@article {3203581, title = { Choosing to know: Children\&$\#$39;s decision to actively request social-norm information and their sharing behaviour }, journal = {British Journal of Psychology}, year = {2025}, abstract = {We examined the sharing behaviour of children (aged 6-12) when presented with a generous vs. a selfish norm of sharing, or after having a choice of whether or not to request the (same) social-norm information. We found that with age children shared more overall and were more influenced by the generous norm in their recommendations to others. Moreover, the results show a significant effect of information-seeking on children{\textquoteright}s behaviour: children who were presented with the choice to request social-norm information and actively chose to request it were significantly more influenced by the information in their own sharing decisions and in their recommendation to others, compared with children who were presented with the same social-norm information without asking for it. The findings highlight the importance of an active search for information, rather than the information content per se, as a key factor in understanding the effect of social-norm information on children{\textquoteright}s sharing behaviour.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.70011}, author = {Hagit Sabato and Ilana Ritov} } @article {3203580, title = { Entrepreneurs\’ optimal decisions in equity crowdfunding campaigns }, journal = {European Journal of Operational Research}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Equity crowdfunding is a method of financing an initiative whereby an entrepreneur sells shares in her firm to a group of people (the crowd) on a dedicated platform. Understanding the forces that shape the behavior of both buyers in the crowd and entrepreneurs in equity crowdfunding platforms can help design more efficient platforms and increase the welfare of all participants. We therefore develop a common value sequential crowdfunding game-theoretic model, where the entrepreneur sells a percentage of her firm in order to raise money for its establishment and then shares the future value of the firm with the crowd. Buyers on the platform who visit the campaign decide whether or not to invest in it. Each buyer{\textquoteright}s decision depends on the amount that has already been invested before him and on his own knowledge about the firm and the market in which it operates (which we model as a noisy signal that he obtains regarding the true value of the firm). By offering a different percentage in the firm, the entrepreneur leads the crowd to a different equilibrium. We characterize these equilibria and then analyze the entrepreneur{\textquoteright}s decision. We show that the entrepreneur{\textquoteright}s optimal percentage she offers for sale is non monotonic in the ex-ante probability of success. This is in-line with recent empirical findings. We further show that when buyers{\textquoteright} signals are very noisy, the entrepreneur may prefer buyers that have a less accurate signal regarding the true value of the firm over buyers with a more accurate signal.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2025.07.004}, author = {Hana Tzur and Ella Segev} } @article {3202926, title = {Conversion}, journal = {Encyclopedia of Religious Psychology and Behavior}, year = {2025}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-38971-9_800-1}, author = {Yaakov Greenwald and Ariel Knafo-Noam} } @article {3202925, title = { Deliberate ignorance in resource allocations to others: The role of entitlement }, journal = {Current Opinion in Psychology}, volume = {65}, year = {2025}, abstract = {This paper explores the role of self-image concerns and a sense of entitlement in decisions involving resource allocation, when individuals can choose to seek or avoid information about the needs of others. We review research showing that people often engage in willful ignorance to protect their moral self-image while pursuing their self-interest. We propose, however, that to fully understand self-image protection as a driver of deliberate ignorance, it is essential to examine the underlying attitudes that support and sustain this motivation. As an example, we highlight the moderating role of entitlement, showing that individuals with a high sense of entitlement are less likely to avoid information and more likely to help. These findings underscore the interplay between moral self-concept and worldview in shaping social behavior.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102089}, author = {Ilana Ritov and Stephen M. Garcia} } @article {3202924, title = { Tired of war: Changes in the sleep of the Israeli civilian population in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war }, journal = {International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology}, volume = {25}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

Study Objectives

War profoundly impacts various aspects of human life. The effects of war on sleep have been mainly studied among military personnel who are directly exposed to combat. The present work studies changes in sleep patterns of the civilian population following a war, assessing sleep before and during the 2023-2024 Israel{\textendash}Hamas war.

Methods

Study 1 compared the national prevalence of insomnia before and during the war by analyzing data from the 2023 Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics survey (N\ = 6,474). Studies 2 and 3 comprehensively assessed reports on sleep before the war and 2-3 months into the war through validated tools, and also measured psychological distress and demographics. These studies included two independent samples (N\ = 1,706), one of which was representative of the Israeli population. Study 4 re-surveyed the representative sample of Study 3 six months into the war (N\ = 273).

Results

In Study 1, the incidence of insomnia symptoms rose markedly during the war. In Studies 2 and 3, participants reported a 19-22 \% increase in the prevalence of short sleep (\< 6 hours/night), a 16-19 \% increase in clinical insomnia, and a 4-5 \% increase in sleep medication usage compared to before the war. In Study 4, 6 months into the war, the majority of sleep impairments persisted despite reduced psychological distress. Across studies, women and individuals with greater exposure to trauma were more strongly affected.

Conclusions

The findings of four studies demonstrate the detrimental effects of warfare on civilians{\textquoteright} sleep, indicating that these effects are likely long-lasting. The findings identify precursors for sleep problems and underscore the relationships between sleep, trauma, and psychological distress.

}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100596}, author = {Uri Zak and Shoham Choshen-Hillel and Hagit Hochner and Alex Gileles-Hillel} } @article {3202923, title = { Corporate Governance Outside Wall Street }, journal = {Texas A\&M Law Review}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

}, url = {https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1384\&context=lawreview}, author = {Gideon Parchomovsky and Asaf Eckstein} } @article {3202922, title = { Values and educational decisions: How do values relate to adolescents\’ academic track choices? }, journal = {European Journal of Psychology of Education}, volume = {40}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Values are central for life choices, including vocational and academic decisions. Importantly, vocational choices begin within the school system, where selecting specific study tracks can impact later career development. How do values relate to adolescents{\textquoteright} academic track choices? Study 1 focused on Israeli students who chose exact science tracks compared to those who chose other tracks. Adolescents, reached through panel recruitment (N = 216, age:\ M = 16.66, SD = 0.95; 63\% female), reported their values and listed their academic tracks. Openness to change related positively to studying in exact science tracks. Study 2 used a different approach, with Israeli participants, recruited through social media (N = 125, age:\ M = 17.21, SD = 0.60; 52\% female), self-reporting their main academic track and values. Additionally, a new questionnaire was introduced to measure the students{\textquoteright} value-based academic goals (VAGS). Exact science students held the highest self-enhancement academic goals, conservation values, and conservation academic goals. Artistic students had the highest openness values and the lowest conservation values and academic goals. Psychology students had the highest self-transcendence values and academic goals and lowest openness to change academic goals. Additionally, exact science students prioritized long-term goals more than those in other tracks. Similarities and differences in the two samples{\textquoteright} findings are discussed, in light of the different strategies to assign students to their study tracks. Results are reviewed in light of Schwartz{\textquoteright}s values theory and Holland{\textquoteright}s vocational environment model, promoting our understanding of the association between values and high school academic track choices. Theoretical and practical implications are suggested for the concepts of value-based academic goals.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-025-00964-4}, author = {Hila Segal and Shira Whartman and Ariel Knafo-Noam} } @article {3202921, title = { Stability and robustness of idiosyncratic choice bias }, journal = {Communications Psychology}, volume = {3}, year = {2025}, abstract = {A well-known observation in repeated-choice experiments is that a tendency to prefer one response over the others emerges if the feedback consistently favors that response. Choice bias, a tendency to prefer one response over the others, however, is not restricted to biased-feedback settings and is also observed when the feedback is unbiased. In fact, participant-specific choice bias, known as idiosyncratic choice bias (ICB), is common even in symmetrical experimental settings in which feedback is completely absent. Here we ask whether feedback-induced bias and ICB share a common mechanism. Specifically, we ask whether ICBs reflect idiosyncrasies in choice-feedback associations\ prior\ to the measurement of the ICB. To address this question, we compared the long-term dynamics of ICBs with feedback-induced biases in two longitudinal experiments involving 319 participants. We show that while feedback effectively induced choice preferences, its effect was transient and diminished within several weeks. By contrast, we show that ICBs remained stable for at least 22 months. These results indicate that different mechanisms underlie the idiosyncratic and feedback-induced biases.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-025-00263-0}, author = {Lior Lebovich and Lea Kaplan and David Hansel and Yonatan Loewenstein} } @article {3202920, title = { The Distance Factor in Remedies }, journal = {Journal of Empirical Legal Studies}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

This article proposes a new classification of legal remedies that cuts across existing classifications. It argues that all remedies involving the transfer of resources are positioned along a continuum from close to remote, which determines their {\textquotedblleft}distance factor.{\textquotedblright} The basic distinction is between remedies provided directly by the injurer to the injured and remedies that are provided through third parties. The article presents the results of two original, preregistered experiments designed to examine the effect of the distance factor on perceptions of, and preferences for, various remedies from the perspectives of both the injured and injurers. The experiments reveal that even when the remedy is monetary, both injured and injurers prefer the remedy with the smaller distance factor. Specifically, both parties believe that direct compensation leads to better outcomes than payment via a third party with regard to rectifying the harm done, granting satisfaction to the injured, treating the injured and injurer with respect, improving the bilateral relations, and increasing the injurer{\textquoteright}s sense of responsibility for the harm. These findings are relevant to the various goals that the law wishes to promote, such as corrective justice, economic efficiency, or distributive justice. They vindicate the importance of private law, offer a more attractive justification for it than the one offered by Civil Recourse Theory, and support pluralism in remedial modes.

}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jels.12414}, author = {Daphna Lewinsohn-Zamir and Ilana Ritov} } @article {3202919, title = { Behavior engineering using quantitative reinforcement learning models }, journal = {Nature Communications}, volume = {16}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Effectively shaping human and animal behavior is of great practical and theoretical importance. Here we ask whether quantitative models of choice can be used to achieve this goal more effectively than qualitative psychological principles. We term this approach, which is motivated by the effectiveness of engineering in the natural sciences, {\textquoteleft}choice engineering{\textquoteright}. To address this question, we launched an academic competition, in which teams of academic competitors used either quantitative models or qualitative principles to design reward schedules that would maximally bias the choices of experimental participants in a repeated, two-alternative task. We found that a choice engineering approach is the most successful method for shaping behavior in our task. This is a proof of concept that quantitative models are ripe to be used in order to engineer behavior. Finally, we show that choice engineering can be effectively used to compare models in the cognitive sciences, thus providing an alternative to the standard statistical methods of model comparison that are based on likelihood or explained variance.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58888-y}, author = {Ohad Dan and Ori Plonsky and Yonatan Loewenstein} } @article {3202918, title = {Restraining State Theft: Tyler v. Hennepin County and Home Equity Protection}, journal = {Cato Institute}, year = {2025}, abstract = {This article discusses the Supreme Court case Tyler v. Hennepin County, which addressed the issue of home equity theft when local governments foreclose on properties for unpaid taxes and keep the surplus funds. The Court unanimously ruled that retaining surplus equity constitutes a taking under the Fifth Amendment, requiring just compensation to the homeowner. The decision strengthens property rights, particularly for lower-income individuals who are disproportionately affected by such practices. Analysis shows that the decision led to an increase in the sales prices of low-value homes in states that had previously engaged in home equity theft.}, url = {https://coilink.org/20.500.12592/10r80zh}, author = {Jonathan Klick and Gideon Parchomovsky} } @article {3202917, title = {The Renaissance of Private Law}, journal = {Northwestern University Law Review}, year = {2025}, url = {https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/faculty_articles/549/}, author = {Gideon Parchomovsky and Yotam Kaplan and Adi Libson} } @article {3202916, title = {Restraining \&$\#$39;Theft by the State\&$\#$39;}, journal = {Regulation}, volume = {48}, year = {2025}, abstract = {The article focuses on the Supreme Court{\textquoteright}s 2023 ruling on home equity theft, affirming that property rights extend beyond the wealthy. Topics include the legal arguments surrounding Geraldine Tyler{\textquoteright}s case against Hennepin County, the broader impact of similar laws in various states, and the economic effects of the ruling on low-value home prices.}, url = {https://research.ebsco.com/c/uccnb4/viewer/pdf/blbfnsj7in}, author = {Jonathan Klick and Gideon Parchomovsky} } @article {3202915, title = {The rise and the fall of Chthamalus southwardi}, journal = {Marine Biology Research}, volume = {21}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

Morphological study and molecular analysis reveal that the population of chthamalids from Seychelles Islands belongs to the species\ Tetrachthamalus obliterratus.\ Previously, this population was regarded as\ Chthamalus southwardi. Thus, our study leads to the conclusion that\ Chthamalus southwardi\ is a junior synonym of\ Tetrachthamalus oblitteratus\ and should be abandoned. The molecular comparison between the population of Seychelles and that of Elat (on the Red Sea), using three markers {\textendash} COI, 12S rRNA, and NaKA {\textendash} suggests that these populations present two distinct clades of\ Tetrachthamalus oblitteratus.

}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2025.2484301}, author = {Noa Simon-Blecher and Uzi Motro and Yair Achituv} } @article {3202914, title = { A multilingual app for studying children\’s developing values: Introducing a new Arabic translation of the picture-based values survey and comparison of Palestinian and Jewish children in Israel. }, journal = {Developmental Psychology}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Although over 250 million people speak Arabic as their first language, only a minuscule fraction of developmental science studies Arab children. As values are a core component of culture, understanding how values develop is key to understanding development across cultures. Little is known about young Arab children{\textquoteright}s values. We developed an Arabic version of the Picture-Based Value Survey for Children and implemented it in a multilingual application, adapted for 5-year-olds by recording the instructions and value item captions. We then compared the results in Arabic to those from the more established Hebrew version, with Hebrew-speaking children as a comparison group. A pilot study (N\ = 63) provided preliminary support that the measure is working well in Arabic and Hebrew. In Study 2, four hundred 5- to 12-year-old children reported their values (50\% in Arabic, 50\% in Hebrew) in a preregistered study. Multidimensional scaling analyses revealed structural patterns that closely correspond to Schwartz{\textquoteright}s (1992) theoretical structure in both languages. Replicating past findings, power values were less important than benevolence in both cultural groups, and girls ranked self-enhancement values lower than boys (but not in Hebrew speakers). We further explored age and cultural differences in value development. Value consistency increased with age in both cultures, peaking at age 9{\textendash}10. Cultural comparisons revealed several differences in value importance between the two cultures and lower value consistency and coherence in Arabic-speaking children. These results establish a tool for studying value development in Arab children and, more broadly, understanding the basic motivations driving populations that were hardly studied before.\ }, url = {https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001957}, author = {Aysheh Maslamani and Ella Daniel and Anna K. D{\"o}ring and Yuval Hart and Iyas Nasser and Ariel Knafo-Noam} } @article {3202913, title = { Individual versus social optimization in statistical estimation }, journal = {Operations Research Letters}, volume = {61}, year = {2025}, abstract = {A number of estimators participate in a non-cooperative game where the data they collect are reported to a central planner who takes decisions. She in her turn decides on the estimates to be imposed on the participants. Because they are aware of this, they may behave strategically and misreport. We exemplify this decision making process where the James-Stein{\textquoteright}s estimator is used by the central planner. In particular, we consider the resulting optimization or Nash equilibria reporting strategies in a number of variations of this game.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orl.2025.107284}, author = {Moshe Haviv} } @article {3196457, title = {Restraining \&$\#$39;Theft by the State\&$\#$39;}, journal = {Regulation}, volume = {48}, year = {2025}, abstract = { }, url = {https://research.ebsco.com/c/uccnb4/viewer/pdf/blbfnsj7in}, author = {Jonathan Klick and Gideon Parchomovsky} } @article {3194349, title = { Urges now, interests later: On the factors and dynamics of epistemic curiosity }, journal = {Cognition}, volume = {259}, year = {2025}, abstract = {More information today is becoming more accessible to more people at an ever-growing rate. How does epistemic curiosity operate in this expanding informational landscape? We test a novel theory which postulates that experienced curiosity is a function of two psychological factors: Interest, which is cognitive, {\textquotedblleft}cool{\textquotedblright} and relatively stable in time, and Urge that is {\textquotedblleft}hot{\textquotedblright} and quick to rise and decay. These factors determine one{\textquoteright}s experienced curiosity at any given point in time. Interestingly, these temporal dynamics may lead to time-dependent changes in epistemic choices. In a series of forced-choice experiments (n\ =\ 702), participants chose between receiving answers to either high-Urge or high-Interest questions. Consistent with predictions derived from our theory, we found a present-bias in preference for Urge. Our theory explains why, in stark contrast to individual interest and with the potential to derail public discourse, a competition for our attention inherently incentivizes the use of inciting and sensational information. We present and test a theory-based behavioral nudge that partially ameliorates these effects.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2025.106107}, author = {Ohad Dan and Maya Leshkowitz and Ohad Livnat and Ran R. Hassin} } @article {3194348, title = { Children Subjected to Forced Separation and Wartime Trauma: Focus on Hostage Twins in the Hamas-Israel War }, journal = {International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice}, year = {2025}, abstract = {An especially critical task is to raise awareness of the effects of war on children, in general, and with reference to specific children whose circumstances might enhance their vulnerability. Starting points, from which we begin our discussion, are the abduction and separation of 3-year-old identical twins during the Hamas attacks on the South of Israel, on October 7, 2023. Emphasis is given to these twins{\textquoteright} circumstances and to all children{\textquoteright}s heightened vulnerability to the detrimental effects of war-related trauma, including mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Specific attention is given to the profound bond between identical twins and the devastating consequences of separation on their immediate and long-term emotional well-being. Drawing on research findings surrounding children at war and on historical evidence for the effects of twin separation on individuals exposed to war, our commentary underscores the urgent need for awareness and condemnation of the direct targeting of children. We advocate the preservation of family ties as essential for fostering children{\textquoteright}s resilience and emotional support. We also call upon professional organizations and the international community to prioritize the reunification of children with their families as a moral imperative in safeguarding the well-being and future of innocent children exposed to terrorism and conflict in war-torn regions.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-025-00225-3}, author = {Ariel Knafo-Noam and Nancy L. Segal} } @article {3194347, title = {Grading Patents}, journal = {Washington University Law Review}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

In this Article, we offer a new design for our patent system with a view

to optimize its functioning. As multiple patent scholars have recognized, the

root cause of the ills of our patent system is the high rate of low-quality

patents. Extant patent law employs a binary screening process, under which

inventions either qualify for protection or fail. Thereafter, all qualifying

inventions are entitled to the same level of protection irrespective of the

degree of their novelty, utility and nonobviousness. As we establish

throughout this Article, patent law{\textquoteright}s failure to distinguish among inventions

based on their quality greatly undermines the patent system{\textquoteright}s principal

objective of optimally incentivizing and adequately rewarding innovative

progress. Society, at least in principle, ends up paying the same price for

all qualifying inventions, regardless of their level of innovation and

improvement upon the prior art.

}, url = {https://wustllawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/13_Parchomovsky-Baharad_FINAL-1.27.pdf}, author = {ROY BAHARAD and Gideon Parchomovsky} } @article {3194346, title = { Individual differences in prioritization for consciousness and the conscious detection of changes }, journal = {Consciousness and Cognition}, volume = {129}, year = {2025}, abstract = {A recent discovery documented robust and reliable individual differences in how quickly people become aware of non-conscious visual stimuli (Sklar, Goldstein, et al., 2021). Given the seemingly large role that conscious experiences play in our lives, this trait is likely to be associated with later cognitive, emotional, and motivational processes. Here we examine the possible implications of this trait to perceptual conscious experiences. In two experiments we demonstrate that the speed of prioritization to awareness is correlated with the ability to notice changes in a change blindness paradigm. The first experiment (N = 97) found a correlation between prioritization speed and multiple parameters of change blindness performance. The second, preregistered, replication experiment (N = 99), further demonstrated that variability in other perceptual-decision making tasks cannot account for this correlation. The results of both experiments suggest that prioritization speed is tightly related with conscious experiences in other situations.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2025.103831}, author = {Gal R. Chen and Yuval Harris and Ran R. Hassin} } @article {3191918, title = {Human-induced pheromone pollution leads to changes in alternative mating tactics of moths}, journal = {Behavioral Ecology}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Environmental changes driven by anthropogenic activities often disrupt animal communication and mating behavior. Consequently, these changes may force animals to adopt alternative mating tactics and strategies to find a mate. The mating disruption technique is an environmentally friendly tactic often used to control the pink-bollworm moth population in cotton fields. Though mating disruption is eco-friendly, it represents a Human-Induced Rapid Environmental Change for the targeted moths. Mating disruption involves spreading a synthetic version of the species-specific sex pheromone in the field, creating a pheromone-polluted environment, making it difficult for male moths to locate females and thereby reducing mating rates. We hypothesized that the intense sexual selection and environmental changes affecting communication would lead moths to increase their use of alternative mating strategies. An observed alternative mating behavior in male pink bollworm moths is disturbing mating pairs to displace the male and mate with the female. We compared this behavior between two populations and found that males long exposed to mating disruption disturbed mating pairs more frequently than those never exposed to it. In addition, males with a prolonged history of exposure to mating disruption showed reduced choosiness of females and increased their mating rate with small females of lower reproductive potential. The success rate of the observed couple disturbance was low. Nonetheless, this strategy, alongside other strategies, may contribute to the males{\textquoteright} reproductive success when facing the additional challenge of locating females due to the pheromone-polluted environment.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araf010}, author = {Shevy Waner Rips and Michal Motro and Uzi Motro and Oren Kolodny and Ally Harari} } @article {3191917, title = { Diversification of social complexity following a major evolutionary transition in bees }, journal = {Current Biology}, year = {2025}, abstract = {How social complexity evolved remains a long-standing enigma. In most animal groups, social complexity is typically classified into a few discrete classes. This approach is oversimplified and constrains our inference of social evolution to a narrow trajectory consisting of transitions between classes. Such categorical classifications also limit quantitative studies on the molecular and environmental drivers of social complexity. The recent accumulation of relevant quantitative data has set the stage to overcome these limitations. Here, we propose a data-driven, high-dimensional approach for studying the full diversity of social phenotypes. We curated and analyzed a comprehensive dataset encompassing 17 social traits across 80 species and studied the evolution of social complexity in bees. We found that honey bees, stingless bees, and bumble bees underwent a major evolutionary transition \~{}80 mya, inconsistent with the stepwise progression of the social ladder conceptual framework. This major evolutionary transition was followed by a phase of substantial phenotypic diversification of social complexity. Other bee lineages display a continuum of social complexity, ranging from solitary to simple societies, but do not reach the levels of social complexity seen in honey bees, stingless bees, and bumble bees. Bee evolution, therefore, provides a remarkable demonstration of a macroevolutionary process in which a major transition removed biological constraints and opened novel evolutionary opportunities, driving the exploration of the landscape of social phenotypes. Our approach can be extended to incorporate additional data types and readily applied to illuminate the evolution of social complexity in other animal groups.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.009}, author = {Ohad Peled and Gili Greenbaum and Guy Bloch} } @article {3191916, title = {Restless nights, cold hearts: Poor sleep causally blunts empathy}, journal = {International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology}, volume = {25}, year = {2025}, abstract = {

Poor sleep is pervasive in modern society. Poor sleep is associated with major physical and mental health consequences, as well as with impaired cognitive function. Less is known about the relationship between sleep and emotional and interpersonal behavior. In this work, we investigate whether poor sleep impairs empathy, an important building block of human interaction and prosocial behavior. We aimed to capture the effects of poor sleep on the various aspects of empathy: trait and state, affect and cognition.

Study 1 (n = 155) assessed daily habitual sleep over several days, and global sleep quality in the past month. Participants who reported worse sleep quality exhibited lower empathic caring and perspective-taking traits. Study 2 (n = 347) induced a one-night disruption of sleep continuity to test a causal relationship between sleep and empathy. Participants in the sleep disrupted condition had to briefly wake up five times over the night, whereas the sleep-rested controls slept normally. In the next morning, participants{\textquoteright} empathy and prosocial intentions were assessed. Participants in the sleep disruption condition exhibited lower empathic sensitivity and less prosocial decision-making than sleep-rested controls.

The main contribution of this work is in providing a robust demonstration of the multi-faceted detrimental effects of poor sleep on trait and state empathy. Our findings demonstrate that poor sleep causally impairs empathic response to the suffering of others. These findings highlight the need for greater public attention to adequate sleep, which may impact empathy on a societal level.

}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2025.100548}, author = {Tom Gordon-Hecker and Shoham Choshen-Hillel and Eti Ben-Simon and Matthew P. Walker and Anat Perry and Alex Gileles-Hillel} } @article {3191346, title = { Profound individual differences in contextualized emotion perception }, journal = {Journal of Experimental Psychology: General}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Emotion perception is a fundamental aspect of our lives because others{\textquoteright} emotions may provide important information about their reactions, attitudes, intentions, and behavior. Following the seminal work of Ekman, much of the research on emotion perception has focused on facial expressions. Recent evidence suggests, however, that facial expressions may be more ambiguous than previously assumed and that context also plays an important role in deciphering the emotional states of others. Here, we adopt a novel approach, breaking down the means and documenting a robust trait in emotion perception. In six experiments with 671 participants, we find evidence for striking individual differences in emotion perception, with different people presenting profound differences in weighting the face versus the extrafacial context. Importantly, these differences are stable over time, stimuli, and paradigms. Our data show that individuals are interpreting identical emotional displays as communicating different emotions. Implications of these robust differences are discussed.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001692}, author = {Noga Ensenberg-Diamant and Ran R. Hassin and Hillel Aviezer} } @article {3191082, title = {Cultural innovation is not only a product of cognition but also of cultural context}, journal = {Behavioral and Brain Sciences}, year = {2025}, abstract = {Innovations, such as symbolic artifacts, are a product of cognitive abilities but also of cultural context. Factors that may determine the emergence and retention of an innovation include the population{\textquoteright}s pre-existing cultural repertoire, exposure to relevant ways of thinking, and the invention{\textquoteright}s utility. Thus, we suggest that the production of symbolic artifacts is not guaranteed even in cognitively advanced societies.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X2400089X}, author = {Yotam Ben-Oren and Erella Hovers and Oren Kolodny and Nicole Creanza} } @article {3191080, title = { Financial market exposure increases generalized trust }, journal = {Journal of Public Economics}, year = {2025}, abstract = {How can we build trust, especially in polarized societies? We propose that exposure to broad financial markets{\textemdash}where individuals place their assets in the hands of large groups of unfamiliar agents who nonetheless have the incentive and ability to promote their interests{\textemdash}can contribute to generalized trust. In a randomized controlled trial, we encourage Israelis to hold or trade stocks for up to seven weeks. We find that participation in financial markets increases the probability of expressing generalized trust by about 6 percentage points, equivalent to a quarter of the control group mean. The effects seem to be driven by political partisans along the left{\textendash}right spectrum in Israel, and are robust to negative price changes. Thus,\ trust is not only a cause but can also be an effect of participation in financial markets.}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2025.105303}, author = {Saumitra Jha and Moses Shayo and Chagai M. Weiss} }