Articles in 2022

‘Vocal bursts’ such as sighs, shrieks and shouts are human emotional vocalizations. In this study, Brooks et al. reveal similarities and differences in the emotional meaning of vocal bursts across five cultures.

Although we have been able to track how cultural innovations spread among farming populations in prehistoric Europe, we know relatively little about this among European hunter-gatherers. Dolbunova et al. use a range of techniques to shed light on how the making and use of pottery spread among early-to-mid-Holocene hunter-gatherers west of the Urals.

Analysis of pottery made and used by hunter-gatherers in northeastern Europe in the sixth millennium bc supports the existence of super-regional networks enabling cultural transmission long before the arrival of farming.

Yu et al. examine whether cooking is associated with all-cause and cardiopulmonary mortality. They find that lower mortality risks are associated with cooking with clean fuels, and this may be partly attributed to increased household physical activity.

In 11,407 children, Baldwin et al. report gene–environment correlations between polygenic scores for psychiatric disorders and adverse childhood experiences, as well as partial genetic confounding of associations between adverse childhood experiences and mental health.

US universities have made public commitments to recruit and retain faculty of colour. Analysis of three federal datasets shows that at current rates diversity in US faculty will never reach racial parity. Yet, colleges and universities could achieve parity by 2050 by diversifying their faculty at 3.5 times the current pace.

Kristal et al. find that rewriting a résumé so that previously held jobs are listed with the number of years worked (instead of employment dates) increases callbacks from real employers compared to résumés without employment gaps by approximately 8%.

Based on her own experience, Gabrielle Wong-Parodi describes how a community-engaged approach has the potential to strengthen research and increase its impact.

This research finds that negative adjectives evolve faster over history than positive adjectives, with limited evidence for other parts of speech. Individual people are also more likely to replace negative words than positive words.

Using data from 15 countries, Penner et al. find that women earn less than men who are working for the same employer in the same occupation. These results highlight the continued importance of equal pay for equal work.

When the term ‘vaccine hesitancy’ first appeared, it was deemed ambiguous and difficult to measure. A systematic review of published articles on vaccine hesitancy suggests it should be defined as a state of indecisiveness regarding a vaccination decision, independently of behaviour, and that it needs new modes of analysis and measurement.

Trophy hunting remains a high-octane debate for scholars and actors at various levels, including governments, lobbies, supranational bodies, local communities and broader publics. These actors are often driven by a range of competing interests. Bridging the divides will require collaboration and a focus on shared goals.

Goldenberg et al. find that people are attracted to social ties who are more politically extreme, rather than moderate. This tendency, called acrophily, is shown to occur when people select ties on the basis of both emotions and attitudes to political issues.

This paper uses historical folklore to show that a society’s degree of market interactions is strongly associated with the cultural salience of prosocial behaviour, interpersonal trust, universalist moral values, and emotions of guilt and shame.

Climate change is an immense challenge. Human behaviour is crucial in climate change mitigation, and in tackling the arising consequences. In this joint Focus issue between Nature Climate Change and Nature Human Behaviour, we take a closer look at the role of human behaviour in the climate crisis.

Many academic researchers wish to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation in relevant ways, but do not know how. Wolfgang Knorr, cofounder of ‘Faculty for a Future’, talks to Nature Human Behaviour about how academic researchers can create meaningful impact and can help to address the climate crisis

Licypriya Kangujam is a 10-year-old climate change activist from India. She also founded the Child Movement to raise the voices of the children of the world in the fight against climate change. In conversation with Nature Human Behaviour, she talks in her own words about her motivation to become an activist and her wishes for the future.

Applying behavioural science can support system-level change for climate protection. Behavioural scientists should provide reliable large-scale data that help in understanding public perceptions and behaviours. Governments should secure infrastructure for data collection and the implementation of evidence.

This Review by Neil Adger and colleagues examines the multiple dimensions of human well-being that are affected by climate change. The authors propose policy and research priorities that are oriented towards supporting well-being.