Articles in 2018

Online communication has become integral to modern political behaviour — to the extent that events online both reflect and influence actions offline. A study uses geolocated Twitter data to argue that moralization of protests leads to violent protests and increased support for violence.

Polling problems in recent elections have called into question whether sample surveys can still produce valid data. A new study provides reassurance.

Growing evidence links adverse childhood experiences to health problems decades later. A study of adults followed in midlife finds that perceived social support predicts lower subsequent mortality, particularly for adults reporting child abuse, suggesting that supportive relationships buffer long-term health in the context of early maltreatment.

Asymmetric social boundaries allow a minority culture to reap the benefits of outside interaction while maintaining its distinctiveness. This opens questions about the nature of intergroup interactions and whether such boundaries are the only way to preserve valued cultural norms.

With just a handful of modifications to their social networks, individuals and groups can reduce the likelihood that they will be detected by others using standard social network analysis algorithms.

How social norms evolve over time and what affects their evolution are central questions in the literature about norms. A study suggests that over time, hygiene and violence norms have become stricter, because those who prefer strict norms sanction those who prefer loose norms more than sanctioning in the other direction.

The social function of witchcraft accusations remains opaque. An empirical study of Chinese villagers shows that the label ‘z hu’influences who interacts across a social network, but appears not to tag defectors in service of promoting cooperation. An open question thus remains: from witchcraft to gossip, which accusations stick?