human behavior

A study finds that the odorless compound hexadecanal, or HEX, increases aggressive behavior in women but has a calming effect on men.

Researchers in a small but growing field search for neural correlates of religiosity and spirituality.

Avoiding inbreeding appears to be the exception rather than the norm for animals, according to a new meta-analysis of experimental studies.

A study using data from more than 80,000 couples finds evidence of indirect genetic effects on traits ranging from smoking habits to mental health.

Meet some of the people featured in the October 2020 issue of The Scientist.

Changes in blood levels of oxytocin and adrenocorticotropic hormone and patterns of neural activity predict how much money people will donate to a cause with high accuracy.

Fear binds us to our human and nonhuman ancestors. Understanding the emotion can help us grapple with challenges we face today.

Researchers tease out the effects of the two cravings by having participants gamble for the chance to satisfy them.

A combination of factors, from oxytocin release as an indicator of emotional investment to cortisol and other hormones that correlate with attention, can forecast what people will do after an experience.

MRI scans from more than 800 incarcerated men pinpoint distinct structural features of people who have committed homicide, compared with those who carried out other crimes.

Drastic dietary changes during the agricultural revolution altered the configuration of the human bite, paving the way for new sounds in spoken language, a new study finds.

While shifts in behavior could help wildlife and people coexist, they might also affect the animals’ survival.

More than 3,500 scientists had signed an open letter to NIH Director Francis Collins opposing the rules change.

Researchers find consistent behaviors and brain activity in an international study.

Meet some of the people featured in the June 2017 issue of The Scientist.

The human brain’s insular cortex is adept at registering distaste for everything from rotten fruit to unfamiliar cultures.

In the book’s introduction, author and neuroendocrinologist Robert Sapolsky explains his fascination with the biology of violence and other dark parts of human behavior.

Human visitors to camera traps display, well, human behavior.