In a new book, an MIT scholar examines how game-theory logic underpins many of our seemingly odd and irrational decisions.

A new machine-learning system helps robots understand and perform certain social interactions.

An experiment in Indonesia shows how much subsidies and in-person assistance spur people to get insurance — and how many people stop trying.

PhD student Ying Gao's research reveals that the urban poor in the developing world are politically engaged and capable of effecting change.

Political science PhD student Emilia Simison has found that despotic regimes vary, and the move to democracy doesn’t necessarily guarantee policy change.

Analysis of Medicare data finds location matters, not just past health behavior.

Experiment with working poor in India finds no impact from more night sleep, though naps help; rest quality may be key.

Researchers find improvement in relative retention of women but predict decades of sustained effort are required to achieve gender parity.

Globally, people follow a “visitation law” — an inverse relationship between distance and frequency of visits.

In the U.S. and globally, cultures with a high level of collectivism tend to encourage masking during the pandemic.