When it comes to communication skills—maybe we’re born with it?

From inside the womb and as soon as they enter the world, babies absorb information from their environment and the adults around them, quickly learning after birth how to start communicating through cries, sounds, giggles, and other kinds of baby talk. But are a child’s long-term language skills shaped by how their brain develops during […]

Study finds risk communication targeting younger adults may have biggest impact

A recent study of adults in the United States finds that—broadly speaking—the older you are, the more concerned you are about COVID-19, and the more steps you take to reduce your risk from COVID-19. The study suggests that the biggest boost in risk reduction would stem from communication efforts aimed at raising awareness of COVID-19 […]

Germans want open communication of uncertainty in the coronavirus pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has once again highlighted the uncertainty inherent in science. The results of a Germany-wide study conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Charite—Universitaetsmedizin Berlin show that most Germans want to be openly informed about this uncertainty. The results have now been published in the journal JAMA Network […]

New study highlights the role of risk communication in coping with COVID-19

The mental effects of pandemics on people can arise not only from the burden of preventive measures, the fear of contracting and cure but also coping with the exponential deaths. It was predicted in 2018 that the next major outbreak and its containment challenges might not be due to a lack of preventive technologies, but […]

Engaging in family meals starts with healthy family communication

Engaging in family meals may be a matter of improving communication and support at home. A new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, connects less family discouragement and better family communication with a higher likelihood to eat evening family meals and family breakfasts together, and not in front of a television. Researchers […]

Crisis communication researcher: 5 key principles officials should use for COVID-19

Infectious disease outbreaks have killed more people than hurricanes, wildfires or earthquakes. The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most severe pandemic in recent history, with death estimates ranging as high as 50 million worldwide. Almost 700,000 deaths occurred in the U.S.; in some cases, entire families died. Because these events are so outside our understanding […]