Policymakers rely on models during uncertain times to figure out how their choices could affect the future. Over the pandemic, an ensemble of many COVID-19 models outperformed any one alone.
Weaver ants organise themselves into bridges to cross gaps and explore new territory – and new research shows this collective behaviour is governed by a surprisingly simple decision-making rule.
To be useful in high-stakes situations, AI needs to understand cause and effect – and the limits of its knowledge.
Workers take on side hustles not just for the money, but also to compensate for limited control in their traditional jobs.
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‘Career portfolioing’ is a trend where people assemble different sources of income, such as side gigs, to give them a measure of independence from employers who provide little job security.
Lucky charms help us feel safer in an uncertain world.
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How doctors care for their patients is highly influenced by clinical guidelines. Recommendations based on anecdotal experience or poor data can harm patients.
So much uncertainty around risk can make it extra hard to decide what to do.
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People tend to dislike uncertainty and risk – two things that are hard to avoid completely during a pandemic. That’s part of why it can feel especially draining to make even small decisions these days.
Lolampa, a Turkana herder, with his goats and sheep.
Samuel Derbyshire
People often try to seem confident and certain in their message so it will be trusted and acted upon. But when information is in flux, research suggests you should be open about what you don’t know.
Using social media increases our natural tendency to compare ourselves. How does this affect our well-being?
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Comparing ourselves to people who are worse off than we are on social media should make us feel better. The opposite is true.
In ‘Don’t Look Up,’ scientists played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence watch with horror as people willfully ignore warnings of an impending disaster.
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Just when things seemed to be getting back to COVID normal, a new variant has us worried all over again. But we can be kind to our brains and boost well-being in uncertain times.
When times are uncertain, we can fail to be flexible.
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Principal Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, and Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, The University of Melbourne