Reviews & Analysis

In this Perspective, Househ et al. examine how digital solutions can address pressing needs in mental healthcare, arguing that a patient-centred approach is crucial.

Battiston et al. discuss the emerging paradigm of higher-order network science and its applications to social systems and human dynamics.

This Perspective urges a shift away from viewing people as ‘consumers’ in circular economy and sustainable waste management research, highlighting a need for human-centred methods to better understand behaviour and drive meaningful change.

Adolescents are especially vulnerable to misinformation but also possess unique strengths. This Perspective outlines a forward-looking research agenda to understand these vulnerabilities and foster resilience through age-appropriate interventions.

Tamnes et al. explore the complex relationship between ill-being—including mental and behavioural disorders—and mental well-being.

Individuality in social behaviour is of interest across several academic fields, yet there are many barriers to interdisciplinary efforts. In this Perspective, Kuper et al propose an integrative, interdisciplinary approach, and detail their recommendations for researchers interested in this topic.

This Perspective from Summerfield et al. considers the impacts of advanced artificial intelligence systems on the process and function of democracy. The authors explore a wide range of potential risks and opportunities.

Physical inactivity is a major public health concern. This Perspective advocates for a complex systems approach to physical activity, emphasizing dynamic, interdisciplinary strategies to design more effective, theory-informed interventions.

In this Perspective, Götz et al. propose the unifying Geographical–Psychological Interactionist Framework, which aims to integrate psychology and geography to account for the context in which human behaviour takes place.

Conspiracy theories and conspiracy thinking are becoming an increasing concern for researchers, politicians and policymakers. In this Perspective, the authors examine the evidence for how conspiracy beliefs affect sustainability beliefs and attitudes.

Contemporary information systems face growing public distrust across a range of issues including public health, election integrity and climate. This Perspective introduces the Community-Centered Exploration, Engagement, and Evaluation system to help detect and mitigate potential information harms, integrating community participation and response at its core.

Psychology’s definition and scope have shifted over the discipline’s short history, yet it has largely remained ahistorical and geographically narrow. This Perspective argues for psychology to become a historical and geographical science, a transformation the authors term the chronospatial revolution.

Although many believe our moral circles expand with age, this Perspective discusses an early-emerging tendency to care for others.

In this Perspective, the authors review current interventions on social media use among adolescents and propose a new theoretical model based on self-determination theory to guide the effective design of and research on such interventions.

The application of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) in clinical practice has advanced but also received criticism. In this Perspective, major psychological and behavioural arguments against PRS applications are assessed.

In this Perspective, Gennetian et al. present a framework for child-centric reparations for slavery and legacies of structural and systemic racism in the USA.

VanderWeele and Johnson examine unidimensional versus multidimensional approaches to well-being, assessing their conceptual, empirical and policy implications. The authors argue for a multidimensional view while acknowledging practical challenges.

Abdellaoui et al. synthesize genomic evidence on the link between socio-economic status and heredity. They show how social stratification may create selection pressures, meaning that individuals are clustered in distinct environments. This may have consequences for genetic architectures and social inequality.

Dörr et al. argue that research on social media has mainly focused on antisocial behaviours and call for more research on the ways in which social media platforms can empower prosocial behaviour.

In this Perspective the authors propose the use of implementation science methods concurrently with safety and effectiveness testing to accelerate the translation of psychedelic research into psychedelic-assisted therapy.