Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026People in romantic relationships report higher life satisfaction than singles. But this life-satisfaction gap is larger in regions with higher relationship rates, according to a new study of 382,078 adults across 379 regions in Great Britain. journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... 041
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonHetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Blimey this is a good blog from @laurenleek.eu on how algorithms tend us towards monocultures and that markets won’t save us without some help. Read, and follow her laurenleek.substack.com/p/temperatur...laurenleek.substack.comTemperature Zero for Culture: Why Everything Is Starting to Look the SameWhat 640 London shopping streets, 4,000 Billboard hits, a million films and synthetic AI personas tell us about why everything is flattening into sameness and how to regulate the algorithms behind it. 55720
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 12/08/2026In case anyone sees this and thinks I’m vacuous for trying to delay the natural aging process, this is also a story about climate change and why I’m having to water my garden at 10pm in the UK. 010
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Just went outside to water my plants in my currentbody infrared mask and realised if my neighbours saw me they’d likely call the police. Didn’t take it off as was mid way through the session and thought it could also be fun for them to see someone with glowing red eyes using a tiny watering can. 110
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJohn Drury @profjohndrury.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Our poster later this morning at #EASP2026 @fergusneville.bsky.social @cliffstott.bsky.social - @ukri.org funded 184
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonUCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 20/06/2026Meg Russell has written a chapter on the debate in parliament between 2016 and 2019 in Anthony Seldon's latest book, The Brexit Effect, 2016–2026. Drawing on her 2023 book, she says that parliament 'emerged battered and bruised from the process'. Find out more 👇️ucl.ac.ukMeg Russell contributes to popular new book on the Brexit EffectMeg Russell has written a chapter on 'The Debate in Parliament, 2016–19' in Anthony Seldon’s new book The Brexit Effect, 2016–2026. 044
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonThe Sutton Trust @suttontrust.bsky.social · 18/06/2026✍️ "Many disadvantaged pupils in the UK have high aspirations, which can be reinforced or thwarted by social and local norms." Our latest blog draws on our new research to further unpack the drivers of social mobility beyond just attainment and earnings ⤵️suttontrust.comWhat drives social mobility? A closer look at Crossing Paths - The Sutton TrustExploring the dynamics of social mobility beyond attainment and earnings. 033
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonDr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Join us this Sunday 21st June at The Globe Theatre in London for its first Climate Open House - find out how to get more involved in climate action in a fun, family friendly setting! There will be repair cafes, energy advice and talks! Free tickets www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/cli...shakespearesglobe.comClimate Open House | Shakespeare's GlobeJoin us for a free day of discovery, with performances, events and activities taking place around Shakespeare's Globe. 031
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 15/06/2026Join us this Sunday 21st June at The Globe Theatre in London for its first Climate Open House - find out how to get more involved in climate action in a fun, family friendly setting! There will be repair cafes, energy advice and talks! Free tickets www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/cli...shakespearesglobe.comClimate Open House | Shakespeare's GlobeJoin us for a free day of discovery, with performances, events and activities taking place around Shakespeare's Globe. 031
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJohn Drury @profjohndrury.bsky.social · 13/06/2026Thousands gather for anti-racism rally in Belfast after disorder www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukBelfast protest: Thousands gather for anti-racism rallyProtesters gathered at Belfast City Hall for a demonstration against racism, after the past week of violence and disorder. 0186
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJohn Drury @profjohndrury.bsky.social · 14/06/2026www.theargus.co.uk/news/2619228...theargus.co.ukHow the day unfolded as thousands of protesters fill city to counter right-wing marchAnti-immigration protesters were hugely outnumbered as thousands of counter protesters took to the streets of Brighton 0154
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJohn Drury @profjohndrury.bsky.social · 22/05/2026'while the media will focus on vaccine scientists & big Pharma companies, the most important issue for control to prevent thousands of deaths in Africa is how to mobilize communities to ensure the best public health practices to reduce transmission' thesocialvaccines.substack.com/p/how-to-sto...thesocialvaccines.substack.comHow to stop the new Bundibugyo Ebola virus from killing thousandsA social vaccine comes first. 254
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 23/05/2026AI-driven algorithms designed to maximize engagement on social media can unintentionally set the stage for radicalization. By exploiting the need for belonging and certainty, this can open the door for conflict. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... 2187
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 23/05/2026This from Shade The UK is a great guide for future proofing your home for hotter weather www.shadetheuk.com/overheating-...shadetheuk.comOverheating Adaptation Guide for Homes — Shade the UK 031
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 17/05/2026Reminds me of a stats class I took when we were told a team of energy demand researchers spent weeks trying to identify why the internal temperature of one of the homes in their study skyrocketed intermittently. Eventually they spoke to the owner who said the cat sometimes sat on the thermostat! 030
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonLauri Myllyvirta @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social · 17/05/2026The Financial Times ran an entire story of coal shipments "jumping" that is based on an algorithmic artifact in shipping data. 16518
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonCosta Samaras @costasamaras.com · 16/11/2024This week I spoke on a panel at the National Academies on the implications of artificial intelligence-related data center electricity use and emissions. I talked about how principles of ethical AI include energy & climate. 🔌💡 Video of the workshop is here: www.nationalacademies.org/event/43750_... 1286
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Community-based fact-checking works Community notes reducethe subsequent spread of misleading posts by 61% and increase the odds that users delete their false posts by 94% But they appear too late to stop the viral stage of the diffusion making the effect modest. www.nature.com/articles/s41... 22914
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 15/05/2026All the philosophy students who pursued their passion made a wise decision. Learning how to think is a always a good investment. Psychology grads are not doing too badly on the job market either. 50800188
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 11/05/2026Creativity is a team sport Our environments and the people around us matter a lot more than our innate abilities when it comes to creativity The greatest invention Thomas Edison made was not the lightbulb or the battery, but creating a innovation team: www.powerofusnewsletter.com/p/the-myth-o...powerofusnewsletter.comWhy Creativity a Team Sport: How Great Ideas HappenAn interview with George Newman on the overlooked social science of creativity and collaboration. 253
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 10/05/2026This website visualizes social media as a room with 100 people 3 people are producing most toxic content Most people assume 43 are producing toxic content, because these 3 are hyperactive and amplified by engagement based algorithms. The other 97 quiet voices disappear thenoisyroom.com 419884
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJohn Drury @profjohndrury.bsky.social · 26/04/2026How Can We Improve Initial Public Response During Emergencies? Recommendations from a Systematic Review of Pre-Incident Information www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/10...mdpi.com 013
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 08/04/2026So to summarise, there’s more land dedicated to golf courses than to solar farms in the UK. 130
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonHelen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 08/04/2026A single line in this piece just made my day: “The electricity system operator is understood to be preparing to run the grid without any gas for short periods as soon as this summer, in a first for the UK energy system.” Renewables *work*. And progress matters🎉 www.theguardian.com/environment/...theguardian.comBritain breaks solar energy record twice as UK’s biggest solar farm gets approvalRecord high set on Monday and raised on Tuesday, with 14.4GW of electricity generated in sunny spring weather 491865499
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 07/04/2026Love this work. It’s so important to point out that measuring social issues is not the same as measuring physical ones. If only we could measure attitudes like we measure body temperature! 010
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonSamantha Joel @datingdecisions.bsky.social · 06/04/2026New paper, out this week in PLOS One, suggests that most close relationship self-report measures are primarily capturing relationship quality 🧵 journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...journals.plos.orgPredicting relationship quality with itself? A single general factor captures most of the variance across 34 common relationship measuresIn relationship science, researchers have generated a wide array of constructs and corresponding self-report measures to characterize, explain, and predict relationship quality – the foremost studied ... 38037
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJosiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 07/04/2026There's something just so brilliant about coal mines being directly replaced with solar farms www.pv-magazine.com/2026/04/07/g...pv-magazine.comGreek utility completes 2.13 GW solar cluster at former coal mineGreece’s PPC Group has finished construction of its 2.13 GW solar portfolio in northern Greece. The company is now working on its third large-scale battery storage facility in the area, with plans for... 2691291958
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 03/04/2026Online hostility is predicted by economic & political inequality Inequality breeds online hostility because people crave status in unequal societies and status-seekers constitute the main perpetrators of hostility in political settings, whether online or offline. www.nature.com/articles/s41... 46327
Reposted by Dr Moira Nicolsonturgut keskintürk @tkeskinturk.bsky.social · 01/04/2026my hot take is that this is a *fantastic* result & reason for optimism: 1278
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonNina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 29/03/2026Adorable wooden horses on wheels were pulled around by little ones in the past, too. A timeless reminder that play has been part of the human experience for millennia. From Egypt, Roman period, 30 BC-150 AD. 📷 Julia Thorne/Manchester Museum 🏺 8714176
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 28/03/2026While social media shows you extreme content, AI is more likely to show people more moderate content This means the technology, on average, could have very different effects on polarization. www.ft.com/content/3880... 2317
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 22/03/2026For me tabs are like books on a bookshelf. Every now and then I’ll need to refer to something I’ve read online, know it’s somewhere amongst my tabs, and hunt it down as if I were browsing a library with no reference system. 020
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 22/03/2026Gas only sets Spain's electricity price 15% of the time. When gas costs spike it barely registers on the electricity bill. In countries like Italy and the UK gas sets the price 90% of the time. The difference is enormous. I spoke to @politico.com about this. www.politico.eu/article/spai...politico.euWhat the EU can — and can’t — learn from Spain’s low energy billsMadrid says a renewables boom is shielding its citizens from soaring fossil fuel costs. But that’s not the full story. 20735284
Reposted by Dr Moira NicolsonJay Van Bavel, PhD @jayvanbavel.bsky.social · 16/03/2026People have really lost trust in their social media feed--algorithms have amplified the worst voices. 54210
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 15/03/2026Out of interest why do you expect most research to be bad? 000
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 15/03/2026Only last night I was with a woman who I just met who told me she was shoved my a random man in a park in broad daylight. A similar thing happened to me in Hyde park last summer. She told me it was part of this trend: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comA man pushed me in the street, he wanted to teach me a lesson. Is that OK now? | Lucy Pasha-RobinsonMany women reading this will have experienced something similar: a warning that sharing public space isn’t a man’s job, it’s a woman’s, says Lucy Pasha-Robinson, a Guardian assistant Opinion editor 150
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 15/03/2026@steveakehurst.bsky.social if I were to guess, I’d say it’s not necessarily that extreme misogynistic attitudes have risen a lot, but that it may be seen as “safer” or more socially acceptable to voice them or act on them due to some loud voices online like Tate and others. 180
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 15/03/2026profiles.ucl.ac.uk/88177-kaitly... profiles.ucl.ac.uk/48638-jessic... Also Prof Jens Madsen at LSE does v interesting work on the manosphere www.lse.ac.uk/people/jens-...profiles.ucl.ac.ukDiscovery 110
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 15/03/2026I agree- definitely a good question to use. Some good people who work on this are Prof Kaitlyn Regehr at UCL and Prof Jessica Ringrose. 130
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 15/03/2026All sorts of issues with social desirability bias in questions and the fact you can only measure, at least in polling, what you think it’s important to measure. So you can miss an awful lot. Also our standards for what is acceptable have thankfully changed - even if misogyny was worse in the past. 010
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 15/03/2026I think the issue is that it’s hard to track misogynistic attitudes just from one question in a survey. Also you’d need to look at misogynistic behaviours too, and that can be even harder to track. Also averages can mask spikes in specific sub groups. 5151
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 14/03/2026Yes! That’s why ideally we’d have a calculator right now that anyone with oil could use to determine what’s cheaper now vs what would be cheaper under different future oil scenarios. Ie so they don’t have to understand the ins and outs of SCOPs and how to translate litres of oil into kWh. 110
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 14/03/2026So the problem is the unobserved counterfactual. Prices would be higher if we didn’t have such a high % of renewables but what people often need to see is an actual reduction relative to current prices. 110
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 14/03/2026Yes and pre 2022 or thereabouts, the average unit rate for electricity was 14p kWh and the peak rate on a time of use tariff was closer to the average price we’ve got now! 120
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 14/03/2026Yeah that makes sense as with a HP you’d use less as they’re much more efficient. I think that’s key to point out because the unit rate of electricity is still higher, esp if you’re paying a standing charge. But that’s quite a lot to calculate if you’re not HP savvy. We need a good calculator! 110
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 14/03/2026My octopus electricity tariff is currently 28p per kWh and 45.7p daily standing charge. Obviously with a HP you’d want a different tariff. 210
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 14/03/2026It’s a good question. I know that for my partner’s family who use oil in rural Norfolk a £500 supply now costs £1,800. They were about to run out when the crisis happened. They can’t get an order. So they’re restricting heating. Their neighbour with a HP and solar will avoid this issue ofc. 120
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 14/03/2026Yes and also I don’t know if they’d absolutely need solar to make a HP cheaper or the same as oil pre crisis. For those rural families who are very budget constrained, cost is key consideration no matter how much they’d like to get off fossil fuels. 310
Dr Moira Nicolson @moiranics.bsky.social · 14/03/2026And when I say can’t afford, I don’t mean they’re prioritising things like holidays - all of them are pensioners on state pension. No idea how representative they are ofc. 000