The typical adult in the UK spends nearly two hours on social media per day. And for younger users, this can easily be up to five hours. The likes of Instagram or TikTok seem to draw us into their ever-changing feeds and it’s difficult to tear ourselves away from these platforms. Now our latest study shows that even our […] … learn more→

We often set ambitious goals, such as going to the gym, adopting healthier eating habits, or reducing our social media use. However, despite our best intentions, staying committed can often feel like an uphill battle. A review of evidence published in 2024 highlights why. While understanding the benefits of behaviour change and believing in its value […] … learn more→

Not long ago I attended a concert. It was a band that I had been waiting a while to see and so I was excited to be there in the crowd. Part way through, they played my favourite song and I noticed that I felt something different. It felt like a pinnacle moment where the […] … learn more→

Imagine you are asked to give a small amount of money to a stranger. It’s not your money, so it doesn’t cost you anything. You’re just deciding how much they get. But first, a pair of coins is flipped – one for you and one for the stranger – and you are told the results. […] … learn more→

I teach a course on the relationship between social media and society at Durham College. As part of their assessments, I ask my students to reflect on their social media use. A recurring theme is that they cannot be separated from their smartphones. Many admit to spending significant time daily on social media watching short videos without […] … learn more→

It all begins innocently – a late-night peek at your favourite social media site before bed. You catch a headline that grabs your attention with “breaking news” you can’t afford to miss. Like following digital breadcrumbs, one click leads to another. Before you know it, you’re tumbling down a rabbit hole of endless updates and […] … learn more→

During a long holiday period like the one we just went through, many parents spend more time with their teenagers and monitor their screen time in the hope that they will get outside. They will be keeping an eye on one type of behavior in particular: time spent scrolling . In particular, doomscrolling , which involves scrolling endlessly across […] … learn more→

Imagine attending a funeral where the person who has died speaks directly to you, answering your questions and sharing memories. This happened at the funeral of Marina Smith, a Holocaust educator who died in 2022. Thanks to an AI technology company called StoryFile, Smith seemed to interact naturally with her family and friends. The system used prerecorded […] … learn more→

We all have different ways of understanding and processing information and, beyond our intellectual capacity, people develop executive skills from childhood that allow us to adapt to the environment. These are the skills that come into play when we learn. In fact, learning styles and executive functions are intrinsically related, as both influence how people […] … learn more→

Title of course: “Economic Realities of the American Dream” What prompted the idea for the course? One of us – Steve Fazzari – was trained as an economist, and the other – Mark Rank – as a sociologist. We’ve shared scholarly interests over the years as colleagues at Washington University in St. Louis. But our teaching partnership really began […] … learn more→