Popular Culture News

July 26, 2024

Top Headlines

Interventions Against Misinformation Also Increase Skepticism Toward Reliable Sources

June 10, 2024 — Efforts to tackle false information through fact-checking or media literacy initiatives increases the public's skepticism toward 'fake news'. However, they also breed distrust in genuine, fact-based ...

YouTubers Cheer People Up More Than Casual Friends, Study Suggests

May 23, 2024 — One-sided relationships with YouTubers are more emotionally fulfilling than talking to casual friends, a new study ...

Study Traces an Infectious Language Epidemic

May 13, 2024 — A computer scientist has shown the power of language to predict harm -- this time to the nation's ...

The Joy of Sports: How Watching Sports Can Boost Well-Being

Apr. 15, 2024 — Sports, beyond entertainment, foster community and belonging, benefiting both individuals and society. Despite its recognized positive effects, limited evidence exists on the link between watching sports and well-being. To address this gap, a team ...

Latest Headlines

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New Anti-Counterfeit Technique Packs Two Light-Reactive Images Into One Material

May 30, 2024 — Growing concern about data theft and counterfeiting has inspired increasingly sophisticated security technologies, like hologram seals, that can help ...

Going Top Shelf With AI to Better Track Hockey Data

Mar. 11, 2024 — Researchers got a valuable assist from artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help capture and analyze data from professional hockey games faster and more accurately than ever before, with big ...

Do Violent Video Games Numb Us Towards Real Violence?

Jan. 16, 2024 — Neuroscientists have investigated whether playing violent video games leads to a reduction in human empathy. To do this, they had adult test subjects play a violent video game repeatedly over the ...

Prone to Abandoning New Year's Resolutions? Research Suggests Blaming Money Worries Rather Than Being Time-Poor

Dec. 15, 2023 — People who abandon New Year's resolutions or other commitments can maintain the respect of their peers by blaming external factors such as lack of ...

How a Drought Led to the Rise of Skateboarding in 1970s California

Dec. 12, 2023 — Why did professional skateboarding arise in southern California in the 1970s? Was it a coincidence, or was it a perfect storm of multiple factors? It's fairly well-known that a drought in southern ...

Shark Fear: Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Get Back in the Water...

Nov. 14, 2023 — It's one of the most famous taglines in film history, immortalizing sharks as ruthless predators. But beyond the horror generated by Spielberg's Jaws series, a persistent fear of sharks remains, with ...

How Teachers Would Handle Student Violence Against Educators

Nov. 14, 2023 — For the first time, teachers in a nationwide study have told researchers what strategies they think work best to deal with student violence against educators. Teachers rated suspending or expelling ...

AI Should Be Better Understood and Managed -- New Research Warns

Nov. 2, 2023 — Artificial Intelligence (AI) and algorithms can and are being used to radicalize, polarize, and spread racism and political instability, says an academic. An expert argues that AI and algorithms are ...

Certain Online Games Use Dark Designs to Collect Player Data

Oct. 27, 2023 — The privacy policies and practices of online games contain dark design patterns which could be deceptive, misleading, or coercive to users, according to a new ...

Metaphors for Human Fertilization Are Evolving, Study Shows

Oct. 1, 2023 — In a common metaphor used to describe human fertilization, sperm cells are competitors racing to penetrate a passive egg. But as critics have noted, the description is also a 'fairy tale,' rooted in ...

Can Doomscrolling Trigger an Existential Crisis?

July 18, 2024 — In a new study on the impact of doomscrolling from an existential perspective, researchers warn that habitual checking of disturbing stories on social media is linked with changes to how we view ...

Why Are Board Games So Popular Among Many People With Autism? New Research Explains

July 12, 2024 — Board gaming is a growing industry, and anecdotally popular among people who display autistic traits. Now new research has highlighted the science supporting the anecdote -- and the important reasons ...

User Control of Autoplay Can Alter Awareness of Online Video 'Rabbit Holes'

July 11, 2024 — A new study suggests that giving users control over the interface feature of autoplay can help them realize that they are going down a rabbit hole. The work has implications for responsibly designing ...

Enhancing Live Football Broadcasts by Eliminating Camera Operator Distractions With AI

July 10, 2024 — Researchers have developed an end-to-end system to enhance the viewing experience by eliminating visual distractions caused by overlapping camera ...

Social-Media Break Has Huge Impact on Young Women's Body Image, Study Finds

May 1, 2024 — There's a large and growing body of evidence pointing to potentially negative impacts of social media on mental health, from its addictive nature to disruptions in sleep patterns to effects on ...

Climate Change Policies Lose Popularity When Combined With Pausing Regulations or Social Justice

Mar. 27, 2024 — Legislators love bundling things together. It lets them accomplish more with less hassle and attempt to make legislation more appealing to a broader group. But a new study suggests that this can ...

Study Tracks Shifts in Student Mental Health During College

Mar. 14, 2024 — Dartmouth researchers tracked more than 200 undergraduates for all four years of college to capture the most in-depth data yet on how students' self-esteem and mental health fluctuates during ...

School Focus on Grades, Test Scores Linked to Violence Against Teachers

Feb. 23, 2024 — Violence against teachers is likely to be higher in schools that focus on grades and test scores than in schools that emphasize student learning, a new study has ...

Generating 'Buzz' About New Products Can Influence Their Success

Feb. 20, 2024 — The way companies announce new products or build up hype can often influence their success once those new products hit the market, according to new research. Whether it's an upcoming blockbuster ...

Study Finds Students, Designers Have Different Perceptions of Masculine, Feminine Traits of Classrooms

Feb. 20, 2024 — Researchers conducted a study in which they showed four classrooms to students and asked about their perceptions of masculine traits versus feminine traits of the rooms. They also showed the same ...

Slow the Scroll: Users Less Vigilant About Misinformation on Mobile Phones

Jan. 8, 2024 — People process information more efficiently but tend to be less vigilant about misinformation on their mobile phones compared to personal computers (PCs). This is especially true for users who have ...

'A Ticking Clock': First Ground-Based Survey of Damage to Ukrainian Cultural Sites Reveals Severity, Need for Urgency

Dec. 13, 2023 — And after nearly two years of fighting, war is destroying Ukraine’s cultural heritage on a scale not seen since World War II, according to new ...

Health Impacts of Abuse More Extensive Than Previously Thought, Research Says

Dec. 11, 2023 — Partners and children who are subject to domestic abuse are more likely to experience certain physical and mental health effects than previously thought, according to a new ...

Aussie Teens Are Not Actually Selfie-Obsessed, Study Finds

Nov. 28, 2023 — A new study zooming in on how smartphones influence our photography habits found Australians aged 20 to 40 years old take more selfies than teenagers and older ...

Nostalgia and Memories After Ten Years of Social Media

Nov. 20, 2023 — As possibilities have changed and technology has advanced, memories and nostalgia are now a significant part of our use of social ...

Givers to Crowdfunding Campaigns Enjoy Vicarious Success

Oct. 24, 2023 — Recent research has found that backers of crowdfunding projects participate, in part, because they enjoy a sense of indirect success and the feeling that they are contributing to something bigger ...

Where Is the Love? Musical Recognition Crosses Cultures — With an Exception

Sep. 7, 2023 — Music can take on many forms in cultures across the globe, but researchers have found in a new study that some themes are universally recognizable by people everywhere with one notable exception -- ...

Is Digital Media Use a Risk Factor for Psychosis in Young Adults?

Aug. 31, 2023 — A recent study of 425 Quebecers between the ages of 18 and 25 has found that young adults who have more frequent psychotic experiences also tend to spend more time using digital media. Interestingly, ...

Effectiveness of Video Gameplay Restrictions Questioned in New Study

Aug. 10, 2023 — Legal restrictions placed on the amount of time young people in China can play video games may be less effective than originally thought, a new study has ...

Using Social Media to Raise Awareness of Women's Resources

Aug. 7, 2023 — Social media can help women in Egypt identify more resources to help stop domestic violence, according to a study led by MIT ...