Rei Akaishi
@reiakaishi.bsky.social
Decision (neuro)scientist, interested in system views of brain, society, tech, wellbeing (opinions are my own)
https://akaishidecisionscience.yolasite.com
https://akaishidecisionscience.yolasite.com
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
Red alert for student visas: Education groups warn that new international enrollments at American colleges could fall by more than 30 percent unless the State Department deals with a serious bottleneck. chroni.cl/41ikMAn
Foreign-Student Enrollments Could Nosedive This Fall
Estimates suggest 150,000 fewer new students could be awarded U.S. visas. International-ed groups are urging the State Dept. to deal with the backlog.
chroni.cl
July 30, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Red alert for student visas: Education groups warn that new international enrollments at American colleges could fall by more than 30 percent unless the State Department deals with a serious bottleneck. chroni.cl/41ikMAn
Memory Constraints in Uncertainty Misestimation: A Computational Model of Working Memory and Environmental Change Detection
www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/13...
www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/13...
www.mdpi.com
July 29, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Memory Constraints in Uncertainty Misestimation: A Computational Model of Working Memory and Environmental Change Detection
www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/13...
www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/13...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
It's been a disappointing week. www.science.org/content/arti...
Social media consensus paper causes social media uproar
Preprint reporting common ground among researchers on smartphones and teen mental health is premature and flawed, critics say
www.science.org
May 22, 2025 at 9:34 PM
It's been a disappointing week. www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
Trump just revoked the ability for foreign students to enroll at Harvard. Every foreign student, which is in the thousands, enrolled for next year at Harvard will not be able to continue studying if this isn't challenged in court.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
Trump Administration Halts Harvard’s Ability to Enroll International Students
www.nytimes.com
May 22, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Trump just revoked the ability for foreign students to enroll at Harvard. Every foreign student, which is in the thousands, enrolled for next year at Harvard will not be able to continue studying if this isn't challenged in court.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
This is very cool. grist.org/science/brea...
Scientists just found a way to break through climate apathy
In a field of muddy results, it's among the clearest findings that one cognitive scientist has seen in his career.
grist.org
May 11, 2025 at 1:27 AM
This is very cool. grist.org/science/brea...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
Exclusive: National Science Foundation staff were told today that the agency’s 37 divisions—across all eight directorates—are being abolished and the number of programs within those divisions will be drastically reduced.
Exclusive: NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions
Changes seen as a response to presidential directives on what research to fund
scim.ag
May 8, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Exclusive: National Science Foundation staff were told today that the agency’s 37 divisions—across all eight directorates—are being abolished and the number of programs within those divisions will be drastically reduced.
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
I am so excited that this is now out. An absolutely **mammoth** amount of work, please give this thread a read ⬇️💪💪
After 3 years in the making, our Registered Report is out in @nathumbehav.nature.com!
We analyse nationally representative UK data from 3,340 adolescents (aged 11–19) to examine how social media use differs between those with and without mental health conditions. 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We analyse nationally representative UK data from 3,340 adolescents (aged 11–19) to examine how social media use differs between those with and without mental health conditions. 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Social media use in adolescents with and without mental health conditions - Nature Human Behaviour
Using a nationally representative UK sample of adolescents with clinical-level mental health symptoms, this Registered Report examined differences in social media use. The results suggest that adolesc...
www.nature.com
May 6, 2025 at 7:48 AM
I am so excited that this is now out. An absolutely **mammoth** amount of work, please give this thread a read ⬇️💪💪
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
Hou, Man, Hamilton, Muthusekaran, Johnykutty, Zadeh, MacNeil: "All Roads Lead to ChatGPT": How Generative AI is Eroding Social Interactions and Student Learning Communities https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.09779 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.09779 https://arxiv.org/html/2504.09779
April 15, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Hou, Man, Hamilton, Muthusekaran, Johnykutty, Zadeh, MacNeil: "All Roads Lead to ChatGPT": How Generative AI is Eroding Social Interactions and Student Learning Communities https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.09779 https://arxiv.org/pdf/2504.09779 https://arxiv.org/html/2504.09779
History of happiness
Our Idea of Happiness Has Gotten Shallow. Here’s How to Deepen It.
We used to have a very different understanding of what it means to live well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/03/m...
Our Idea of Happiness Has Gotten Shallow. Here’s How to Deepen It.
We used to have a very different understanding of what it means to live well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/03/m...
Our Idea of Happiness Has Gotten Shallow. Here’s How to Deepen It. (Gift Article)
We used to have a very different understanding of what it means to live well.
www.nytimes.com
May 6, 2025 at 1:15 AM
History of happiness
Our Idea of Happiness Has Gotten Shallow. Here’s How to Deepen It.
We used to have a very different understanding of what it means to live well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/03/m...
Our Idea of Happiness Has Gotten Shallow. Here’s How to Deepen It.
We used to have a very different understanding of what it means to live well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/03/m...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
This article highlights an underappreciated type of harm from AI products.
Many critiques worry about harms to users. A common rebuttal: users enjoy these products, & we ought to respect their autonomy & experiences.
But here, AI products harm users' loved ones, who never signed up for this.
Many critiques worry about harms to users. A common rebuttal: users enjoy these products, & we ought to respect their autonomy & experiences.
But here, AI products harm users' loved ones, who never signed up for this.
“The whole thing feels like Black Mirror.”
“He would listen to the bot over me.”
“It gave my husband the title of ‘spark bearer’ because he brought it to life.”
Relationships are being destroyed thanks to spiritual mania, supernatural delusions, and arcane prophecy — all fueled by AI chatbots:
“He would listen to the bot over me.”
“It gave my husband the title of ‘spark bearer’ because he brought it to life.”
Relationships are being destroyed thanks to spiritual mania, supernatural delusions, and arcane prophecy — all fueled by AI chatbots:
People Are Losing Loved Ones to AI-Fueled Spiritual Fantasies
Marriages and families are falling apart as people are sucked into fantasy worlds of spiritual prophecy by AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT
www.rollingstone.com
May 4, 2025 at 10:56 PM
This article highlights an underappreciated type of harm from AI products.
Many critiques worry about harms to users. A common rebuttal: users enjoy these products, & we ought to respect their autonomy & experiences.
But here, AI products harm users' loved ones, who never signed up for this.
Many critiques worry about harms to users. A common rebuttal: users enjoy these products, & we ought to respect their autonomy & experiences.
But here, AI products harm users' loved ones, who never signed up for this.
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
BREAKING: NSF has frozen all grant funding, as of yesterday. It's unclear when they will resume funding awards, or why the pause has been put in place. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones
US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.
www.nature.com
May 1, 2025 at 10:58 PM
BREAKING: NSF has frozen all grant funding, as of yesterday. It's unclear when they will resume funding awards, or why the pause has been put in place. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
Francis Collins: “Reckless decisions will disrupt a noble institution with a stunningly positive track record, drive young scientists to leave the country, and damage the future health of the nation." www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH insiders: Trump is ‘dismantling and destroying everything’
After just 100 days, agency scientists say U.S. health institutes are demoralized and have lost essential staff and funding
www.science.org
May 1, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Francis Collins: “Reckless decisions will disrupt a noble institution with a stunningly positive track record, drive young scientists to leave the country, and damage the future health of the nation." www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
New at Can We Still Govern: An anonymous NIH employee maps out the GOP budget gameplan to permanently gut our most important science agency.
Impoundment, delay and red tape will create artificial "savings" that become the new benchmark for NIH budgets.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nih-bu...
Impoundment, delay and red tape will create artificial "savings" that become the new benchmark for NIH budgets.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nih-bu...
The NIH budget is on a fast track to disaster
An NIH insider explains what Republicans are likely to do next, and what we can do
donmoynihan.substack.com
April 28, 2025 at 12:50 PM
New at Can We Still Govern: An anonymous NIH employee maps out the GOP budget gameplan to permanently gut our most important science agency.
Impoundment, delay and red tape will create artificial "savings" that become the new benchmark for NIH budgets.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nih-bu...
Impoundment, delay and red tape will create artificial "savings" that become the new benchmark for NIH budgets.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-nih-bu...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
BREAKING:The National Science Foundation (NSF) has put a cork in its grantmaking pipeline after billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) set up shop at the agency this week. | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
NSF halts grant awards while staff do second review
Action comes after DOGE team arrives at science agency
www.science.org
April 16, 2025 at 9:12 PM
BREAKING:The National Science Foundation (NSF) has put a cork in its grantmaking pipeline after billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) set up shop at the agency this week. | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
They are further consolidating control over the priorities of federal science funding.
NSF scraps most outside advisory panels
Science agency will no longer get the community’s advice on programs ranging from biology to international activities
www.science.org
April 16, 2025 at 12:14 AM
They are further consolidating control over the priorities of federal science funding.
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
The White House sought extensive oversight and the ability to make sweeping changes to Harvard’s governance, admissions and hiring practices, directives that the university called unlawful and unconstitutional.
Harvard hit with $2.2 billion funding freeze after rejecting Trump’s demands
The administration demanded changes to policies and governance due to allegations of antisemitism, illegal DEI. Harvard called the directives unconstitutional.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 15, 2025 at 11:04 AM
The White House sought extensive oversight and the ability to make sweeping changes to Harvard’s governance, admissions and hiring practices, directives that the university called unlawful and unconstitutional.
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
Good ideas — and impactful tools — don’t just come from rich, Western nations, says Aleksandra Lazić, a social scientist in Serbia
https://go.nature.com/4cPMVUd
https://go.nature.com/4cPMVUd
How a ‘boring administrative task’ transformed my PhD career
Good ideas — and impactful tools — don’t just come from rich, Western nations, says Aleksandra Lazić, a social scientist in Serbia.
go.nature.com
April 14, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Good ideas — and impactful tools — don’t just come from rich, Western nations, says Aleksandra Lazić, a social scientist in Serbia
https://go.nature.com/4cPMVUd
https://go.nature.com/4cPMVUd
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
New Paper! I'm truly excited to share @natematias.bsky.social and my new Policy Forum in Science published yesterday.
We evaluate science's ability to address technological harms, and offer recommendations for what could be done to improve on the status quo: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
We evaluate science's ability to address technological harms, and offer recommendations for what could be done to improve on the status quo: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Fixing the science of digital technology harms
Technology development outpaces scientific assessment of impacts
www.science.org
April 11, 2025 at 12:50 PM
New Paper! I'm truly excited to share @natematias.bsky.social and my new Policy Forum in Science published yesterday.
We evaluate science's ability to address technological harms, and offer recommendations for what could be done to improve on the status quo: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
We evaluate science's ability to address technological harms, and offer recommendations for what could be done to improve on the status quo: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
NEW: Entire scientific fields have been wiped out by the nearly 800 grants cancelled at NIH, finds a @nature.com analysis of the unprecedented cuts.
About half of all 2024 NIH projects related to LGBT+ health or vaccine hesitancy — gone.
See the other topics and US states hardest hit here:
About half of all 2024 NIH projects related to LGBT+ health or vaccine hesitancy — gone.
See the other topics and US states hardest hit here:
How Trump 2.0 is slashing NIH-backed research — in charts
Nature analyses which fields of science and US states are being hit hardest by grant terminations.
www.nature.com
April 10, 2025 at 8:36 PM
NEW: Entire scientific fields have been wiped out by the nearly 800 grants cancelled at NIH, finds a @nature.com analysis of the unprecedented cuts.
About half of all 2024 NIH projects related to LGBT+ health or vaccine hesitancy — gone.
See the other topics and US states hardest hit here:
About half of all 2024 NIH projects related to LGBT+ health or vaccine hesitancy — gone.
See the other topics and US states hardest hit here:
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
How NOT to respond when science is under existential threat
April 9, 2025 at 11:17 PM
How NOT to respond when science is under existential threat
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
Devastating news for my colleagues, my students, my community, for the state of New York, and for the entire world. Of course, they will not stop here.
Trump Officials Freeze $1 Billion for Cornell and $790 Million for Northwestern
The funding pause amid civil rights investigations into both universities sharply escalates the Trump administration’s campaign against elite colleges.
www.nytimes.com
April 9, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Devastating news for my colleagues, my students, my community, for the state of New York, and for the entire world. Of course, they will not stop here.
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
Long-standing training grants for underrepresented minorities have been canceled under Trump’s NIH.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/funding/excl...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/funding/excl...
NIH nixes funds for pre- and postdoctoral training programs
Many of the axed grants support scientists from underrepresented communities.
www.thetransmitter.org
April 8, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Long-standing training grants for underrepresented minorities have been canceled under Trump’s NIH.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/funding/excl...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/funding/excl...
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
New story from @dangaristo.bsky.social on the NSF grad fellowship cuts:
A key point: “GRFPs are one of the most cost-effective ways for NSF to give out money,” Evans says, because the outcome is a trained, promising young scientist and it’s relatively inexpensive.
A key point: “GRFPs are one of the most cost-effective ways for NSF to give out money,” Evans says, because the outcome is a trained, promising young scientist and it’s relatively inexpensive.
NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half
US National Science Foundation announces lowest number of Graduate Research Fellowship Programme recipients in 15 years.
www.nature.com
April 8, 2025 at 10:26 PM
New story from @dangaristo.bsky.social on the NSF grad fellowship cuts:
A key point: “GRFPs are one of the most cost-effective ways for NSF to give out money,” Evans says, because the outcome is a trained, promising young scientist and it’s relatively inexpensive.
A key point: “GRFPs are one of the most cost-effective ways for NSF to give out money,” Evans says, because the outcome is a trained, promising young scientist and it’s relatively inexpensive.
Reposted by Rei Akaishi
It was an absolute privilege to have interviewed one of my intellectual north stars @orbenamy.bsky.social on the @cognitations.bsky.social podcast. Another bucketlist dream checked off!!
As always, she provides nuanced, thoughtful answers that reflect empathy for various stakeholders in this debate
As always, she provides nuanced, thoughtful answers that reflect empathy for various stakeholders in this debate
🎙️ EP #14
What are the multiple ways in which social media 'might' affect mental health? What can parents do, given the messy state of the scientific literature? @adigitaltanay.bsky.social discusses this & much more with @orbenamy.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/5eum2vxm
[Jon Haidt Easter Egg in 🧵 below]
What are the multiple ways in which social media 'might' affect mental health? What can parents do, given the messy state of the scientific literature? @adigitaltanay.bsky.social discusses this & much more with @orbenamy.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/5eum2vxm
[Jon Haidt Easter Egg in 🧵 below]
EP #14 | How can Social Media Affect Mental Health? | Amy Orben
Cognitations · Episode
tinyurl.com
March 28, 2025 at 12:00 PM
It was an absolute privilege to have interviewed one of my intellectual north stars @orbenamy.bsky.social on the @cognitations.bsky.social podcast. Another bucketlist dream checked off!!
As always, she provides nuanced, thoughtful answers that reflect empathy for various stakeholders in this debate
As always, she provides nuanced, thoughtful answers that reflect empathy for various stakeholders in this debate