#Education

Recent global research has unveiled the surprising power of grandparenting to shape the health, identity, and resilience of the next generation—a finding that carries fresh resonance across Thai society as families navigate urbanization, shifting demographics, and evolving intergenerational roles. In a new era marked by aging populations and increasing longevity, the influence of grandparents is being rediscovered not only as a source of emotional nourishment, but as a foundation for cognitive and social development in grandchildren, bridging family culture, and preserving critical intergenerational wisdom.

The rapid expansion of computer science (CS) education in the United States is reshaping how students prepare for a tech-driven future. Yet new findings show young women are still significantly underrepresented in CS courses, raising questions about equality and the nation’s future innovation pipeline. Despite policy advances and broader course access, only about one-third of high school CS enrollments are girls, a share that has stubbornly persisted in recent years.

The rapid mainstreaming of computer science (CS) education in the United States is transforming how young people prepare for careers in the digital age—but new research shows that young women remain significantly underrepresented, raising concerns about equality, diversity, and the future of the nation’s technology workforce. Despite huge strides in CS education policy and school offerings, only about a third of high school students taking these courses are young women, a figure that has remained stubbornly consistent over recent years (csteachers.org; scholarshipinstitute.org).

New global research highlights how grandparenting shapes the health, identity, and resilience of the next generation. This insight resonates in Thailand as cities grow, families change, and intergenerational roles evolve. With aging populations and longer lifespans, grandparents are being rediscovered not only as emotional anchors but as contributors to cognitive and social development, while helping preserve family culture and wisdom.

Thai culture has long honored elders and supported multi-generational households. Yet recent reviews and analyses show grandparents influence more than caregiving; they shape values, coping skills, and social thriving. In a Thai context, grandparents often transmit patience, gratitude, and perseverance through shared meals, festivals, and daily routines that anchor children amid a fast-changing society.

A new study reveals that people with higher IQs are better at predicting life events, which leads to more informed choices. Led by the University of Bath’s School of Management and published in a leading psychology journal, the research highlights how intelligence influences everyday judgments about health, finances, and safety. For Thai readers, these insights help explain how knowledge can shape personal and national development.

Historically, researchers have linked intelligence to broad life outcomes such as income, education, and health. This study goes further by showing how cognitive ability affects probabilistic reasoning—the core skill behind risk assessment and decision making. In Thailand’s rapidly changing landscape, where households face more uncertainty, these findings resonate with efforts to build a knowledge-based society.

A groundbreaking new study has found that individuals with higher IQs possess a significantly greater ability to predict life events, resulting in better-informed decision-making. The research, led by the University of Bath’s School of Management and published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, sheds light on the crucial role intelligence plays not only in academic and occupational achievements but also in everyday judgments about health, finances, and personal safety. For Thai readers, understanding these findings could prove essential in navigating critical choices for both personal and national development.

New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that ordinary search habits can quietly trap people in their own information bubbles. Across 21 experiments with nearly 10,000 participants, the study shows that the way we type queries and the responses we see from search engines shape our views, even when we don’t intend to seek confirmation. This has important implications for how Thais access health, education, culture, and travel information in a digital era.

Groundbreaking research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has uncovered compelling evidence that ordinary people unconsciously contribute to the growth of their own information bubbles, simply through the way they type search queries online. This large-scale study, encompassing 21 experiments and nearly 10,000 participants, demonstrates that even without any intent to seek confirmation, our habitual online search patterns—and the algorithms designed to respond to them—subtly guide us towards ever-narrower realities. These findings have huge implications for how Thais access information, understand national debates, and engage with global topics in a time when digital literacy is crucial for an informed society (PsyPost).

Anthropic, a leading artificial intelligence research company, has released new insights from Project Vend, a groundbreaking experiment asking a simple but profound question: can an AI model like Claude Sonnet 3.7 run a small retail shop—successfully, profitably, and autonomously? The answers, it turns out, are both promising and sobering, offering a glimpse into the complex, sometimes strange future awaiting economies worldwide, including Thailand, as artificial intelligence assumes increasingly active roles in daily enterprise (Anthropic Research).

A new study from Anthropic’s Project Vend explores whether an AI model like Claude Sonnet 3.7 can run a small shop autonomously, profitably, and safely. The results offer a mix of promise and caution for Thai readers, hinting at how AI could reshape local retail, education, and policy in the near future.

Anthropic conducted the experiment inside its San Francisco office, creating a minimalist shop with a refrigerator, baskets, and a self-checkout tablet. The AI, named Claudius and powered by Claude Sonnet 3.7, handled stocking, pricing, customer requests, and inventory management while human staff performed physical restocking and troubleshooting as needed. The setup mirrors a tiny convenience store but on a significantly smaller scale than Thailand’s own bustling retail fronts.

A new wave of artificial intelligence (AI) companions is promising seamless emotional support and simulated relationships, but recent research warns that our growing reliance on “synthetic intimacy” comes with profound psychological costs. As Thai society rapidly adopts virtual assistants, chatbots, and AI-driven relationship apps, researchers caution that confusing machine simulation for genuine human connection could reshape our emotional well-being and disrupt core aspects of Thai social life.

The popularity of AI chatbots designed to act as romantic partners, friends, or even therapists has exploded globally. A striking example comes from a recent experiment by a prominent technology futurist who dated four different AI “boyfriends,” each powered by a major large language model such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and MetaAI. She described her experiences as “sweet and steamy,” but also admitted they revealed new, unsettling emotional possibilities. This trend, echoed throughout the international tech world, is now making inroads across Southeast Asia, including in Thailand, where the tech sector and the digitally native generation are increasingly turning to virtual relationships out of curiosity, loneliness, or a desire for frictionless companionship (Psychology Today).

A recent feature in Slate highlights a modern challenge for families in multicultural societies: supporting a teenager’s curiosity about organized religion, especially when it crosses ethnic and denominational lines. The piece, published June 27, 2025, titled “Help! My Son Wants to Go to Church. Uh, I’m Not Sure I Can Support This,” examines the emotions many parents face when a child’s spiritual interest diverges from family tradition and leads them into sacred spaces with deep cultural histories.

Public resistance to generative AI is intensifying as concerns about job displacement and social harms rise. Global demonstrations and consumer sentiment point to a broader worry that AI’s rapid expansion may harm people more than it helps. In recent weeks, backlash against Duolingo’s AI-first shift and protests over data center pollution have highlighted a broader debate around the social and ethical costs of automation, with Thai audiences watching closely to see how these dynamics unfold.

A recent feature in Slate has spotlighted an emerging challenge for parents in multicultural societies: supporting a teenager’s desire to explore organized religion, especially in a context that crosses both ethnic and denominational boundaries. The article, published on June 27, 2025, under the headline “Help! My Son Wants to Go to Church. Uh, I’m Not Sure I Can Support This,” addresses the nuanced emotions that arise when a young person’s spiritual curiosity diverges from family tradition—and ventures into sacred spaces with deep-seated cultural histories (slate.com).

A wave of new research is reshaping what we know about fatherhood, suggesting that men’s brains undergo measurable, dynamic changes when they become parents—changes often echoing those long attributed to mothers. For Thai families watching the shifting roles of men in parenting and policymakers focused on child development, these findings open remarkable new windows into the neurobiology of caregiving and challenge prevailing cultural stereotypes.

Until recently, the concept of “mom brain” reigned supreme in popular culture and scientific study. Defined by both cognitive shifts and an emotional attunement toward a new child, much has been made about the brain and hormonal changes mothers experience. However, a growing body of work, including the latest research led by a US-based psychology professor at the University of Southern California, finds that becoming a father sparks a unique neurological and hormonal transformation—a phenomenon now being described as “dad brain” (wbur.org).

A groundbreaking psychology study published in the Journal of Research in Personality has uncovered that people around the world—including potentially in Thailand—tend to make strong, consistent judgments about a person’s personality based solely on their tattoos, but these assessments are usually inaccurate. Only tattoos judged to be particularly “wacky” or unusual line up, to a modest degree, with reality: such tattoos are linked with higher openness to new experiences, according to the researchers (PsyPost).

A surge of public resistance to generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been gaining momentum, with consumers, workers, and local communities voicing sharp criticism against what many see as the unchecked advance of disruptive technology. Recent events, such as the backlash against Duolingo’s shift to an “AI-first” model and the mounting protests over data center pollution, underscore a growing sentiment that AI is beginning to harm more lives than it helps, stirring wide-ranging debates in both the digital and physical worlds (Wired).

A new wave of AI companions offers seamless emotional support and simulated relationships, but researchers warn that relying on “synthetic intimacy” carries significant psychological costs. As Thai society rapidly adopts virtual assistants, chatbots, and AI-driven relationship apps, experts caution that mistaking machine simulation for real human connection could reshape emotional health and everyday social life in Thailand.

Global interest in AI partners has surged. In a high-profile personal experiment, a tech thinker dated several AI “boyfriends” built on major language models. She described the experience as both charming and unsettling, highlighting new emotional possibilities. This trend is echoing across Southeast Asia, including Thailand, where a youthful, digitally native generation is exploring virtual relationships out of curiosity, loneliness, or a desire for frictionless companionship. Research from credible outlets notes the growing footprint of synthetic intimacy in daily life.

A recent psychology study reveals that people tend to judge a person’s personality based on tattoos, but those judgments are rarely accurate. The research found that only tattoos deemed “wacky” or unusual carried a modest link to openness to new experiences. In practice, visual cues about tattoos do not reliably reflect traits like agreeableness, extraversion, or conscientiousness.

In Thailand today, decorative and symbolic tattoos are common among urban youth, tourists, and even religious devotees. As body art grows in popularity—mirroring trends seen in many countries, where roughly one in three adults has some form of tattoo—this study highlights how stubborn stereotypes persist even as tattoo culture broadens its meanings.

Texas has become the latest—and one of the largest—states in the United States to ban students’ use of cell phones in all public K-12 schools, following the signing of House Bill 1481 by the state governor earlier this week (KXAN). The law gives individual districts two options for compliance: either prohibit all student devices on school property outright, or require students to store their phones securely and inaccessible during the school day (KHOU). The ban is set to take effect across the state for the 2025–2026 academic year (Statesman).

A sweeping Texas policy bans student use of cell phones in all public K-12 schools, taking effect in the 2025–2026 academic year. Districts must either prohibit devices on campus or require students to store them securely during the school day. The move follows concerns about digital distractions, student well-being, and classroom discipline, and it has sparked a global debate about technology in education.

For Thai educators and policymakers, the Texas case offers a timely point of reflection. Smartphone use among youth has surged in Thailand and around the world, reshaping how students learn, interact, and manage information. While some studies link unregulated use to lower focus, increased bullying, and mental health challenges, others warn that outright bans may overlook deeper systemic issues and could cut off useful learning tools and communication channels.

A wave of recent research is reshaping our understanding of fatherhood. Studies show that men’s brains can change in measurable, dynamic ways after becoming dads—changes that echo what has long been observed in mothers. For Thai families watching shifting parenting roles and for policymakers focused on child development, these findings reveal new insights into caregiving and challenge old stereotypes.

Historically, conversations about parenting often centered on “mom brain,” the idea that mothers undergo cognitive and emotional shifts after birth. Now, researchers from a leading US university report that fatherhood also triggers neurological and hormonal changes. The growing body of evidence suggests that dads engage in a biological process that supports caregiving, a development with broad implications for family life and public policy.

A recent study from the University of Barcelona shows that everyday language can help detect personality traits and that AI models can explain how they reach these conclusions. Using integrated gradients, researchers make the decision process of AI personality assessments more transparent. The work, published in PLOS ONE, could influence how personality is measured in fields like clinical psychology, education, and human resources.

For Thai audiences, the timing is timely. Southeast Asia is rapidly adopting digital tools, including AI, in schools, universities, and workplaces in Bangkok and beyond. Language-based personality assessments could support student counseling, recruitment, and personalized learning. However, ethical considerations must accompany these advances as Thailand explores AI-enabled solutions.

A groundbreaking study led by researchers at the University of Barcelona has harnessed artificial intelligence (AI) to reveal how everyday language can be used to detect personality traits, while also making key inroads into understanding how such AI models make their decisions. Using advanced machine learning techniques and a transparent, explainable AI approach known as “integrated gradients,” the research demystifies the inner workings of AI personality assessments. Their findings, recently published in PLOS ONE, could transform how personality is measured and ethically deployed across fields ranging from clinical psychology to education and human resources (source).