one of the fastest growing industries globally, raking in millions for the best players and attracting a huge fanbase, but a new Australian study has revealed the dark side of professional video gaming: cyberbullying and sexual harassment. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-cyberbullying-sexual-rampant-esports.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 18 Jun 2024 16:00:03 EDT news637945201 The more stressed out people are about finances, the less likely they are to talk about money with their romantic partners, according to new research. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-silence-financial-stress-mutes-couples.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 18 Jun 2024 15:04:03 EDT news637941841 In a paper published in the journal Event Management, researchers have investigated the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and its One Million Stars to End Violence (OMSTEV) campaign to see how effective such a campaign was when connected to a major sporting event. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-effectiveness-violence-women-campaigns-sports.html Social Sciences Tue, 18 Jun 2024 13:29:03 EDT news637936142 Following the murder of George Floyd, evangelical Christians were more likely to avoid the issue of racial injustice, while mainline Protestants and Black clergy addressed the topic in their congregations and in some cases took a stand against it. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-evangelical-christians-issue-racial-injustice.html Social Sciences Political science Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:50:01 EDT news637933623 According to research by sociologists at Rice University, Black nationalism now finds broader support among different segments of the Black community, though the characteristics of Black nationalists have changed over time. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-black-nationalism-widespread-profile-nationalist.html Social Sciences Political science Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:47:16 EDT news637933630 New research indicates that strong community bonds could hinder rather than help environmental initiatives. The study, led by researchers at the University of Sydney's School of Project Management, examined communities where robust local ties lead to resistance against environmental initiatives, sustainability programs, and greenhouse gas reduction projects. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-tight-communities-environmental.html Social Sciences Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:36:04 EDT news637932962 When asked to describe an ideal organizational leader, many people might be inclined to use quite serious adjectives such as solemn, determined or results-oriented. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-humor-workplace-leader-properly.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:20:02 EDT news637931257 Voters who are neither wealthy nor white are more likely to live in counties with fewer resources available to make sure ballots are counted on time, a new election index revealed. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-election-administration-linked-counties-economic.html Social Sciences Political science Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:10:27 EDT news637931417 Eye-contact has a significant impact on interpersonal evaluation, and online job interviews are no exception. In addition to the quality of a resume, the direction of the interviewee's gaze might help (or hinder) their chances of securing the job. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-camera-scores-simulated.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Tue, 18 Jun 2024 09:21:04 EDT news637921262 The Historical Criminal Statistics database, a massive undertaking by University Lecturer in Criminology Miikka Vuorela at the University of Eastern Finland, makes statistics on crime and punishment openly accessible to everyone. The database covers the period from 1810 to 2022. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-database-years-crime-nordics.html Social Sciences Political science Mon, 17 Jun 2024 16:44:02 EDT news637861441 A decent quarterly report may not nudge a company's stock price far, but a meme posted to Reddit's WallStreetBets subreddit may. The online community known for its seriously unserious banter, memes and not-so-family-friendly jokes shot to fame in early 2021 for having contributed to the skyrocketing rise of videogame retailer GameStop's stock price. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-qa-wall-street-reddit-upsides.html Social Sciences Economics & Business Mon, 17 Jun 2024 16:19:04 EDT news637859941 Specialist training is helping sports coaches to safely and effectively intervene when witnessing abusive behavior towards females, a study shows. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-specialist-football-attitudes-intervening-violence.html Social Sciences Mon, 17 Jun 2024 14:03:23 EDT news637851799