Donald Trump talks with reporters before boarding Air Force One in February, 2020. For this study, researchers presented participants with three different kinds of stories based on a claim made by the president and then asked them to rate the accuracy of the claim. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Donald Trump talks with reporters before boarding Air Force One in February, 2020. For this study, researchers presented participants with three different kinds of stories based on a claim made by the president and then asked them to rate the accuracy of the claim. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) News stories presented as fact-checks could help readers update their beliefs more accurately than conventional news articles, but such stories are also perceived to be more biased, new research suggests.

Some children are measurably more sensitive to positive and negative parenting styles than others. (Shutterstock)
Some children are measurably more sensitive to positive and negative parenting styles than others. (Shutterstock) Children who are more emotionally sensitive may be more responsive to both supportive and adverse caregiving experiences, as measured in the amygdala, a brain region involved in responding to stress and regulating emotions.

When an argument with your partner makes your heart rate go up, smartphone technology may soon be able to intervene and mediate your problems. (Pexels/Roman Odintsov)
When an argument with your partner makes your heart rate go up, smartphone technology may soon be able to intervene and mediate your problems. (Pexels/Roman Odintsov) Most people can sense when a conflict is brewing in their personal relationships, but what if their smartphones could, too — and could intervene during the moments before an argument boiled over? That's the idea behind a developing technology that could detect and mediate relationship problems by tapping into data from smart devices.

It takes greater levels of empathy and compassion to craft a high-quality apology. (Pexels/Suzy Hazelwood)
It takes greater levels of empathy and compassion to craft a high-quality apology. (Pexels/Suzy Hazelwood) People who report feeling a stronger sense of empathy toward a person they have victimized may be capable of higher-quality apologies, supporting the idea that interpersonal empathy-building techniques could help preserve and repair relationships.

More prone to bullying than boys, teen girls are more likely to turn to illicit substances as coping mechanisms.  (Unsplash/Thomas John)
More prone to bullying than boys, teen girls are more likely to turn to illicit substances as coping mechanisms.  (Unsplash/Thomas John) Girls are more likely than boys to be bullied by their peers, and they may be disproportionately turning to illicit substances such as alcohol and marijuana as a result, according to a new analysis of data from 2011 through 2017, obtained through the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which collects demographic and health behavior information from U.S. high school students.

Puppies have human-like social skills and respond to eye contact just like humans do. (Emily Bray)
Puppies have human-like social skills and respond to eye contact just like humans do. (Emily Bray) Puppies don't learn how to communicate with humans; rather, it's likely they are born knowing how to respond to our gestures and vocal cues after years of advantageous genetic selection during the domestication process, according to a new study published Thursday.

Higher emotional distress among transgender teens is leading to an increase in substance use. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Higher emotional distress among transgender teens is leading to an increase in substance use. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) When gender minority adolescents, including transgender teens, are exposed to transphobia and other gender-related stressors, they are more likely to use alcohol to cope, but family and social support, as well as gender-related pride, can moderate the use of substances, according to trailblazing longitudinal research from Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Laughter is contagious, but not if you’re faking it. (Unsplash/Etty Fidele)
Laughter is contagious, but not if you’re faking it. (Unsplash/Etty Fidele) Through electrical measurements of the skin and three key facial muscles, researchers in Portugal have shown that we respond differently to different strong emotions expressed by laughing or crying — and the results suggest that our bodies can distinguish fake laughter, but not fake tears, from real emotions.

The stress of caring for an autisic child is one of the many factors to contributing to higher rates of abuse among autustic children. Here, an autistic boy is helped by a preschool teacher. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
The stress of caring for an autisic child is one of the many factors to contributing to higher rates of abuse among autustic children. Here, an autistic boy is helped by a preschool teacher. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Children with autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability that involves deficits in social communication and interaction, are more likely to be killed by their parents than by any other group of adults, and most often in response to the stress of having to care for the child, according to a recent analysis of 706 news media articles on homicide incidents involving autistic child victims in the United States.

Many people believe giving a gift means they should get something in return. (Unsplash/Goran Ivos)
Many people believe giving a gift means they should get something in return. (Unsplash/Goran Ivos) Although it's widely assumed that giving gifts strengthens relationships with friends, family and romantic partners, a new set of studies suggests that there's a darker side to generous acts: People may act more selfishly after giving someone else a present.

Processing different emotions is more difficult for babies whose mothers experience postnatal anxiety. (Unsplash/Jenna Norman)
Processing different emotions is more difficult for babies whose mothers experience postnatal anxiety. (Unsplash/Jenna Norman) New research finds that babies of mothers experiencing postnatal anxiety have more difficulty processing both happy faces and fearful faces, highlighting the importance of mother-infant interactions in the development of emotional processing.

Workplace mistreatment is affecting way more people than you think. (Pexels/Polina Zimmerman)
Workplace mistreatment is affecting way more people than you think. (Pexels/Polina Zimmerman) Experiencing mistreatment in the workplace is a highly prevalent global phenomenon that affects more than a third of employees across 62 countries and results in hundreds of billions to nearly 2 trillion dollars in lost productivity, but greater legal protections for workers may have a protective effect, according to a new meta-analysis.