Recharge overview
Girls cannot escape beauty ideals in beauty content on social media
Girls between the ages of 13 and 19 are widely exposed to beauty content online that promotes products unsuitable for young skin - even when they are not actively seeking beauty-related information.
Why Dry January matters for students too
Not drinking alcohol during the first month of the new year: students are not exactly enthusiastic about Dry January. Researchers in Nijmegen and Tilburg hope to change that with a targeted campaign.
2025: The year of running, running and more running
What does running do to your body, your brain, your mental health and your social life? In the run-up to the Nijmegen Seven Hills Run Radboud Reflects brought two scientists together to record the pros and cons of intensive exercise.
‘Stress can have a positive effect on the immune system'
A recent study showed how stress changes behavior by using two different receptors.
Sustainable mobility begins with more effective collaboration
A sustainable mobility system depends on how effectively governments, transport providers, and travelers work together. This requires aligning goals, managing uncertainty, and ensuring participation.
Keeping your head too busy
This article is about the solutions available for constant worrying thoughts.
How a chatbot can give (ethical) advice on how to quit smoking
Can a chatbot help you quit smoking, or in making safer choices in sexual health? Research by Erkan Başar shows that it’s possible – but only if the chatbot is given context and structure in advance by actual medical professionals.
How your facial muscles reveal what you really think. 'It only works on people who haven't had Botox.'
Do you ever have doubts about what someone says to you, but think you are good at hiding your judgment? Your facial muscles betray more than you think, even if it is not always visible to the naked eye.
Music in the child’s brain: How tunes shape our brains
This article discusses the role of music in the development of children's brains.
Popularity remains important among young adults too. ‘Not just something for children.’
For children and adolescents, it is often important to be popular or liked. But young adults also appear to attach importance to how they are perceived within the group, says developmental psychologist Nina Chmielowice-Szymanski.
Why you should (not) let AI decide who you vote for
Asking AI for voting advice? Communication scientist Gabi Schaap explains why that is (not) a good idea.
Literally stepping into another’s shoes: The body-swap illusion
This article is about how a body-swap illusion works.
Yellow benign chaos: The case of Homer Simpson
In this article, the behavior of Homer from The Simpsons is analyzed through the lens of neuroscience and psychology.
What seeing images of tragic events in media does to us
Some newspapers use graphic imagery in tragic news consciously, for instance to attract attention. Doing this also runs the risk of deterring the audience, however, according to behavioural scientist Gabriela Ruhl Ibarra
What do scientists say about the cultural and behavioral change that sustainability requires?
In this edition of ‘What do scientists say about…’ researchers Noelle Aarts, Willem Elbers, and Esther Papies reflect on the deeper mechanisms behind behavioral and cultural change in organisations.
This is how you deal with changes within an organisation
As a lecturer in the Masterclass in organisational development and behavioural change, the first thing Jürgen Hell did was introduce a change in the programme. Participants no longer finish the masterclass in a lecture hall, but on the judo mat.
Is 'having fun' more than a break from productivity?
In a world heavily focused on self-control and discipline, Daniela Becker asks the question: can enjoyment just be there for a while? How easy, or difficult, is it to truly experience pleasure? And how does enjoyment affect our productivity?
New research: how to get out of a vicious cycle when dealing with persistent anxiety?
Neuroscientist Bob Bramson is with a Veni grant launching a study on how the brain learns from rewards and punishments, and how anxiety affects this process.
This curious researcher investigates everything about curiosity: “Everyone can be curious”
Lieke van Lieshout has been curious her whole life and therefore wants to know everything about… curiosity. Now that the researcher has explored that topic quite thoroughly, she’s ready for the next step: how can we stay curious?
Why what you ultimately see is a creation of your brain?
Except for blinking, we spend the full day staring out of our eyes. But do we ever see the real world?