News by Subject Social & Behavior

Even when feeling empathy for others isn't financially costly or emotionally draining, people will still avoid it because they think empathy requires too much mental effort, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

There are a few things that will result in poor customer reviews of a restaurant: bad service, bad food -- and bad weather. A study of 32 Florida restaurants found that customers left more negative remarks on comment cards on days when it was raining than on days when it was dry.

The largest study of bisexual people in the world to date, led by La Trobe University, has examined why bisexual people experience higher rates of psychological distress than heterosexual and homosexual people.

New research finds Airbnb is taking an increasing share of business away from the hotel industry.

Debates over gun regulations make headlines across the world, but there's an underground operation for weapons that has drawn very little attention -- until now. Researchers from Michigan State University crept into the dark web to investigate how firearms are anonymously bought and sold around the world.

Bureaucratic quality in developing countries is endangered by the structural adjustment programs imposed by the international financial institutions, a paper by Bocconi's Alexander Kentikelenis and colleagues, in the American Journal of Sociology, states. In particular, the IMF's structural reforms mandating privatization, price deregulation, and reductions in public sector employment jeopardize state capacity by compromising the healthy relationship between state and business, as in uncertain times bureaucrats are more likely to fall prey to private interests.

New evidence from Michigan State University suggests that those who smoke cannabis, or marijuana, weigh less compared to adults who don't. The findings, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, are contrary to the belief that marijuana users who have a serious case of the munchies will ultimately gain more weight.

In situations of intimate partner violence, not knowing what will come next is sometimes a stronger predictor of a woman's health outcomes than violence frequency and severity, research at UT Health San Antonio suggests.