All posts tagged: acts

Celebrity bashing acts as a temporary coping mechanism

Celebrity bashing acts as a temporary coping mechanism

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in Psychology of Popular Media provides evidence that criticizing and withdrawing support from a beloved celebrity who threatens a person’s social identity can offer immediate emotional relief. The findings suggest that engaging in toxic online behavior acts as a short-term coping mechanism for fans experiencing a clash between their national identity and their attachment to a famous figure. The authors of the study wanted to understand the psychological motivations behind cancel culture. Cancel culture involves withdrawing support for a public figure and often posting harsh criticisms about them online. This behavior contributes to a hostile digital environment. Many people form strong, one-sided emotional attachments to media personalities. These are known as parasocial relationships. These one-sided attachments tend to boost psychological well-being and provide a sense of belonging for the media consumer. When a beloved celebrity acts in a way that violates a fan’s moral standards, it can cause emotional distress similar to a real life interpersonal breakup. To avoid this pain, devoted fans often try to rationalize a celebrity’s bad behavior. …

Eurovision 2026 contestants: Confirmed countries and acts

Eurovision 2026 contestants: Confirmed countries and acts

Published by Daniella Wilson

The first semi-final in the Eurovision Song Contest is just hours away, as the first 15 acts prepare to put on the performance of a lifetime and secure themselves a spot in the grand final. Only 10 performers from tonight (12 May) can make it to Saturday night’s show, and kicking off proceedings are Moldova, Sweden and Croatia with the first three performances of the night. Other performances tonight include representatives from Italy and Germany, both of whom have a free pass into the final but will give audiences a flavour of how they might want to vote on the big night. This year, Look Mum No Computer (aka Sam Battle) will be hoping to lift the trophy for the United Kingdom – but who else is in the running to be crowned the champion of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026? Here is a guide to this year’s Eurovision entries. Eurovision Song Contest 2026: The full line-up of countries and acts Delta Goodrem. Kate Green/Getty Images The complete line-up of competing countries for Eurovision 2026 was …

Doing small acts of kindness every day significantly improved my wellbeing—I spoke to an expert who explained the science behind it

Doing small acts of kindness every day significantly improved my wellbeing—I spoke to an expert who explained the science behind it

Published by Jenni Sidey

Changing your mindset can be a powerful thing and not just for you. I was recently staring at a pile of broken glass in the street, thinking somebody should clear that up before it hurts a person or animal, when I realized that I am that somebody. Instead of deciding it wasn’t my problem, or getting upset and feeling helpless, I got a broom and swept it up. It was a small action, but I still felt empowered for the rest of the day and beyond—I took a bag out with me while walking my dog the next day to pick up some litter. Article continues below You may like Again, my sense of satisfaction soared. Plus, my community was left a little cleaner and the local pigeons had fewer pieces of loose plastic to mistake for food. I was curious about the warm fuzzy feeling I experienced and decided to find out more. In a 2023 study in the Journal of Positive Psychology, participants reported improvements in symptoms of depression and anxiety after participating …

These simple acts will improve your health more than any fitness trend

These simple acts will improve your health more than any fitness trend

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore The article below is an excerpt from my newsletter: Well Enough with Harry Bullmore. To get my latest thoughts on fitness and wellbeing pop your email address into the box above to get the newsletter direct to your inbox. I spent some time away from my desk last month and returned to a four-figure avalanche of unread emails. After spending two days wrangling my inbox into submission, I found myself feeling uncharacteristically frustrated. There were plenty of great messages in there, but they were drowned out by subject lines covering “Pilates arms” as a status symbol, the hottest fitness trends of 2026, recovery protocols, and how to hack your body for better health. My problem with these emails is that fitness is quite possibly the least trendy thing on earth, or at least it should be. It’s not built by constantly …

Artemis II Toilet Acts up Again as Astronauts Speed Toward the Moon to Break Apollo 13’s Record

Artemis II Toilet Acts up Again as Astronauts Speed Toward the Moon to Break Apollo 13’s Record

Published by Sam Flores

On the downside, their toilet is on the blink again. “The Earth is quite small, and the moon is definitely getting bigger,” pilot Victor Glover reported. Until the Orion capsule’s bathroom is fixed, Mission Control has instructed the astronauts to break out more of the backup urine collection bags. The so-called lunar loo malfunctioned following Wednesday’s liftoff and has been hit-and-miss ever since. A version of the Artemis II toilet was tested on the International Space Station several years ago. Engineers suspect ice may be blocking the line that is preventing urine from completely flushing overboard. The toilet is still open for No. 2 business. Debbie Korth, NASA’s Orion program deputy manager, said the astronauts have also reported a smell coming from the bathroom, which is buried in the floor of the capsule with a door and curtain for privacy. “Space toilets and bathrooms are something everybody can really understand .. it’s always a challenge,” she said, noting that the space shuttle toilet was also often on the fritz. John Honeycutt, chair of the mission …

ChatGPT acts as a “cognitive crutch” that weakens memory, new research suggests

ChatGPT acts as a “cognitive crutch” that weakens memory, new research suggests

Published by José Betancourt

A recent experiment provides evidence that relying on artificial intelligence to help study new material tends to reduce how much information students remember weeks later. The findings suggest that while these tools can speed up initial learning, they might actually weaken the deep mental processing required to store knowledge over the long term. The study was published in the journal Social Sciences & Humanities Open. Generative artificial intelligence refers to computer programs capable of creating text, images, or other media in response to user prompts. These systems can answer complex questions, synthesize vast amounts of information, and write essays in seconds. Because of this convenience, millions of university students use these programs to assist with their coursework. André Barcaui, a professor of the Business Management course at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, conducted the study to see how this technology affects memory. He wanted to test whether the ease of getting answers from a chatbot harms long-term learning. When a student delegates mental tasks to an external tool, psychologists call it cognitive offloading. …

SXSW 2026: 15 Latin music acts we’re excited to see

SXSW 2026: 15 Latin music acts we’re excited to see

Published by Sam Flores

Here’s a hot take: South by Southwest is a Latin music festival. When the De Los team headed to Austin, Texas, in 2024 to cover the event for the first time, approximately 60 acts that fell under the expansive Latin music genre umbrella had been invited to perform. Two years later, that number has more than doubled, with more than 150 Latin music acts featured at the iconic festival, now in its 40th year. “Latin music has seen incredible growth at SXSW in recent years, reflecting its rise across the global music industry,” said Evelyn Gómez Rivera, associate programmer for Latin music. “2026 is shaping up to be our biggest year for the genre in over a decade, with several major labels showcasing their newest and most exciting Latin talent here.” Ahead of the festival, which kicks off Thursday, the De Los team has assembled a list of acts that have caught our attention. And before you blow up our inboxes asking why the big acts (Fuerza Regida and Junior H are also slated to …

A newly discovered brain cluster acts as an on and off switch for sex differences

A newly discovered brain cluster acts as an on and off switch for sex differences

Published by José Betancourt

Researchers have discovered a distinct cluster of brain cells in mice that behaves like an on and off switch for sex-specific social behaviors, turning on permanently in females but remaining quiet in adult males until they mate. This strictly binary brain feature offers fresh insight into how social and reproductive life stages physically alter the brain. The findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Male and female bodies show obvious physical differences in anatomy and hormones. Biologists refer to these sex-based physical differences as sexual dimorphism. In the brain, these physical distinctions are usually much less obvious and much harder to categorize. Most brain differences between sexes appear as overlapping gradients rather than a strict presence or absence of a feature. A specific brain region might be slightly larger or have a few more connections in one sex, but the two groups still share many similarities. Truly binary differences in the brain are exceptionally rare. Tamar Licht and Dan Rokni from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem wanted to find …

HMP Risley prison guard sent naked pictures and videos of sex acts to serving inmate

HMP Risley prison guard sent naked pictures and videos of sex acts to serving inmate

Published by Sam Flores

A prison officer sent naked pictures and videos of sex acts to a serving inmate after the two formed an “intimate relationship” behind bars. Zoe Oldham also received bank transfers from a family member of the criminal in question, Lewis Smith. But their secret romance was rumbled when he became “overprotective” of her and began attacking other prisoners whom he believed had stepped out of line with the mum. The authorities then discovered a mobile phone hidden within a sock in his cell, with more than 1,000 messages which were uncovered as a result having laid bare the true nature of their relationship. Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Tuesday, that Oldham had been a guard at HMP Risley in Warrington for five years by 2023, when she engaged in an “intimate relationship” with Smith over the course of several months. This “included her sending images of her genitals” and money being transferred into the 29-year-old officer’s account. Simon Christie, prosecuting, described how there was also a “strong inference that there was a sexual relationship”, although …

AI that acts before you ask is the next leap in intelligence

AI that acts before you ask is the next leap in intelligence

Published by Jenni Sidey

H. Ross Perot, former presidential candidate and founder of multinational IT company Electronic Data Systems (EDS), once said, “Talk is cheap. Words are plentiful. Deeds are precious.”   He’s right. Deeds are what make intelligence powerful. Intelligence without action is philosophy. Intelligence with action is civilization. Much of what we’ve seen from the biggest artificial intelligence (AI) companies has revolved around words: You go to their chatbot, ask it a question, and it responds. Over the past couple of years, some have taken this a step further with AI agents — those can actually do things, but only things you’ve told them to do. The next frontier in AI is not better chat. It is not even better agents. The next frontier is proactive AI, the kind that takes action, learns in real time, and, critically, comes to you before you go to it. This distinction is not a feature improvement. It is a civilizational pivot. The asymmetry that defines our era This is the current architecture of human-AI interaction. You wake up. You remember you …