Social and Behavioural
Explore Social and Behavioural
Professor Kimani Nehusi | How Ancient Rituals Created Sacred Homelands
Land ownership disputes and displacement affect millions across Africa and its diaspora today, but understanding the profound spiritual relationship between African communities and their ancestral territories requires looking far back into history. Professor Kimani Nehusi at Temple University examines how African communities developed what he calls the ‘Afrikan Ancestral Land Complex’ – a distinctive collection of values, deep memory, knowledge, attitudes and rituals centered on land. His research focuses on ancient Kemet, known today as Egypt, where some of the earliest written records provide evidence of these practices dating back over 5,000 years.
Professor Penelope Corfield | Time-Space: Exploring How Humans Navigate Cosmic Existence
Yes, the clock is ticking away relentlessly! And yet today we live in an era when some philosophers claim that Time is merely an illusion. And certainly, many people casually dismiss all historical understanding as irrelevant. However, it’s time to rethink! We need to understand humanity’s place in time and space. And that’s particularly vital for addressing contemporary crises, especially climate change, which demands collective action based on both historical and scientific insights. Professor Penelope Corfield at Royal Holloway, University of London, has written a new book called Time-Space: We Are All in It Together. It offers a ground-breaking interdisciplinary exploration of how humans exist within the cosmic dimensions of Time and Space.
Professor Mark D. Hayward | How Education Shapes Dementia Risk
Dementia – a syndrome characterized by declining cognitive function that interferes with daily living – represents one of the most significant health challenges facing aging populations worldwide. While sometimes viewed as an inevitable consequence of aging, research increasingly shows that dementia risk can be modified through life experiences. For instance, higher levels of education are associated with lower risk of dementia, but the exact relationship between years of schooling and cognitive health remains an important area of investigation. Professor Mark Hayward at the University of Texas at Austin and his colleagues, Hyungmin Cha and Mateo Farina, recently explored how education affects dementia risk and onset timing, as well as prevalence trends across different population groups.
How Humour Shaped Western Support for Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 triggered an unprecedented wave of Western support. This was particularly apparent in the UK, where citizens held vigils and fundraisers, public buildings were lit in Ukrainian colours, while the government pledged over a hundred million pounds in humanitarian aid. According to Dr James Brassett and Dr Christopher Browning at the University of Warwick, this phenomenon went beyond mere sympathy, developing into ‘vicarious identification’ – where people gain a sense of identity and purpose by living through others’ experiences.
How Employment Goals Impact Job Outcomes for People with Disabilities
Employment plays a vital role in a person’s community participation, social connection, and quality of life. This is also true for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – or ‘IDD’. Despite various federal policies promoting workplace inclusion, research consistently shows that people with IDD face significant challenges in securing meaningful employment. This has led researchers to examine what factors might help improve employment outcomes. Recent research by Lindsay DuBois and her colleagues at the Human Services Research Institute offers new insights into this question.
Dr Tara Rosewall | Exploring the Impact of Cannabis on Prostate Cancer Risk
Cannabis is becoming increasingly common in many countries, with more people using it both recreationally and medicinally. This increased usage has given rise to many questions about the long-term effects of cannabis on health – particularly when it comes to cancer. Some studies suggest that cannabis use may be linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, while others show that cannabis compounds may have anti-cancer properties. One area that remains under-researched is the potential link between cannabis use and prostate cancer – one of the most common cancers affecting men. A recent study by Dr Tara Rosewall and her colleagues at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto explored whether a person’s lifetime cannabis use is associated with an increased or decreased risk of developing prostate cancer.
Professor Thea Brown | Recognising Red Flags to Prevent the Murder of Children by Their Parents
Filicide – the killing of a child by their parent – has long been dismissed as too rare or too incomprehensible to study in depth. However, as Professor Thea Brown’s research shows, filicide is neither as rare as once thought nor beyond our capacity to prevent. Her team’s work at Monash University demonstrates that filicide doesn’t occur in isolation, or from a single cause. Instead, it arises from a complex web of factors – including family violence, poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, and the perpetrator’s history of trauma. Importantly, Brown’s work reveals that both mothers and fathers commit filicide, but often in different circumstances and with different warning signs – many of which are missed by social services.
Dr. Matthew Sherrer | Why Trust Builds Stronger Healthcare Teams
In modern healthcare, the stakes can be very high. Every decision made by medical professionals can have significant and life-changing consequences for patients. In this environment, it is crucial that medical staff work effectively together to do the best for their patients, and you may assume that their competence and skills are the most important factors in their success. However, as Dr. Matthew Sherrer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham argues in his new paper, Building Trusting Healthcare Teams, it’s not just competence that saves lives – it’s trust.
Professor Mark Doel | How Objects Can Tell the Story of Social Work
Social work can sometimes be difficult to define or explain to the public. While many people have direct experience with teachers, nurses, or police officers, far fewer understand what social workers actually do. A research project by Professor Mark Doel at Sheffield Hallam University explores an innovative way to make social work more visible – through the display of meaningful objects.
From Awe to Compassion: Exploring Different States of Selfless Joy
Positive emotions have gained significant research attention in recent decades, with particular focus on ‘self-transcendent emotions’ – those that shift our attention away from our self-interest toward something beyond ourselves. Despite growing interest in these states of selfless joy – which include awe, gratitude and love – most have been studied separately, leaving researchers unclear about how they are connected. A new study by Angela Gaia Abatista and Florian Cova at the University of Geneva offers the first comprehensive framework for categorising these uplifting emotions. Their research reveals that self-transcendent emotions aren’t just one uniform family but can be divided into distinct categories with different functions.
Professor Joanne Wood | Understanding How Self-Esteem Shapes Romantic Relationships
The common saying “you can’t love someone else if you don’t love yourself” suggests a straightforward link between self-esteem and relationship satisfaction. A recent review by Professor Joanne Wood at the University of Waterloo and several collaborators across North America, challenges this simple notion, showing that self-esteem influences relationships through a complex chain of psychological and behavioral effects.
Self-esteem describes a person’s overall evaluation of themselves. While traditional research has found modest links between high self-esteem and relationship satisfaction, these studies typically overlook the deeper, indirect ways that self-esteem shapes romantic relationships.
Medical devices called endografts – consisting of a stent and a graft – can be used as internal scaffolds to stabilise the weakened artery walls. However, these devices can lead to problems, which many researchers and clinicians are striving to solve.
Dr Eleanor Wilson | The Evolving Nature of End-of-Life Planning for Motor Neurone Disease Patients and their Families When Ventilation is Required
This video summarizes research exploring how patients with motor neurone disease and their loved ones navigate end-of-life decisions when mechanical ventilation is in place. We will highlight some of the key things to consider and discuss with patients and their families.
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