As a young mechanical engineering student, and later as a medical student, Yale’s Samuel Wilkinson became fascinated with what science — particularly theories of evolution — might tell us about the meaning and purpose of life.
In a new book, “Purpose:...
Throughout history, mass gatherings such as collective rituals, ceremonies, and pilgrimages have created intense social bonds and feelings of unity in human societies. But Yale psychologists wondered if modern day secular gatherings that emphasize...
The police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020 unleashed an historic wave of activism across the United States, including an estimated 8,000 mass demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM).
A new Yale study focused on adolescent...
The Biden Administration has appointed Yale’s Jennifer Richeson, the Philip R. Allen Professor of Psychology in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), a distinguished panel that...
Social media platforms like Twitter amplify expressions of moral outrage over time because users learn such language gets rewarded with an increased number of “likes” and “shares,” a new Yale University study shows.
And these rewards had the greatest...
The COVID-19 pandemic increased our feelings of paranoia, particularly in states where wearing masks was mandated, a new Yale study has shown. That heightened paranoia was particularly acute in states where adherence to mask mandates was low, the...
As the COVID-19 pandemic exploded across the globe in early 2020, the world’s leaders were faced with a flurry of moral dilemmas. Who should receive scarce resources, such as ventilators, when there wouldn’t be enough for everyone? Should people be...
When people make choices, they must assess a host of variables. What is the risk? What is the payoff or cost? What disruption will the choice cause? What is the probable outcome?
Researchers have employed a host of techniques, from brain scans to personal...
Many children are willing to make personal sacrifices to punish wrongdoers — and even more so if they believe punishment will teach the transgressor a lesson, a new Yale study published Nov. 23 in the journal Nature Human Behaviour shows.
Philosophers and...
Our brains respond differently when talking to a person from a different socioeconomic group than during a conversation with someone of a similar background, a novel new imaging study shows.
While neuroscientists have used brain imaging scans to track in...