Personality Traits Shape Our Prosocial Behavior
Why do some people do more for the community than others? A new study now shows that personality traits such as extraversion and agreeableness correlate with volunteering and charitable giving.
Arts and Social Sciences
Article list Arts and Social Sciences
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Current AI Risks More Alarming than Apocalyptic Future Scenarios
Most people are generally more concerned about the immediate risks of artificial intelligence than about a theoretical future in which AI threatens humanity. This is shown by a new study from the University of Zurich. -
“A colonial ruler in trouble”
Europe is a major trading partner for India. And yet, India doesn’t see its future in the Old Continent, says Indian studies scholar Nicolas Martin. The country is particularly sensitive to criticism coming from the West. -
“Europeans must have confidence in the future”
To be able to play up its economic strengths against China and the US, Europe should aim to eliminate barriers in its internal market and not try to regulate everything down to the smallest detail. -
China-Europe relations
As the EU distances itself from China, Switzerland is forging closer ties with the country, says sinologist Simona Grano. Europe’s future relations with China will be shaped by security concerns. -
Investing in Early Years
Schools should offer all children the same opportunities. However, things don’t always work out this way. Education researcher Kaspar Burger looks at the reasons why, and what could be done to increase equal opportunities. -
“Schools reproduce inequality”
What should schools be doing to ensure that our kids can learn successfully and develop positively? In this interview, educational scientists Katharina Maag Merki and Roland Reichenbach share their views. -
The Strength of a United Europe
Europe currently faces challenges on multiple fronts: internally from populism, and externally from China and the US, which under Trump could go from partner to rival. How can Europe respond? -
Understanding Youth Violence
From family problems to lack of self-control to social disadvantage, the causes of youth violence are complex. We look at the reasons and what really helps people get back on track. -
Equipping Children for Life
Parents only have a limited influence on their children’s development. In order to thrive, children above all need to feel safe and secure. Much of the rest happens on its own. -
African Young Adults Balance Self-Determination and Communalism
A new study from the University of Zurich shows that the cultural influence on the transition to adulthood in sub-Saharan Africa is more communal and less self-centered than in Western contexts. -
ChatGPT on the couch: relaxation for stressed AI
Distressing news and traumatic stories can cause anxiety – not only in humans, but also in AI language models. Researchers have now shown that an elevated “anxiety level” in GPT-4 can be “calmed down” using mindfulness-based relaxation techniques. -
Journeying through History
How seabird excrement made history in the Caribbean – the term paper about this topic by history student Vivianne Rhyner received a semester award from UZH. -
Getting to the Roots of Violence
Some regions of the world are dominated by violence, yet elsewhere people lead relatively peaceful lives. The political scientist Enzo Nussio is researching why this is the case and looking for strategies to make countries in Latin America more peaceful. -
Authority or Leniency?
Parents across the world raise their children in different ways. Researchers from UZH investigate how in the World Parenting Survey. -
Social Media Can Make You Happy
Young people spend a lot of their time on TikTok and other platforms. Yet this is no reason for parents to start panicking, according to the media researchers Sandra Cortesi and Daniel Süss. -
The Neuropsychology of Happiness
Children need stimulation and attention for the healthy development of their brains. Neglect can have serious consequences for children’s health, as well as their ability to learn and form relationships. -
Global Trust in Science Remains Strong
Led by UZH and ETH Zurich, a team of 241 researchers conducted the largest post-pandemic study of trust in science, societal expectations and public views on research priorities. -
Automatic Speech Recognition on Par with Humans in Noisy Conditions
Current ASR systems achieve remarkable accuracy and may even surpass human performance. While they need to be trained on an incredible amount of data, humans acquire comparable skills in less time. -
Beatings and Idolization
Back in the 18th century, philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau cast childhood in an entirely new light. His ideas inspired the thinking and writing of generations of authors. But happy childhoods are rarely encountered in literature.