American society may seem more fractured than ever, but cooperation among total strangers has been on the upswing for decades, researchers in China say.

Their conclusion emerged from an analysis of more than 500 studies that tracked cooperation patterns over the past six decades.

The upshot, ...

From the ongoing pandemic and the monkeypox outbreak to the charged political landscape, New York City mom and entrepreneur Lyss Stern has been increasingly anxious.

Stern worries that she will pass all of this fretting down to her 8-year-old daughter, and a new study suggests she just might.

"Children may be more likely to learn anxious behavior if it is being displayed by their s...

If you've ever hesitated to text or email friends you haven't seen in a while, a new study has a reassuring message: They'll probably appreciate it more than you think.

In a series of experiments involving nearly 6,000 adults, researchers found that, in general, people underestimated the value of "reaching out" to someone in their social circle they hadn't contacted in a while.

Reci...

Want to feel you matter after you retire? Start socializing, a new study suggests.

Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis found that positive connections with other people were associated with a sense of purposefulness in older adults.

Having a sense of purpose is...

If you are feeling stressed and depressed, new research suggests that grabbing a trowel and getting your hands dirty may improve your mood.

Researchers found that tending to plants can reap mental health benefits, even for first-time gardeners. The activity was linked to decreased stress, anxiety and depression in h...

Your age may play a huge role in whether you'll decide to get a COVID vaccine, new research finds.

Though vaccine hesitancy due to personal politics has drawn a lot of media attention, a University of Georgia study reveals it's not the only consideration.

The link between vaccines a...

Deep-rooted bias may affect the way white patients physically respond to medical care provided by physicians of differing race or gender.

Researchers assessed treatment reactions of nearly 200 white patients after they were randomly assigned to receive care from a male or female doctor who was either Black, white or Asian.

White patients appeared to improve faster when treated by a...

Using ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft can reduce the number of impaired drivers on the roads, potentially leading to fewer alcohol-related crashes, a new research review confirms.

Review author Christopher Morrison, who studies drinking and the problems it spawns, including assaults, drunken driving and crashes, said the evidence is clear.

"One way to prevent these probl...

Are you plagued by FOMO -- "fear of missing out"? Then silencing your smartphone may not be the stress-buster you think it is.

That's the takeaway from a new study that found many folks check their phones a lot more when they're set to mute or vibrate than when they beep and ring.

"Without any clear 'buzz' or sou...

You and your best friend may have your noses to thank in helping bring you together, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that pairs of friends who'd just "clicked" upon meeting tended to smell more alike, compared to random pairs of strangers. What's more, a high-tech electronic nose was able to predict, based on body odor, which strangers would hit it off during their first interacti...

What goes through your dog's mind when you tell him to find his favorite toy?

Hungarian researchers say Fido relies on a mental image based on sensory features. Dogs call to mind the way that toy looks, feels and smells.

The finding - from the Family Dog Project at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest - was recently published online in the journal