CuriousMinds

Social media platform tailoring could support more fulfilling use, study finds

Redesigning social media to suit different needs of users could make their time online more focused, according to new research by University of Bristol academics.

The study, presented today at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Yokohama, Japan, suggests that the key to a having a positive experience online is finding the right level of personal investment -- neither too much nor too little.

Conducted by researchers examining digital self-regulation, they reveal distinct user types and propose that social media platforms could be remodelled to support more intentional use.

Lead author Dan Bennett from Bristol's Faculty of Science and Engineering said explained: "Many people feel the need to better control their time on social media. While social media offers entertainment, social connection and opportunities for personal growth, people feel the need to better manage their engagement,…

Nature visits can improve well-being disparities among urban dwellers

How relatedness to nature is linked to well-being is determined by district-level socioeconomic status. The Kobe University analysis is based on survey results from two major Japanese metropolitan areas.

Hiking. Camping. Even just walking in the park. Be it a current hobby or a childhood pastime, many urban residents have engaged in activities that have nurtured in them a positive relationship with nature. But in our modern society, disparities in access to nature have only grown larger between residential areas. And while this especially affects those that face social and economic challenges, research that explores the relationship between district-level socioeconomic status, nature and well-being remains limited.

Kobe University human environmental scientist UCHIYAMA Yuta specializes in studying how differences in urban and rural lifestyles affect quality of life. He and his team surveyed 3,500 residents in two major metropolitan areas of Japan…

Professional artists viewed as more creative than AI programs

In the rapidly developing contest between human creativity and artificial intelligence algorithms, professional artists still have an edge in producing more creative AI-assisted artwork than the AI programs themselves or novice artists, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

The rapid advancement of AI raises some existential questions about the nature of creativity, said lead researcher Paul Seli, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University.

"Creativity has long been considered a uniquely human ability that is tied to personal experiences, emotions and the drive to communicate meaning," he said. "But now that AI can generate complex, aesthetically compelling artwork, we have to ask if human creativity still holds a distinct edge or is AI fundamentally changing the way we think about creative expression?"

At least for now, professional artists still have the upper hand, according…

The origins of language

Chimpanzees are capable of complex communication: The human capacity for language may not be as unique as previously thought. Chimpanzees have a complex communication system that allows them to combine calls to create new meanings, similar to human language. Combining calls creatively: Chimpanzees use four ways to change meaning when combining single calls into two-call combinations, including compositional and non-compositional combinations, and they use a large variety of call combinations in a wide range of contexts.

Humans are the only species on earth known to use language. They do this by combining sounds into words and words into sentences, creating infinite meanings. This process is based on linguistic rules that define how the meaning of calls is understood in different sentence structures. For example, the word "ape" can be combined with other words to form compositional sentences that add meaning: "the ape eats" or append meaning:…