Social life

Social life

The language of depression isn’t universal 
Research

The language of depression isn’t universal 

By Amir Homayun / 24 November 2025

Scroll through any social media feed and you’ll find people sharing their highs and lows, sometimes openly, sometimes between the lines. For years, researchers have hoped that artificial intelligence (AI) could learn to recognize early signs of depression from our words. The idea is simple and powerful: if language carries emotional fingerprints, algorithms might one day detect distress before it becomes a crisis.  
But what if these systems end up hearing some experiences more clearly than others?

Literally stepping into another’s shoes: The body-swap illusion 
Opinion/Research

Literally stepping into another’s shoes: The body-swap illusion 

By Charlotte Sachs / 15 September 2025

From the moment you are born, you live in one body. This body grounds your perspective: you see, hear, and feel the world from this single point of view. Yet this also means you are stuck inside it. You can never truly know what it is like to be someone else. Or can you? With a few clever tricks, your brain can be persuaded that you have stepped into another body. This is the body-swap illusion.

Dear AI chatbots, enough with the flattery
Fact Check/Opinion

Dear AI chatbots, enough with the flattery

By Siddharth Chaturvedi / 28 April 2025

Were you called a genius, visionary, or brilliant by an LLM (large language model) based on the last idea you discussed with it? But deep down, you know that the idea was half-baked and needed major refinement? The over-the-top ego massage may lead to an egoistic society. Read further to know why and how to stop it.

Life’s Big Questions: What is love?
Life's Big Questions/Opinion/Research

Life’s Big Questions: What is love?

By Charlotte Sachs / 10 March 2025

Love takes on many shapes and forms; it can move mountains, remain unrequited, or last a lifetime. It has the power to make us feel like the happiest person in the world, but also the saddest. Arguably the most powerful emotion of all, love can largely be explained by what happens in our brains. But can it really be reduced to biochemical signals?

Unwrapping the psychology of gift-giving
Research

Unwrapping the psychology of gift-giving

By Hilde Althof / 27 January 2025

Whether it is your sister’s birthday or your parents’ anniversary, the search for the perfect gift begins! But what actually happens in our minds when we give a gift? And is it really true that giving gifts makes us happier than receiving?

Taking the bait on social media
Opinion

Taking the bait on social media

By Maartje Koot / 1 July 2024

The Internet is packed with content aimed at grabbing your attention, because attention is the internet’s currency. You may have noticed that posts that provoke negative reactions often generate a lot of engagement on social media. I try to figure out why.