This Just In

A roundup of new and noteworthy insights from the week’s most talked-about studies:

1 MOODS CAN BE CONTAGIOUS

A study in Royal Society Open Science found that kids whose friends suffered from bad moods were more likely to report bad moods themselves, and the opposite held true for those with happy friends.

2 SICK PETS CAN AFFECT THEIR OWNERS’ MENTAL HEALTH

A study in Veterinary Record of 238 dog and cat owners found that those with sick pets had more stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms–all closely tied to the burden of caregiving–than those with healthy pets.

3 COUPLES DEVELOP SIMILAR TASTES IN FOOD

A study in Appetite found that the longer two people are in a relationship, the more closely their food and smell preferences align, likely because the dining customs of each person influence the other’s.

–J.Z.