Scientists have long debated the importance of nature versus nurture—genes versus the environment—in shaping the choices people make and the paths their lives take. Two decades of research make it increasingly clear that both nature and nurture always play a role—that is, the extent to which genetic factors affect behavior depends on the social environment…

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People who did not spend their entire childhoods living in a stable two-parent family face greater chances of downward economic mobility than their peers who did, finds Deirdre Bloome of the University of Michigan.[1] Children who experience changes in family living arrangements because of divorce, cohabitation, or remarriage are more likely to “fall down the…

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Children who enter kindergarten after experiencing repeated household changes are more likely to display problem behaviors that inhibit learning and disrupt classrooms, Paula Fomby of the University of Michigan and Stefanie Mollborn of the University of Colorado show. Such changes include residential moves and shifts in family composition and household routines. Their findings—coupled with other…

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Births to teenage mothers in the United States have hit record lows for eight successive years, but experts are quick to point out that U.S. teen birth rates are far above those in other high-income countries.

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Neighborhoods that are more walkable, with accessible public transportation, and amenities such as parks that promote physical and social activity are associated with better health.

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The prescription opioid painkillers that helped fuel the surge in U.S. drug overdose deaths were first approved by the Federal Drug Administration in late 1995.

The before-and-after fatality rates tell a shocking story: In 1994, the age-adjusted drug overdose death rate was 4.8 deaths per 100,000 people; by 2015, the rate had more than tripled to 16.3 per 100,000.

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