Tag Archives: Human behavior

13Mar/23

Uncovering the secret religious and spiritual lives of sex workers

Daisy Matthews, Nottingham Trent University and Jane Pilcher, Nottingham Trent University

Tanya* is telling me just how important her Methodist Christianity is to her. We’re chatting over a video call, and I can see Tanya’s living room in the background. This also happens to be her workspace because Tanya, who is 50, is a full-time phone and cam sex worker. For Tanya, earning her living through sex work does not conflict with her religious beliefs at all. Tanya tells me that she had a client who talked to her about his enjoyment of wearing women’s clothing. He confided in her because they both shared the same religious identity.

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17Feb/23

Kids’ online safety: A fragile balance

By Samuel Woodhams | Digital rights researcher and journalist

Last week, Joe Biden sounded the alarm over the lack of child protections online during his State of the Union address. He called for a ban on the collection of kids’ personal data and the prohibition of targeted advertising to children, saying: “We must finally hold social media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit.”
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14Feb/23

Five things research can teach us about having better sex, according to a sex therapist

Chantal Gautier, University of Westminster

Sex can be wonderful, but it can also be tricky. Science may be the furthest thing from your mind when you’re getting intimate with someone. But actually, there’s a lot we can learn from science when it comes to sex.

The science of sex is a broad field of research that encompasses many aspects of human sexuality, from physiology to the psychological and social factors that influence sexual behaviour.

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13Feb/23

Psychopaths: why they’ve thrived through evolutionary history – and how that may change

Jonathan R Goodman, University of Cambridge

When you start to notice them, psychopaths seem to be everywhere. This is especially true of people in powerful places. By one estimate, as many as 20% of business leaders have “clinically relevant levels” of psychopathic tendencies – despite the fact as little as 1% of the general population are considered psychopaths. Psychopaths are characterised by shallow emotions, a lack of empathy, immorality, anti-social behaviour and, importantly, deceptiveness.

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30Jan/23

Deep Fake Neighbour Wars: ITV’s comedy shows how AI can transform popular culture

Dominic Lees, University of Reading

ITVX’s Deep Fake Neighbour Wars is the breakthrough in television’s use of artificial intelligence that experts in the cultural use of deepfakes like myself have been waiting for.

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29Jan/23

Deepfakes: faces created by AI now look more real than genuine photos

Manos Tsakiris, Royal Holloway University of London

Even if you think you are good at analysing faces, research shows many people cannot reliably distinguish between photos of real faces and images that have been computer-generated. This is particularly problematic now that computer systems can create realistic-looking photos of people who don’t exist.

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19Jan/23

Boston Gay Men’s Chorus Showcases Music’s Power to Surmount Homophobia in New Documentary


Boston Gay Men’s Chorus (BGMC) is proud to announce the release of a new documentary film, “Music Triumphs Homophobia.” The film chronicles the impact of BGMC’s mission-driven music on audiences and BGMC members alike as they perform for audiences in New England and around the world. Written and directed by filmmakers Michael Willer and Craig Coogan, BGMC’s former executive director, “Music Triumphs Homophobia” is available on Amazon Prime Video. Continue reading

16Jan/23

Artemis Aerospace: how to cure a fear of flying – six tips for stress free travel

As a former commercial pilot, it wasn’t unusual to hear of passengers experiencing anxiety or panic attacks during a flight. While cabin crew are trained to calm and reassure passengers, it can be a distressing experience for the sufferer, and unsettling for fellow travellers. Continue reading

21Dec/22

Christmas films: there might be some truth to stories about hometown romances, according to research

Viren Swami, Anglia Ruskin University

The festive season seems to be a good time for love, or so many Christmas films would have us believe. One incredibly popular trope is “the return” – where the main character, usually with a successful career in the city, returns to their hometown for the festive period.

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21Dec/22

Why do people feel lonely at Christmas? Here’s what the research says

Andrea Wigfield, Sheffield Hallam University and John Ratcliffe, Sheffield Hallam University

Christmas is said to be a time for connecting with friends, family and having fun. But it can also be time of loneliness. Indeed, the results of a 2018 survey looking at loneliness during Christmas time in the UK revealed that 17% of people felt more lonely over the festive period.

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