Most law schools frown upon their students questioning how laws were originally conceived. But a Canadian law school once argued convincingly that law should be taught as a social science.
It’s become fashionable to suggest that generational designations are arbitrary or a ‘myth.’ But social scientists can pinpoint generational and cultural changes with a surprising degree of accuracy.
Walt Disney used defaults to get children to eat healthier foods, but not all nudges have consumers’ interests at heart.
Gary Kazanjian/AP Photo
Defaults are powerful tools that policymakers and marketers can use to nudge us to make certain choices, whether in our interest or in theirs. How do we ensure they’re used responsibly?
The construction of Indonesia’s Prambanan temple in 850 also affected the planet.
CEphoto, Uwe Aranas
Research has found people with relationship experience, all else being equal, tend to be more romantically desirable than people without relationship experience.
The thousands of Wells Fargo low-wage employees who defrauded customers likely knew how it felt to face unfair overdraft fees or a deteriorating credit rating. So why did they do it?
Talking about food is a productive way to understand a complex world. The dinner table is a place where the shame of poverty is most acutely experienced.
Each tweet that relays an emotion, opinion or idea joins millions of others.
"Globe" via www.shutterstock.com
On Twitter’s 10th birthday, we look at how researchers have used the platform for a range of studies, from predicting the next flu outbreak to identifying the happiest city in America.
Does what’s most usual seem inherently good to you?
Fish image via www.shutterstock.com.
It’s a common quirk of human psychology to make the mental leap that the way things are is the way things ought to be. New research into how we explain the world around us sheds light on the phenomenon.
Education should be a laughing matter.
Ollyy/www.shutterstock.com
The relationship between social science research and advocates and policymakers is undermined if they cherry-pick evidence that supports their goals, ignoring the wider field.
Scientists need to get comfortable with dealing with people and their feelings.
crowd from www.shutterstock.com
Faith Kearns, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Scientists need to be comfortable dealing with subjective views, rather than empirical data, and people’s feelings to make progress in addressing climate change.
Of course, science, technology, engineering and mathematics research are important, but social sciences research creates huge benefits to society in multiple ways.
Leo Grübler/Flickr
Research in the humanities, arts and social sciences is often driven by philosophies of social justice and public benefit, which don’t always sit comfortably with commercialisation.
We jump to conclusions that there must be a reason one’s a ‘have’ and one’s a ‘have-not.’
Benjamin Disinger
Larisa Hussak, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
It’s human nature to assume there must be a valid reason for inequalities in society. What’s the psychology behind why we believe there’s something fundamentally different between haves and have-nots?
This is something that is worth preventing, whether in the concrete world or the world of academic publishing.
Wikimedia
There’s plenty of hand-wringing about the humanities being in crisis – but is that actually the case? In Australia, the sector is thriving, and policy should be made on that basis.
Centenary Research Professor, Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of Canberra; Professor of Political Science, London School of Economics and Political Science