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People select feedback to flatter others, except when they dislike them

People select feedback to flatter others, except when they dislike them

New research by Penn’s Social Action Lab research associate Xi Shen and PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín finds that people generally want to make other people feel good about themselves—unless they dislike that person.

From the Annenberg Public Policy Center

Frameworks provide new paradigm for global health law

Frameworks provide new paradigm for global health law

School of Social Policy & Practice’s Jennifer Prah has written a comprehensive framework that takes a worldwide approach to attaining global health goals.

From the School of Social Policy & Practice

1 min. read

‘I Will Vote’: Using future-oriented frames to motivate voters
A person affixes an I VOTED sticker to their t-shirt.

Image: kali9 via Getty Images

‘I Will Vote’: Using future-oriented frames to motivate voters

A new paper from Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center examines whether “I Voted” stickers influence people’s voting intentions, and whether different language choices in this approach to voter outreach might make a bigger impact on civic engagement.

From the Annenberg Public Policy Center

2 min. read

Baseball’s ‘magic mud’
A jar of Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud sits on a table beside a muddy, dirty baseball.

Lena Blackburne’s legendary baseball rubbing mud has been a game-day staple for nearly a century, helping Major League pitchers achieve a better grip. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have scientifically confirmed its friction-enhancing properties, revealing its significance not just in baseball, but also in the broader field of materials science.

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Baseball’s ‘magic mud’

Douglas Jerolmack and Paulo Arratia led research that could someday crack the code of the mud smeared on baseballs for nearly a century that pitchers profess provides a perfect grip.

3 min. read

Evaluating large language models for cyberbullying behavior
A portrait of Helen Jin at Amy Gutmann Hall.

Helen Jin, a doctoral student at Penn Engineering, is project lead for the Brachio Lab’s AI cyberbullying capability case study.

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Evaluating large language models for cyberbullying behavior

In the Brachio Lab, doctoral students at Penn Engineering probe AI models for signs of cyberbullying capabilities. This emerging problem with the rise of AI may pose challenges in areas like business, education, and public health.

5 min. read

A simple way to boost math progress
Angela Duckworth lecturing a class with a white board.

“Our results showed that simple, low-cost nudges can help teachers support student progress in math,” says Penn psychology professor Angela Duckworth.

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A simple way to boost math progress

Researchers from Penn’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative and their collaborators conducted a megastudy to investigate whether low-cost nudges–informed by behavioral science–could help teachers accelerate student progress in math.

3 min. read

Expectant and new fathers seek more support to improve maternal health

Expectant and new fathers seek more support to improve maternal health

A new Penn Nursing study reveals that expectant and new fathers, particularly Black American fathers, express a significant need for more resources and support to better assist mothers during pregnancy and childbirth, highlighting a gap in tailored information and resources for fathers within healthcare and social service systems.

New genetic cause of blindness in dogs
Aguirre and Murgiano working in a lab with pipettes.

Gustavo D. Aguirre and Leonardo Murgiano of the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania.

(Image: John Donges)

New genetic cause of blindness in dogs

In collaboration with a foundation that breeds service dogs for the visually impaired, researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Padova in Padova, Italy, have identified a novel variant associated with progressive retinal atrophy in three Labrador retrievers.

3 min. read

Tracing the connections between Chinese high-speed rail and electric vehicle sales
Two bullet trains sit side-by-side in a silver-and-white train station. The train closest to the camera has red markings on the side and top.

China’s high-speed bullet trains like this one at a station in Beijing are a significant factor in boosting electric vehicle sales, a new research paper says. 

(Image: iStock/Nikada)

Tracing the connections between Chinese high-speed rail and electric vehicle sales

“Range anxiety” from electric vehicle owners can be alleviated by alternative transportation methods such as high-speed rail, Penn research shows.