A roundup of new and noteworthy insights from the week’s most talked-about studies:
1 THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU AFFECT YOUR ATTRACTIVENESS
A study in the journal Psychological Science found that people’s rankings on an attractiveness scale increased as they were viewed alongside an increasingly unattractive face.
2 DOGS MAY LEARN MORE EFFICIENTLY THAN CHILDREN
Yale researchers who taught dogs how to open a box containing food found that a significant number of dogs learned to skip the unnecessary lever step in four trials, suggesting they’re more likely than children to disregard instructions that aren’t needed to solve a task at hand.
3 CAFFEINE MIGHT PREVENT DEMENTIA
A 10-year study in Journals of Gerontology, Series A, found that for women 65 and older, caffeine consumption above 261 mg–at least two to three cups of coffee per day–was associated with a 36% reduction in the risk of dementia.
–J.Z.
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- The Revolution of Yulia Navalnaya
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- What's the Deal With the Bitcoin Halving?
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com