Brandon C Davidson
bcdavidson.bsky.social
Brandon C Davidson
@bcdavidson.bsky.social
Research Assistant @ MRC-CBU Digital Mental Health Group, University of Cambridge | bd440@cam.ac.uk | he/him
Pinned
🚨 New Preprint 🚨

Prolonged Isolation is associated with an increased behavioural sensitivity to ‘Likes’ on social media.

🧵

Social media rewards are inherently social—but does posting change during social isolation, when in-person social rewards are limited?

It turns out, yes!
Reposted by Brandon C Davidson
My first paper, out in PsychReview!!

Along with @orbenamy.bsky.social, Nik & @jaeggiadrian.bsky.social, @realadamhunt.bsky.social & I revisit an old theoretical question using concepts from evo psychiatry and anthro:

Why do mixed associations exist b/w social media & mental health?

A 🧵
November 4, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Reposted by Brandon C Davidson
🚨 New Preprint 🚨

Some people are at greater risk of experiencing negative mental health outcomes of social media use than others, but why?

🧵

We examined whether individual differences in cognitive processes shape risk and resilience to mental health effects on social media: osf.io/preprints/ps...
October 17, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Reposted by Brandon C Davidson
🚨Out now in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social 🚨

We explore the use of cognitive theories/models with real-world data for understanding mental health.

We review emerging studies and discuss challenges and opportunities of this approach.

With @yaelniv.bsky.social and @eriknook.bsky.social

Thread ⬇️
September 29, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Reposted by Brandon C Davidson
Mental and metabolic health are closely linked - but what drives this connection? In our new theory paper, we (w/ @camillanord.bsky.social & @hugofleming.bsky.social g.bsky.social) propose dysregulation of interoceptive energy allostasis as a key mechanism.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 🧵 1/n
An interoceptive model of energy allostasis linking metabolic and mental health
Interactions between metabolic interoception and regulation may drive comorbidity between mental and metabolic ill-health.
www.science.org
September 25, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Reposted by Brandon C Davidson
Check out @bcdavidson.bsky.social's preprint (w/ @georgiaturner.bsky.social @orbenamy.bsky.social @livia-tomova.bsky.social and co.) about the (computational) consequences of social isolation in social media use during covid!
🚨 New Preprint 🚨

Prolonged Isolation is associated with an increased behavioural sensitivity to ‘Likes’ on social media.

🧵

Social media rewards are inherently social—but does posting change during social isolation, when in-person social rewards are limited?

It turns out, yes!
September 16, 2025 at 1:51 PM
🚨 New Preprint 🚨

Prolonged Isolation is associated with an increased behavioural sensitivity to ‘Likes’ on social media.

🧵

Social media rewards are inherently social—but does posting change during social isolation, when in-person social rewards are limited?

It turns out, yes!
September 16, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Reposted by Brandon C Davidson
Great time in London watching intern @sineadcleary.bsky.social and research assistant Brandon Davidson give a fantastic presentation to the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology - what superstars I get to work with!
August 27, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Reposted by Brandon C Davidson
I'm hiring 2+ 2.5-year postdocs over the next few months.

Job 1: looking for someone with deep expertise in computational modelling (reinforcement learning, agent based modelling) on real-world/complex data (closing: 18 August, starting: October-December), www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/52059/
July 16, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by Brandon C Davidson
Absolutely thrilled to have been awarded an 8-year Wellcome Career Development Award to investigate how loneliness affects young people's brains and minds!! Grateful for the support and excited for the road ahead!
@wellcometrust.bsky.social

www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/29...
The impacts of loneliness in young people
£1.5 million investment into the impacts of loneliness on the brains of young people.
www.cardiff.ac.uk
July 16, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Brandon C Davidson
🚨New preprint 🚨

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬: 𝐀 𝐋𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞-𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨-𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲

osf.io/preprints/ps...

🧵

Using a novel micro-narrative method, we collected ~ 900 first-person accounts of social media harms from young people across the UK and US.
June 24, 2025 at 10:58 AM
My undergraduate project has finally been preprinted! We explore how cognitive development as early as age 3 acts as a mediating pathway for the association of genes with academic achievement into adolescence.

Huge thanks to my incredible team of collaborators for their support.
Language and Non-verbal Cognition are Early Developmental Markers of Genetic Influences on Academic Achievement: https://osf.io/shbqu
July 15, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Reposted by Brandon C Davidson
PLEASE SHARE: The second (and final) application cycle for the Improving Research Community Builder Awards is now open! Find out more here: www.orben.group/improving-re...

Deadline: 14 January 2025
November 28, 2024 at 9:27 PM