Social Experiment

A trial looked at how reducing a work week to 35 or 36 hours affected worker well-being and productivity

Iceland’s short work week trial declared an “overwhelming success”

A five-year trial in Iceland exploring the effects of a shorter working week is reporting positive outcomes. The results suggest cutting just four or five hours from a work week can lead to increases in worker well-being and improvements in productivity.

Interim data from the SEED trial reveals full-time employment levels in the payment group grew faster than the control

Science

Early results of Californian basic income trial report success

Results from the first year of a small basic income trial in California show those receiving monthly unconditional payments report increased rates of employment and improved mental health. Full results of the 24 month trial will be released next year.

A new report surveys participants in a Canadian basic income experiment that was prematurely cancelled after a little more than a year

Good Thinking

Canada's cancelled basic income trial produces positive results

A report that surveyed over 200 participants from a prematurely cancelled Canadian basic income experiment found participants saw improvements in mental health and social relationships, plus a reduction in the use of general health services.

A new study found that in over 90 percent of cases a bystander intervened in a physical conflict occurring in a public space

Science

Disproving the bystander effect: CCTV study finds people intervene in conflict more than expected

A new study, analyzing real-life incidents caught on CCTV, challenges the long-held proposition that bystanders are generally passive, and will not help others in situations of public assault. It found bystanders do intervene in the vast majority of violent incidents that unfold in public spaces.

Despite over 500 million years of evolutionary divergence, a new study suggests both humans and octopuses respond to MDMA in the same way

Biology

Why scientists gave ecstasy to octopuses

If you've ever wondered what would happen if you gave an octopus a strong dose of ecstasy then wonder no more. Researchers have recently revealed the results of experiments finding that social behavior can be triggered in a particularly asocial species of octopus through exposure to MDMA.

The study found sleep-deprived people were less attractive to others and made normal subjects feel more lonely

Society & Community

Bad sleep increases feelings of loneliness - and it may be contagious

A new study from UC Berkeley investigated the relationship between poor sleep and loneliness finding people tend to withdraw and avoid social interaction after even a single night’s disrupted sleep, and what's more, those feelings could be contagious.

Researchers from MIT have developed an AI system that can detect the tone of a conversation

Science

Eavesdropping AI detects the tone of conversations

MIT researchers have developed a system that can detect whether the tone of a conversation is happy, sad or neutral. For those with conditions that make it difficult to understand regular social cues, this could offer a future where a digital social coach in the pocket could help relieve anxiety.

Virtual Reality

British artist pledges 28 days in isolation wearing a VR headset

In a attempt to look at how our relationship with technology can potentially change our inherent identity, British artist Mark Farid is pledging to spend 28 days in isolation wearing a virtual reality headset.