Tweets from Twitter users could predict loneliness Tweets from Twitter users could predict loneliness By identifying similar themes across tweets, researchers are uncovering markers that could be used to predict loneliness, something that could lead to depression, heart disease, and dementia.
What factors predict success? The findings of this latest work add to the canon of overall knowledge about what factors predict success. They also strengthen Duckworth’s original theories about grit and, at the same time, highlight other attributes key to long-term achievement. What factors predict success? New research from Angela Duckworth and colleagues finds that characteristics beyond intelligence influence long-term achievement.
The culture of coworking spaces The culture of coworking spaces As Penn sociologist David Grazian discovered through hundreds of hours of fieldwork, despite today’s digital work-anywhere economy, having a physical place to conduct business still matters.
Physicians, social responsibility, and sexual assault survivors Florencia Greer Polite is an associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Physicians, social responsibility, and sexual assault survivors Penn Medicine’s Florencia Greer Polite wants doctors to take a more proactive approach to conversations with their patients about consent and sexual abuse.
Consuming alcohol leads to epigenetic changes in brain memory centers Consuming alcohol leads to epigenetic changes in brain memory centers What drives the biology behind alcohol cravings has remained largely unknown. A new Penn study shows how a byproduct of the alcohol breakdown produced mostly in the liver travels to the brain’s learning system and impacts behavior around environmental cues to drink.
Competition works better than support or collaboration to increase daily step counts Competition works better than support or collaboration to increase daily step counts A clinical trial using a behaviorally designed gamification program found that adding competition to motivate exercise is a catalyst for real results.
Hunter-gatherers agree on what is moral, but not who is moral Photo: Eduardo Azevedo Hunter-gatherers agree on what is moral, but not who is moral In determining whether there is a universal concept of moral character, research could provide insight into ways to improve our interactions with one another.
No evidence that testosterone reduces cognitive empathy No evidence that testosterone reduces cognitive empathy In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that testosterone administration did not affect cognitive empathy, a measure of the ability to recognize another’s feelings and motivations. The finding calls into question the theory that the symptoms of autism are caused by a hyper-masculinized brain.
Understanding why teachers discriminate against minority students A study by Emile Bruneau found that teachers in Hungary are more likely to recommend Roma students for the lowest-track secondary school, as compared with non-Roma students. Understanding why teachers discriminate against minority students A new study authored by research scientist Emile Bruneau found that biases people may harbor can sometimes inhibit their abilities to do their jobs, based on a study of teachers’ implicit biases towards their students.
A wearable new technology moves brain monitoring from the lab to the real world Postdoc Arjun Ramakrishnan (left) and Penn Integrates Knowledge professor Michael Platt created a wearable EEG akin to a Fitbit for the brain, with a set of silicon and silver nanowire sensors embedded into a head covering like the headband seen here. The new technology led to the formation of a company called Cogwear, LLC. A wearable new technology moves brain monitoring from the lab to the real world The portable EEG created by PIK Professor Michael Platt and postdoc Arjun Ramakrishnan has potential applications from health care to sports performance.