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Hard work feels worth it, but only after it’s done – new research on how people value effort

  • Written by Piotr Winkielman, Professor of Psychology, University of California, San Diego
imageHow many stairs would you climb for that payoff?Ozgur Donmaz/DigitalVision via Getty Images

When deciding if something is worth the effort, whether you’ve already exerted yourself or face the prospect of work changes your calculus. That’s what we found in our new research, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.

Whe...

Read more: Hard work feels worth it, but only after it’s done – new research on how people value effort

Insects are everywhere in farming and research − but insect welfare is just catching up

  • Written by Bob Fischer, Professor of Philosophy, Texas State University
imageEmployees sort crickets by size at a farm in Thailand. AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit

Did you know your lipstick might be made from beetles? Or that some cat food may soon be made from flies?

People farm insects for all sorts of reasons: Farmers rear bees to pollinate billions of dollars of crops, textile companies raise silkworms for their cocoons, and...

Read more: Insects are everywhere in farming and research − but insect welfare is just catching up

Myanmar military’s ‘ceasefire’ follows a pattern of ruling generals exploiting disasters to shore up control

  • Written by Tharaphi Than, Associate Professor of World Cultures and Languages, Northern Illinois University
image Myanmar’s military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, called for elections on March 27, 2025 – a day before an earthquake devastated the country.STR/AFP via Getty Images

After a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28. 2025, the country’s military and the myriad resistance groups fighting a yearslong civil war faced international...

Read more: Myanmar military’s ‘ceasefire’ follows a pattern of ruling generals exploiting disasters to shore...

How a lone judge can block a Trump order nationwide – and why, from DACA to DOGE, this judicial check on presidents’ power is shaping how the government works

  • Written by Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University
imageThe Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to limit judges' power to issue what legal experts call 'nationwide preliminary injunctions.'Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

When presidents try to make big changes through executive orders, they often hit a roadblock: A single federal judge, whether located in Seattle or Miami or anywhere in...

Read more: How a lone judge can block a Trump order nationwide – and why, from DACA to DOGE, this judicial...

Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs are the highest in decades − an economist explains how that could hurt the US

  • Written by Bedassa Tadesse, Professor of Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth

President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping new tariff plan on April 2, 2025, to reshape U.S. trade and boost domestic industry.

Framing the announcement as “Liberation Day,” he proposed a 10% tariff on essentially all imports, with steeper rates for major trade partners, including 34% on Chinese goods and 20% on those from the European...

Read more: Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs are the highest in decades − an economist explains how that could...

Why tattoos are such an unreliable marker of gang membership

  • Written by Beth C. Caldwell, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School
imageTattoos of crowns and roses are popular among everyone – not just members of Tren de Aragua, as law enforcement has claimed. Marc Atkins/Getty Images

The United States deported 238 Venezuelan men on three flights to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, claiming that they were members of the Tren de Aragua gang that originated in Venezuela.

Immigrati...

Read more: Why tattoos are such an unreliable marker of gang membership

Lessons from El Salvador for US university leaders facing attacks from Trump

  • Written by Annmarie Caño, Professor of Psychology, Gonzaga University
imageSalvadorans participate in a procession on Nov. 14, 2015, to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the murder of the Rev. Ignacio Ellacuría, five other Jesuit priests and two employees at Central American University in San Salvador.Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images

Even before President Donald Trump took office, university presidents...

Read more: Lessons from El Salvador for US university leaders facing attacks from Trump

Lowering the cost of insurance in Colorado – a new analysis of the Peak Health Alliance

  • Written by Mark Meiselbach, Assistant Professor of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
imageHealth insurance premiums have continued to rise in the U.S.MoMo Productions/GettyImages

A community-led partnership in Colorado designed to negotiate health care prices lowered health care premiums in 2020 and 2021, we find in our new paper in the Journal of Risk and Insurance. The nonprofit organization is called the Peak Health Alliance.

As...

Read more: Lowering the cost of insurance in Colorado – a new analysis of the Peak Health Alliance

Medicare Advantage is covering more and more Americans − some because they don’t get to choose

  • Written by Grace McCormack, Research scientist of Health Policy and Economics, University of Southern California

Since the mid-2000s, the Medicare system has dramatically transformed. Enrollment in Medicare Advantage – the private alternative to the traditional Medicare program administered by the government – has more than quadrupled. It now accounts for the majority of Medicare enrollment.

Employers, including state government agencies, are...

Read more: Medicare Advantage is covering more and more Americans − some because they don’t get to choose

Susan Monarez, Trump’s nominee for CDC director, faces an unprecedented and tumultuous era at the agency

  • Written by Jordan Miller, Teaching Professor of Public Health, Arizona State University
imageThe Trump administration laid off thousands more employees at the CDC on April 1, 2025, as part of its workforce reduction.Anadolu/Getty Images

The job of director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention carries immense responsibility for shaping health policies, responding to crises and maintaining trust in public health institutions.

Sinc...

Read more: Susan Monarez, Trump’s nominee for CDC director, faces an unprecedented and tumultuous era at the...

More Articles ...

  1. Vitamin D builds your bones and keeps your gut sealed, among many other essential functions − but many children are deficient
  2. From business exports to veteran care − here’s what some of the 35,000 federal workers in the Philadelphia region do
  3. Supreme Court considers whether states may prevent people covered by Medicaid from choosing Planned Parenthood as their health care provider
  4. Chinese barges and Taiwan Strait drills are about global power projection − not just a potential invasion
  5. Feeling FOMO for something that’s not even fun? It’s not the event you’re missing, it’s the bonding
  6. 23andMe is potentially selling more than just genetic data – the personal survey info it collected is just as much a privacy problem
  7. Research shows that a majority of Christian religious leaders accept the reality of climate change but have never mentioned it to their congregations
  8. The never-ending sentence: How parole and probation fuel mass incarceration
  9. In Israel, calls for genocide have migrated from the margins to the mainstream
  10. With its executive order targeting the Smithsonian, the Trump administration opens up a new front in the history wars
  11. Christian Zionism hasn’t always been a conservative evangelical creed – churches’ views of Israel have evolved over decades
  12. Schools and communities can help children bounce back after distressing disasters like the LA wildfires
  13. Why a presidential term limit got written into the Constitution – the story of the 22nd Amendment
  14. America the secular? What a changing religious landscape means for US politics
  15. Land reparations are possible − and over 225 US communities are already working to make amends for slavery and colonization
  16. Planned blackouts are becoming more common − and not having cash on hand could cost you
  17. GOP lawmakers eye SNAP cuts, which would scale back benefits that help low-income people buy food at a time of high food prices
  18. US earthquake safety relies on federal employees’ expertise
  19. Stone tool discovery in China shows people in East Asia were innovating during the Middle Paleolithic, like in Europe and Middle East
  20. Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans to El Salvador sparks legal questions likely to reach the Supreme Court
  21. Doctor shortages have hobbled health care for decades − and the trend could be worsening
  22. Bird flu could be on the cusp of transmitting between humans − but there are ways to slow down viral evolution
  23. Measles can ravage the immune system and brain, causing long-term damage – a virologist explains
  24. Massive cuts to Health and Human Services’ workforce signal a dramatic shift in US health policy
  25. Jets from powerful black holes can point astronomers toward where − and where not − to look for life in the universe
  26. Why do dogs love to play with trash?
  27. What is a ‘revisionist’ state, and what are they trying to revise?
  28. As ‘right to die’ gains more acceptance, a scholar of Catholicism explains the position of the Catholic Church
  29. The Panama Canal’s other conflict: Water security for the population and the global economy
  30. How is classified information typically shared and can officials declassify secrets whenever they want? A national security expert explains
  31. ‘Everyday discrimination’ linked to increased anxiety and depression across all groups of Americans
  32. From censorship to curiosity: Pope Francis’ appreciation for the power of history and books
  33. Cuts to science research funding cut American lives short − federal support is essential for medical breakthroughs
  34. Chronic kidney disease often goes undiagnosed, but early detection can prevent severe outcomes
  35. As federal environmental priorities shift, sovereign Native American nations have their own plans
  36. Want to stay healthier and fulfilled later in life? Try volunteering
  37. We analyzed racial justice statements from the 500 largest US companies and found that DEI officials really did have an influence
  38. First year of Georgia’s ‘foreign agent’ law shows how autocracies are replicating Russian model − and speeding up the time frame
  39. Myanmar’s civil war: How shifting US-Russia ties could tip balance and hand China a greater role
  40. What ‘The White Lotus’ gets wrong about the meaning and goals of common Buddhist practices
  41. Women are reclaiming their place in baseball
  42. Ecological disruptions are a risk to national security
  43. Wild marmots’ social networks reveal controversial evolutionary theory in action
  44. Signal is not the place for top secret communications, but it might be the right choice for you – a cybersecurity expert on what to look for in a secure messaging app
  45. Losing your job is bad for your health, but there are things you can do to minimize the harm
  46. From Greenland to Fort Bragg, America is caught in a name game where place names become political tools
  47. US swing toward autocracy doesn’t have to be permanent – but swinging back to democracy requires vigilance, stamina and elections
  48. Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico could spell trouble for distilled spirits
  49. With Hooters on the verge of bankruptcy, a psychologist reflects on her time spent studying the servers who work there
  50. Mississippi’s education miracle: A model for global literacy reform