Category Archives: Human Behavior

Human Behavior

Psychological Anime: 12 Series You Should Watch – But Why Tho?

Anime encompasses various genres that span the spectrum from whimsical adventures to epic shonen battles. Within this spectrum exists a subgenre that delves into the human psyche. Psychological anime is a genre of anime that tantalizes the mind and captivates the soul. These intricately woven narratives venture beyond the boundaries of conventional storytelling, exploring the enigmatic labyrinth of human emotions, fears, and desires.

What sets psychological anime apart is its ability to grip viewers, leaving them both bewildered and exhilarated as the stories unfold. Most psychological anime are captivating because of their intricate characters, exploration of the human psyche, and the thought-provoking concepts they present. These anime often feature complex themes and morally ambiguous situations, encouraging viewers to think deeper about the human condition and their beliefs.

The emotional intensity and varying unique art styles further immerse the audience in the storytelling. Additionally, the unconventional narrative structures and the exploration of taboo subjects make psychological anime stand out as engaging and thought-provoking entertainment that resonates with many viewers.

In this article, I will discuss and recommend twelve psychological anime, in no particular order, that I feel are must-watches and stand out amongst the subgenre.

There is no way we can not talk about psychological anime without mentioning Perfect Blue. Perfect Blue is an amazing psychological anime due to its profound character, Mima Kirigoe, complex and suspenseful plot, exploration of identity and obsession, and striking and visual style directed by Satoshi Kon. The film emotionally engages the audience and offers a commentary on the Japanese idol industry while being a masterpiece in the psychological thriller genre, making it an exceptional and influential work in anime and cinema.

Paranoia Agent delves into complex themes like the human psyche, societal pressures, and urban lifes impact on individuals, challenging viewers to contemplate these subjects deeply. The series non-linear narrative structure and interconnected stories add an element of intrigue and mystery that keeps the audience engaged. Furthermore, it provides in-depth character exploration, allowing viewers to connect with multi-dimensional and relatable characters as they grapple with their fears and insecurities. Paranoia Agent excels at building suspense and psychological tension, all while conveying these emotions through a distinctive visual style.

For fans of true crime stories, Erasedis a must-watch psychological thriller. Erasedmasterfully blends crime/mystery and time-travel elements, thus creating a suspenseful and emotionally engaging storyline. The shows protagonist, Satoru Fujinuma, is a well-developed character who is taken on a psychological journey from the future to the past as he attempts to prevent a series of tragic events from happening, including his mothers murder. The series skillfully navigates themes of trauma, regret, and the power of personal growth, offering viewers a thrilling and heartfelt exploration of the human psyche. Its clever use of time-travel and compelling plot twists keeps audiences on the edge of their seats, making Erased a standout in the psychological anime genre.

Death Note is considered a masterpiece in the psychological anime subgenre due to its riveting exploration of the consequences of absolute power and moral ambiguity. The series centers on the intellectual and psychological battle between the brilliant yet morally conflicted protagonist, Light Yagami, and the enigmatic detective, L. It delves deep into complex themes of justice, morality, and the human psyche, engaging viewers in examining the fine line between good and evil. With its intricate plot, well-developed characters, and intense cat-and-mouse dynamics, Death Note is a quintessential psychological thriller in anime.

Death Parade is a unique premise centered on the afterlife and reincarnation. The series explores deceased individuals moral complexities and emotions as they face judgment in a mysterious bar. Each episode features a new story that delves into the deceased characters pasts, inner conflicts, and the choices that lead them to their fates. The series raises questions about the human condition, morality, and the consequences of ones actions while maintaining an air of suspense and mystery. With its well-crafted characters and intricate storytelling, Death Parade offers a captivating and introspective viewing experience in the psychological anime genre.

Psycho-Pass presents a dystopian world where advanced technology can assess an individuals mental state and predict if they have any criminal tendencies. This premise allows for a deep exploration of complex psychological and ethical themes. The series engages viewers in a gripping narrative filled with moral dilemmas, societal critique, and a cast of well-developed characters. As the plot unfolds, it questions the limits of surveillance, the nature of justice, and the impact of such a system on human psychology, making Psycho-Pass a compelling addition to the psychological anime genre.

Tomodachi Game is a great anime series due to its intense focus on psychological manipulation, betrayal, and complex interpersonal dynamics. The story revolves around a group of friends forced into a series of sinister games that test their loyalties, trust, and morality of one another. These high-stakes games create a suspenseful narrative where each characters true nature is revealed and put on display as viewers are kept on the edge of their seats. The series delves into themes of human behavior, morality, and the consequences of choices. It is a thought-provoking addition to the psychological anime genre, with its gripping storyline and character development.

Wonder Egg Priority is a great psychological anime series to watch because it navigates complex themes such as trauma, grief, depression, and the struggles of adolescence with remarkable depth and sensitivity. While also utilizing and exploring elements of Magical Girl anime with various characters. The show features a captivating and emotionally charged storyline where characters confront their inner demons within a dreamlike world, blurring the lines between reality and the subconscious. Its intricate character development, breathtaking animation, and thought-provoking narrative make it a standout in the psychological anime genre, offering a unique and profoundly engaging exploration of the psychological and emotional challenges its diverse cast of characters faces.

Promised Neverland is a tremendous psychological anime series due to its gripping and suspenseful narrative that places a group of intelligent and resourceful orphans in a nightmarish world. The show excels at creating a constant atmosphere of tension and paranoia as the children try to outwit their caretaker to break free. The series explores survival, deception, and the human will to overcome impossible odds while delving into the psychological toll such a situation takes on the young protagonists and the supposed antagonists. The animes ability to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with plot twists and well-developed characters makes it a must-watch psychological anime.

Monster stands out as another masterpiece in the psychological anime subgenre due to its intricate storytelling and exploration of its character. The series follows Dr. Kenzou Tenma, who is faced with moral dilemmas and complex ethical choices as he deals with a brilliant yet sociopathic patient. The narrative delves deep into themes of morality, responsibility, and the darkest aspects of the human psyche. Its methodical pacing and character development create a suspenseful and thought-provoking experience, captivating viewers by exploring the fine line between good and evil.

B: The Beginning combines mystery, crime, and supernatural elements. The series unfolds in a fictional world where an enigmatic killer, Killer B, challenges the brilliant investigator, Keith Flick. The plot intricately weaves together character development, a compelling narrative, and a multi-layered mystery that keeps viewers engaged. It explores themes of identity, morality, and the blurred lines between good and evil, all while maintaining a suspenseful atmosphere that draws the audience into the psychological complexities of the characters.

Of course, as a huge One Piece fan, I had to work this recommendation into this list. One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island slightly departs from the series typical shonen action-adventure format. Instead, this film is more of a psychological thriller exploring power, betrayal, and redemption. The film involves a dark and twisted storyline that boldly departs from the typical wacky and action-packed adventures that Straw Hat Pirates face. The movie effectively conveys a profound sense of despair, exemplified when Luffy believes that for each minute he wastes, one of his crewmates is enduring brutal harm or worse. Thus pushing Luffy to the brink of his psyche.

Whether it is the complex characters, mind-bending twists, or thought-provoking concepts, it is clear that psychological anime has a unique way of gripping the audience from start to finish. If you are curious to know more about these series, I highly recommend watching them for yourself and enjoy the suspenseful psychological ride each has in store.

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Psychological Anime: 12 Series You Should Watch - But Why Tho?

Human Behavior

Roosters May Recognize Their Reflections in Mirrors, Study Suggests – Smithsonian Magazine

In the new experiment, roosters made fewer alarm calls, meant to warn peers of predators, when placed in front a mirror versus when standing near another rooster. Stefano Spaziani / picture alliance via Getty Images

In a variation of a classic experiment, scientists showed that roosters may recognize their own reflections in a mirror.

This ability is considered a sign of self-awareness in animals. The traditional experiment, which involves placing a mark on an animal and seeing whether they touch it when put in front of a mirror, had only detected self-recognition in a limited number of species. But the new findings suggest more species may be able to discern their reflections than previously thought, per a new paper published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.

This is exciting, as it moves away from the rigid dogma that the mark test is the only valid test for self-recognition in animals, Nathan Emery, who researches animal intelligence at Queen Mary University of London and did not contribute to the findings, tells New Scientists Jake Buehler.

For the classic mirror test, the mark is placed on a part of an animals face or body that it can only see when in front of a mirror. If the animal then investigates or touches the mark, thats considered an indication that it recognizes the reflection as its own, a sign of self-awareness.

Only a few non-human animals have passed the mirror test, including great apes, bottlenose dolphins, elephants, magpies and crows. But the test could have some limitationsin previous experiments, only some individuals of a species have passed, which could mean the test has a high rate of false negatives, according to the new study. Additionally, training animals with mirrors can improve their test results.

The mirror test also might be less accurate for animals that have different abilities from apes, writes the New York Times Darren Incorvaia. To test other animals, the researchers thought they should incorporate behaviors connected to the creatures day-to-day activities, as they might not all be motivated to touch marks on their bodies, Sonja Hillemacher, a co-author of the study and animal behavior researcher at the University of Bonn in Germany, tells New Scientist.

To adapt the mirror test for roosters, the team decided to measure their alarm calls. When predators are nearby, roosters typically make calls to warn others, but theyll remain silent if theyre alone. The researchers placed one of the birds in front of a mirror and projected a silhouette of a hawk flying above it. If the rooster remained silent, that could indicate it recognized itself and didnt feel the need to vocalize a warning, whereas a call might mean the rooster confused its reflection for a companion.

For comparisons sake, the hawk silhouette was also projected above roosters under some different conditions: when they were alone with no mirror, accompanied by another rooster visible to them in an adjacent compartment and accompanied by another rooster in an adjacent compartment that was blocked from sight by a mirror. They tested 68 roosters in total, and all the birds were tested in multiple setups.

In the experiments, the roosters made significantly fewer warning calls when placed next to a mirror versus next to a rooster they could see, suggesting they recognized the reflection was not another bird. They also made a similar number of calls in the mirror setup as they did when they were alone. In tests with another rooster hidden behind a mirror, the animals also made a low number of calls, suggesting they recognize the presence of other roosters visually, not by their smells or sounds.

The roosters also failed the classic mark version of the mirror test.

Potentially, this study shows strong evidence for self-awareness, Masanori Kohda, a biologist at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan who did not contribute to the findings, tells the New York Times. However, these results will not be enough to persuade all scientists.

Despite observing the roosters actions, scientists dont know exactly what went through the animals heads. Its equally feasible that they regarded their reflection as an odd [member of their species] mimicking their every move, leading them not to emit an alarm call out of irritation, Hillemacher says to the Guardians Nicola Davis.

Still, the findings suggest self-recognition might not be as exclusive as previously thought.

If ecologically relevant behavior like the alarm call in chicken will be used in the studies on self-awareness in animals, the animals self-awareness will be more correctly judged, Kohda tells the New York Times.

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Human Behavior

June 30 Zodiac: Sign, Traits, Compatibility and More – AZ Animals

Were you born on June 30th? Then your sun sign is Cancer in Western astrology. A sun sign is only one small part of your natal astrological chart, but it has become the most popular part of astrology because it is easiest to determine. Sun signs are based on the dates the sun moves through certain constellations each year. These dates are relatively the same year after year, so anyone born between June 21 and July 20 is also a Cancer.

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The other aspects of astrology, such as your Moon sign, Mercury sign, or Venus sign, are determined by the exact time and place of your birth. The planets closest to the sun are known are your personal planets because they are different for each person.

The outer planets like Pluto and Saturn, are the same for every person in a generation. Because of their longer orbits, they can sometimes take years to move through signs. However, each person has these planets placed in a different house in the astrological chart, which still gives them differing meanings for their life and personality even if they have the same sign as their peers.

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The zodiac sign Cancer is represented by the crab. This is a great symbol for Cancers for many reasons.

June 30 birthdays are in the first decan of Cancer. A decan is a smaller section of an astrological sign that takes up about 10 days. The first decan of Cancer is from June 21-July 1. Those born during this time are classic Cancers. They are quite romantic, love their families, and can be quite creative.

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Cancer is the only sign to be ruled by The Moon, and only one of two zodiac signs to be ruled by a luminary instead of a planet. The other one is Leo, which is ruled by The Sun. Cancers relationship to the moon is somewhat different from other signs relationships to their planets, simply because the moon is so much closer and we are deeply connected to it here on Earth.

The Moon has a direct effect on our Earths tides. Humans have used the phases of the moon to help us tell time for thousands of years. In the English language, several words that relate to periods of about a month are derived from words relating to the moon. For example, the words month and menstrual are related to The Moon. Throughout history, people have also thought The Moon has different effects on human behavior leading to words like lunacy and lunatic.

Cancers emotional nature may be related to The Moon. Cancers can seem, to others, to have random mood shifts that dont make much sense to others. However, they can be related to the changing phases of The Moon and the other astrological aspects of The Moon as it orbits our planet.

The Moon also deals with empathy and intuition. Because of this, Cancers are strong in both of these traits. A healthy Cancer can empathize with other people but still maintain their own identity. An unbalanced Cancer may become overly identified with other peoples feelings and get confused about what feelings belong to other people and what belongs to themselves.

Because of their connection to the moon, Cancers are also so intuitive that they can seem to be psychic. Never try to lie to a Cancer because they will probably simply sense that youre lying. However, as previously mentioned, this can lead them to get upset when their friends and family dont read their mind.

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All water signs are deeply emotional and intuitive, but in different ways. The other two water signs are Scorpio and Pisces. People tend to think water signs are total emotional softies. However, you only have to think of the element water to know that is not true. Water can trickle pleasantly through a stream, or stall in a river to create the perfect swimming hole. However, it can also rage and cause great destruction. Additionally, water is so powerful that over thousands of years it carves canyons and creates shorelines. All this is to say: dont underestimate a water sign.

Water signs also love stability. For Cancers, this can result in long-term partnerships, loyal friendships, living in the same home for a while, and having the same job in a traditional setting for quite some time. However, this can also mean that when things are not stable they can become more fragile than other people who deal with change more easily.

Every sign of the zodiac is either fixed, mutable, or cardinal. Each of the four elements, water, air, fire, and earth, represents three signs. Each of the three aspects fixed, mutable, and cardinal, represents four signs. So, each element has one fixed sign, one mutable sign, and one cardinal sign.

Cardinal signs like Cancer come at the start of each season. Because of this, they are considered the leaders of the zodiac. They are trendsetters and love to come up with innovative ideas. Cancers cardinal nature may be more under-the-radar than the others because of their watery nature. However, its simply that their leadership qualities may not appear in the things that we value most in our current societys structure. They are more likely to take the lead in spiritual, emotional, and home pursuits.

People born on June 30th have both the number 3 and the number 9 as part of their important numbers. The number 3 comes from the day of the 30th. So, they share this number with people born on the 30th of any month. Number 3s can be funny and social. To others they can appear to be irresponsible, but they always handle their affairs. Its just that they never think anything is so serious to get super worried about it.

The number 9 comes from the month (6) and the day (30th). The number 9 encompasses a bit of the qualities from all of the other numbers in numerology. It is the last number because in numerology you always simplify any double or triple digits down to a single number. So, people with this number in their life are often flexible and adaptable. They can learn multiple strategies for how to deal with a problem and use the one that works best for the situation.

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Each of the birthstones for the month of June fit well into Cancers ethos. There are three choices:

Pearl and moonstone both look like the moon, which Cancer has such a deep connection with. Alexandrite is a mystical rare gem that changes color depending on what type of light shines on it.

Each sign in the zodiac has stereotypical personality traits. However, its important not to pre-judge people based on these ideas. You can use them to explain someones behavior, but they show up quite differently in different people. When unbalanced, any sun signs more challenging traits can come out. When they have worked on themselves, any signs more easeful traits can be present. Also, what is a challenging trait for one person, may be a desirable one for someone else. For example, Cancers love of staying at home could be challenging for an adventure oriented sign like Aries or Gemini, but a dream for another comfort loving sign like Taurus. All this is to say, these traits are just stereotypes. Let a Cancer show you who they are before you assume anything about them!

Like all water signs, Cancers feel deeply. They are also quite sensitive. They may not take kindly to good-natured teasing or constructive criticism. Because of this, Cancers need to learn that things arent always personal. Learning to take criticism, especially in work and school, can help Cancers become happier and more well-adjusted people.

For all their emotions, Cancers tend to retreat into their shells when they are in their feels, rather than expressing them. Part of this is a desire to avoid confrontation, and part of this is that Cancers forget that people arent as psychic and intuitive as they are. They expect their people to read their minds. This can lead to passive-aggressive behaviors where Cancers drop hints that they are upset, but never really say what is bothering them. Additionally, as the emotional world is the realm in which Cancers feel most comfortable, they can forget that there is a conflict or issue to deal with. They can focus on their feelings and dig into them, even wallowing, rather than sorting things out.

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Cancer, especially those in the first decan, has a special interest in family. In our modern world, this doesnt have to mean their family of origin. It can be a family of choice. They love to nurture and care for their family members. June 30th Cancers may have a special interest in fertility or having their own children because the first decan is ruled by Venus. This also ties into their love of home, which is often where their family is located.

Cancers are loyal friends, family members, and romantic partners. It is hard to get into their inner circle, but once youre there, a Cancer will have a hard time letting you go. Their home can become a center for the friend group, and they love hosting for those who are important to them. However, there are some challenging aspects to this loyalty that can develop. Cancers are so nurturing and loyal that they can forget about their own needs in a relationship. This can lead them to overextend themselves, leading to resentment in the long-term, especially if their nurturing is not reciprocated.

Cancers also have a tendency to hold onto objects, in addition to people. This can lead to a comfortable but cluttered home.

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Cancers love stability so they may prefer traditional employment versus being self-employed. They do well in jobs where they can nurture others such as childcare, nursing, mental healthcare, and teaching. However, there are also some unconventional ways that they can show their nurturing nature through their work such as becoming a financial planner, interior designer, or office manager. Cancers can also put their amazing intuition to work as an esoteric practitioner such as a tarot reader or astrologer.

If youre looking for a committed relationship, then something with a Cancer is right up your alley. However, if you want something casual, then Cancers desire for loyalty, stability, and commitment will probably send you running for the hills. Cancers are super romantic and prefer to be in long-term relationships. They make great partners, and can build an amazing home and family with someone who wants the same thing.

Because of their loyalty to their partners and friends, Cancers can easily overlook problematic aspects of their partners. On the one hand, this can be a good thing. They are not likely to break up with someone over small behaviors that annoy them. On the other hand, when it comes to more serious topics like disrespect or even abuse, a Cancer can stay in a relationship for way too long.

Additionally, because they value loyalty and longevity so much, they are likely to stay friends with their exes. New partners may feel jealous of these friendships.

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Cancers are possibly most compatible with Scorpios and Tauruses. Scorpios feel just as deeply as Cancers, and may even feel more deeply. They also love commitment and are looking for a true soul connection in their relationships. Tauruses are equally stable and huge fans of comfort. A home built by a Cancer/Taurus relationship is going to be very cushy and inviting!

Fire signs might be least compatible with Cancers. Aries, Sagittarius, and Leo love adventure and might not stay in the same place long enough for a Cancers liking.

The symbol of the crab comes from an ancient Greek myth. The star of the myth is Heracles, the Greek version of Hercules. The Greek goddess Hera hated Heracles because he is the result of an affair between her husband, Zeus, and the mortal princess Alcmene. His existence reminded her of Zeus constant wandering from their relationship. So, when Heracles was fighting a nine-headed hydra, she sent a giant crab to mess with him. Unfortunately for Hera and luckily for Heracles, he easily killed the beast. So, Hera immortalized the crab in the stars as a constellation.

The Moon was also an important symbol in Greek mythology. Selene, the goddess of The Moon, was a romantic deity who was also very family oriented, just like Cancer. She had more than 50 children! She was also associated with intuition and psychic visions.

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June 30 Zodiac: Sign, Traits, Compatibility and More - AZ Animals

Human Behavior

Indiana’s Funding Ban for Kinsey Sex-Research Institute Threatens … – The Chronicle of Higher Education

The decision to ban state funding for Indiana University at Bloomingtons famed sex-research institute threatens academic freedom and sets a troubling precedent for legislative interference in research nationwide, the universitys president, Pamela Whitten, said in a recent public statement. The ban, included in the state budget after a heated debate, was inspired by a conservative lawmakers unproven claims, based on decades of circulated rumors, that the Kinsey Institutes founder had promoted pedophilia and that the institute endangered children.

The state doesnt allocate any money directly for the institute, which receives the vast majority of its funding from grants and outside philanthropy, so the impact of this specific prohibition will be mostly administrative and symbolic. The state simply gives money to the university, which until now, it could spend on the institute.

The institute was founded in 1947 at the Bloomington campus as the Institute for Sex Research. Its founder, Alfred C. Kinsey, was an American biologist and professor of entomology and zoology who had been teaching a college course on marriage and was surprised by how little his students knew about sexuality. After founding the institute, he and his team collected and studied thousands of sexual histories. Kinsey, who died in 1956, rose to national prominence after the publication of his books Sexual Behavior in the Human Male in 1948 and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female in 1953.

In the former, he argued that human sexuality existed on a continuum from heterosexual to homosexual, and that people didnt neatly fit one or the other. Because Kinseys research included extensive interviews with at least one pedophile, his fiercest critics accused him of encouraging sexual deviancy. Others questioned his research methods and data.

In the second book, Kinsey examined the sex life of American women, which outraged many 1950s readers with its findings about the frequency of premarital sex and masturbation. Congressional critics accused the Rockefeller Foundation of contributing to the nations moral decay by funding the research. It stopped doing so in 1954, two years before Kinseys death.

Among the contemporary topics the institute studies are issues related to reproductive health, sexually transmitted disease, teen pregnancy, and sexual abuse. It also delves into relationships and dating. Researchers should be protected from interference with such work, the universitys president wrote in a prepared statement last month.

As a premier research institution with a 200-year legacy of impact within our state and around the world, IU is firmly committed to academic freedom, Whitten wrote. The university is concerned that a provision singling out a specific research institute sets a troubling precedent with implications that could limit the ability of public colleges and universities to pursue research and scholarship that benefits people and improves lives.

She went on to say that the university will conduct a thorough legal review to ensure it follows state law and added that its committed to the ongoing crucial research and robust scholarship conducted by IU faculty and the Kinsey Institute. In a letter to faculty and staff members, Whitten and other top campus administrators said the university will continue to support the institutes faculty in finding and securing the research grants and private philanthropic support that already make up the vast majority of its funding.

The budget signed by Eric J. Holcolm, Indianas Republican governor, specifically prohibits state money from being used to cover the institutes on-campus facilities, research work, utilities, office supplies, and maintenance of research photographs or films.

The stipulation banning state spending on the Kinsey Institutes work was introduced by Rep. Lorissa Sweet, a Republican from Wabash. She introduced it as an amendment to the proposed budget because of her objections to the institutes founder, whom she accused on the House floor of exploiting children through interviews with adults talking about how children experience orgasm. Sweet, who did not respond to requests for comment, also suggested that the institute continues to support sexual abusers, a claim that has never been proved.

On its website, the institute urged its supporters to take to social media and other channels to defend the right to conduct sex research. The budget restriction takes aim at the very foundation of academic freedom and stifles critical research on sexuality, gender, relationships, and reproduction, it said.

Since 1947, the Kinsey Institute has been an international thought leader in providing an unbiased and apolitical scientific approach to human sexuality, the website post said. In this time of divisive politics and the rise of disinformation, Kinsey Institute research, education, and historical preservation are more important than ever.

The university did not make the president or the institutes executive director, Justin R. Garcia, available for interviews, but it referred The Chronicle to an opinion piece published this week in The Washington Post thats also posted on the institutes website.

For generations, the Kinsey Institute has shone a light on diverse aspects of sex and sexuality, in pursuit of answers that bring us closer to understanding fundamental questions of human existence, Garcia, who is a senior scientist at the institute and also a professor of gender studies, wrote. Sweet, the lawmaker who introduced the budget amendment, had parroted false allegations of sexual predation in the institutes historical research and ongoing work, which the institute, the university, and outside experts have repeatedly refuted.

Rep. Matt Pierce, a Democrat whose Bloomington district includes the flagship campus, said, These same unproven allegations about Kinsey were circulating about 20 years ago. Really crazy stuff about Kinsey experimenting with children and babies that were circulating in these conservative culture-war stories. The reports were being recirculated because of a 1998 book by a conservative author, Judith A. Reisman, that accused Kinsey of shaking the nations moral foundation with dangerous research and exploitive experiments on children.

Pierce, who is also a senior lecturer in the universitys Media School, was among a group of state legislators who visited the institute to investigate and found that there was no evidence to back up their fellow lawmakers concerns that children were being exploited.

Because the author requested a roll call vote, that locked it in, Pierce said in an interview on Friday. The amendment passed 53 to 34. Hard-core Republicans who actually believed this stuff voted for it, but others who were fearful of being taken out in a Republican primary went along with it, figuring, Im not going to lose my seat over this. Sweet, the bills author, is a freshman who toppled a longtime moderate Republican incumbent, Pierce pointed out.

When Kinseys report on womens sexuality came out in the 1950s, Pierce said, it showed that women were more sexually active than people believed, and there was an explosion of moral panic Youre lying. This cant be true.

The same moral panic, he said, has been happening in Indiana around transgender people. The governor last month signed into law a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Kinseys research about the fluidity of gender may have alarmed many of those same lawmakers who approved the ban, Pierce said.

He told his colleagues during a heated floor debate that, even if they believed what was being said about Kinsey, it was 50 to 70 years ago, and that today, federal laws and university policies protect research subjects.

While the ban on using state funds will force the university to go through time-consuming checks to be sure public money isnt going toward institute costs, To me, the greater concern is the precedent that the legislator is attempting to stamp out a whole area of academic inquiry, Pierce said. What will be next?

In his opinion piece in The Washington Post, Garcia described the institute as the leading sex-research institute in the world, staffed by internationally renowned biologists, psychologists, anthropologists, health scientists, and demographers. The institute, he wrote, publishes dozens of scientific and academic articles each year across a variety of disciplines. Its critics, over the decades, have painted a far different picture, blaming the research center for promoting homosexuality and pornography, inciting the sexual revolution, and tearing away at the nations moral fabric.

Garcia warned that Indiana isnt alone in seeing debates over gender and sexuality become politicized. Legislators elsewhere, he wrote, are ignoring scientific evidence in passing laws that restrict reproductive health care, discussions of gender identity, and basic sex education. Despite the latest setback, he wrote, I am optimistic that this latest culture war will pass. And the Kinsey Institute will carry on.

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Indiana's Funding Ban for Kinsey Sex-Research Institute Threatens ... - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Human Behavior

Have AI Chatbots Developed Theory of Mind? What We Do and Do … – The New York Times

Mind reading is common among us humans. Not in the ways that psychics claim to do it, by gaining access to the warm streams of consciousness that fill every individuals experience, or in the ways that mentalists claim to do it, by pulling a thought out of your head at will. Everyday mind reading is more subtle: We take in peoples faces and movements, listen to their words and then decide or intuit what might be going on in their heads.

Among psychologists, such intuitive psychology the ability to attribute to other people mental states different from our own is called theory of mind, and its absence or impairment has been linked to autism, schizophrenia and other developmental disorders. Theory of mind helps us communicate with and understand one another; it allows us to enjoy literature and movies, play games and make sense of our social surroundings. In many ways, the capacity is an essential part of being human.

What if a machine could read minds, too?

Recently, Michal Kosinski, a psychologist at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, made just that argument: that large language models like OpenAIs ChatGPT and GPT-4 next-word prediction machines trained on vast amounts of text from the internet have developed theory of mind. His studies have not been peer reviewed, but they prompted scrutiny and conversation among cognitive scientists, who have been trying to take the often asked question these days Can ChatGPT do this? and move it into the realm of more robust scientific inquiry. What capacities do these models have, and how might they change our understanding of our own minds?

Psychologists wouldnt accept any claim about the capacities of young children just based on anecdotes about your interactions with them, which is what seems to be happening with ChatGPT, said Alison Gopnik, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley and one of the first researchers to look into theory of mind in the 1980s. You have to do quite careful and rigorous tests.

Dr. Kosinskis previous research showed that neural networks trained to analyze facial features like nose shape, head angle and emotional expression could predict peoples political views and sexual orientation with a startling degree of accuracy (about 72 percent in the first case and about 80 percent in the second case). His recent work on large language models uses classic theory of mind tests that measure the ability of children to attribute false beliefs to other people.

A brave new world. A new crop of chatbotspowered by artificial intelligence has ignited a scramble to determine whether the technology could upend the economics of the internet, turning todays powerhouses into has-beens and creating the industrys next giants. Here are the bots to know:

ChatGPT. ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence language model from a research lab, OpenAI, has been making headlines since November for its ability to respond to complex questions, write poetry, generate code, plan vacationsand translate languages. GPT-4, the latest version introduced in mid-March, can even respond to images(and ace the Uniform Bar Exam).

Bing. Two months after ChatGPTs debut, Microsoft, OpenAIs primary investor and partner, added a similar chatbot, capable of having open-ended text conversations on virtually any topic, to its Bing internet search engine. But it was the bots occasionally inaccurate, misleading and weird responsesthat drew much of the attention after its release.

Ernie. The search giant Baidu unveiled Chinas first major rival to ChatGPT in March. The debut of Ernie, short for Enhanced Representation through Knowledge Integration, turned out to be a flopafter a promised live demonstration of the bot was revealed to have been recorded.

A famous example is the Sally-Anne test, in which a girl, Anne, moves a marble from a basket to a box when another girl, Sally, isnt looking. To know where Sally will look for the marble, researchers claimed, a viewer would have to exercise theory of mind, reasoning about Sallys perceptual evidence and belief formation: Sally didnt see Anne move the marble to the box, so she still believes it is where she last left it, in the basket.

Dr. Kosinski presented 10 large language models with 40 unique variations of these theory of mind tests descriptions of situations like the Sally-Anne test, in which a person (Sally) forms a false belief. Then he asked the models questions about those situations, prodding them to see whether they would attribute false beliefs to the characters involved and accurately predict their behavior. He found that GPT-3.5, released in November 2022, did so 90 percent of the time, and GPT-4, released in March 2023, did so 95 percent of the time.

The conclusion? Machines have theory of mind.

But soon after these results were released, Tomer Ullman, a psychologist at Harvard University, responded with a set of his own experiments, showing that small adjustments in the prompts could completely change the answers generated by even the most sophisticated large language models. If a container was described as transparent, the machines would fail to infer that someone could see into it. The machines had difficulty taking into account the testimony of people in these situations, and sometimes couldnt distinguish between an object being inside a container and being on top of it.

Maarten Sap, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, fed more than 1,000 theory of mind tests into large language models and found that the most advanced transformers, like ChatGPT and GPT-4, passed only about 70 percent of the time. (In other words, they were 70 percent successful at attributing false beliefs to the people described in the test situations.) The discrepancy between his data and Dr. Kosinskis could come down to differences in the testing, but Dr. Sap said that even passing 95 percent of the time would not be evidence of real theory of mind. Machines usually fail in a patterned way, unable to engage in abstract reasoning and often making spurious correlations, he said.

Dr. Ullman noted that machine learning researchers have struggled over the past couple of decades to capture the flexibility of human knowledge in computer models. This difficulty has been a shadow finding, he said, hanging behind every exciting innovation. Researchers have shown that language models will often give wrong or irrelevant answers when primed with unnecessary information before a question is posed; some chatbots were so thrown off by hypothetical discussions about talking birds that they eventually claimed that birds could speak. Because their reasoning is sensitive to small changes in their inputs, scientists have called the knowledge of these machines brittle.

Dr. Gopnik compared the theory of mind of large language models to her own understanding of general relativity. I have read enough to know what the words are, she said. But if you asked me to make a new prediction or to say what Einsteins theory tells us about a new phenomenon, Id be stumped because I dont really have the theory in my head. By contrast, she said, human theory of mind is linked with other common-sense reasoning mechanisms; it stands strong in the face of scrutiny.

In general, Dr. Kosinskis work and the responses to it fit into the debate about whether the capacities of these machines can be compared to the capacities of humans a debate that divides researchers who work on natural language processing. Are these machines stochastic parrots, or alien intelligences, or fraudulent tricksters? A 2022 survey of the field found that, of the 480 researchers who responded, 51 percent believed that large language models could eventually understand natural language in some nontrivial sense, and 49 percent believed that they could not.

Dr. Ullman doesnt discount the possibility of machine understanding or machine theory of mind, but he is wary of attributing human capacities to nonhuman things. He noted a famous 1944 study by Fritz Heider and Marianne Simmel, in which participants were shown an animated movie of two triangles and a circle interacting. When the subjects were asked to write down what transpired in the movie, nearly all described the shapes as people.

Lovers in the two-dimensional world, no doubt; little triangle number-two and sweet circle, one participant wrote. Triangle-one (hereafter known as the villain) spies the young love. Ah!

Its natural and often socially required to explain human behavior by talking about beliefs, desires, intentions and thoughts. This tendency is central to who we are so central that we sometimes try to read the minds of things that dont have minds, at least not minds like our own.

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Have AI Chatbots Developed Theory of Mind? What We Do and Do ... - The New York Times

Human Behavior

Scoop: Coming Up on a New Episode of HOUSEBROKEN on FOX … – Broadway World

Guest-Starring Melanie Lynsky ("Yellowjackets")

When Honey attempts to cure Diablo's irrational fear of basement monsters, she puts the whole group in jeopardy. Chico and The Gray One follow Kevin onto a plane to get to the bottom of why Kevin always abandons Chico. Chief faces off against the loud barking dog in the sky, more commonly known as thunder, in the all-new "Who's A Scaredy Cat?" episode of HOUSEBROKEN airing Sunday, April 2 (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Featuring the voices of Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte, Clea DuVall, Nat Faxon, Sharon Horgan, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson and Jason Mantzoukas, animated comedy HOUSEBROKEN follows a group of neighborhood pets and stray animals as they work through their issues inside and outside their therapy group.

HONEY (Emmy Award winner Lisa Kudrow, "Friends," "The Comeback") opens her living room for the group to come and support each other through the misery, mayhem and majesty that is being a pet. Honey also struggles with her own problems, such as her arranged (by her human) marriage with CHIEF (Academy Award winner Nat Faxon, "The Descendants," "The Way Way Back"), a sloppy St. Bernard who enjoys eating socks and licking himself.

The group includes SHEL (Emmy Award nominee Will Forte, "The Last Man on Earth," "Nebraska"), a sex positive tortoise with intimacy issues and a knack for choosing unconventional partners; TABITHA (Emmy Award nominee Sharon Horgan, "Catastrophe"), an aging Persian cat beauty queen, trying to adjust to life off the cat show circuit; THE GRAY ONE (Jason Mantzoukas, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "The Good Place"), a street smart cat who lives with about 30 other cats and has his one eye on Tabitha; CHICO (Screen Actors Guild Award winner Sam Richardson, "Veep"), a chonky, co-dependent and very naive cat; and the group's newest member, DIABLO (Emmy Award winner Tony Hale, "Veep," "Arrested Development"), an anxious, sweater-wearing terrier whose OCD causes him to hump everything twice.

Among the group's other members are ELSA (Screen Actors Guild Award winner Clea DuVall, "The Handmaid's Tale," "Veep"), a power hungry, know-it-all Corgi and fake service dog, who drives Honey crazy; NIBBLES (guest voice Bresha Webb, "The Last O.G."), a psychopathic hamster who is mourning the loss of her mate (whose face she ate...and everyone knows it); MAX (Hale), George Clooney's pig, a former actor and current status-obsessed a-hole; BUBBLES (guest voice Greta Lee, "Russian Doll"), a horny, teenage goldfish who lives with Honey and Chief, and heckles the animals any chance she gets; TCHOTCHKE, a silent, and possibly magical, slow loris with a mysterious past, who uses a tiny cocktail umbrella to express his emotions; and JILL (guest voice Maria Bamford, "Big Mouth," "BoJack Horseman"), Honey and Chief's human owner. But who cares? This is about animals.

HOUSEBROKEN is an irreverent look at human behavior, but told through the filter of a quirky group of neighborhood pets. Throughout the series, the show centers on the pets' dysfunctional relationships and their skewed world view, while exploring relevant societal issues in fun and unique ways.

HOUSEBROKEN is produced by Kapital Entertainment and FOX Entertainment. It is created and executive-produced by Gabrielle Allan, Jennifer Crittenden and Clea DuVall. Sharon Horgan, Clelia Mountford, Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor also serve as executive producers. The series is animated by Bento Box Entertainment.

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Scoop: Coming Up on a New Episode of HOUSEBROKEN on FOX ... - Broadway World

Human Behavior

Here’s five fall 2023 classes to fire up your bookbag – Duke Chronicle

Feel like experimenting with your classes this fall? As shopping carts for fall 2023 classes opened on Monday, The Chronicle compiled a list of interesting courses across a range of disciplines that you can take in the upcoming semester. Registration begins on April 5 and ends April 13.

Taught by Cole L. Russing

Th 10:05 a.m.-12:35 p.m.

Course Credits: ENGLISH 225S, CINE 306S, VMS 360S (ALP, W)

Are you a lover of Letterboxd? Do you have a script idea you believe belongs on Netflix? This course will teach students how to turn story ideas into a screenplay. Students will have the opportunity to analyze screenplays and movies, develop a deeper understanding of visual storytelling and create their own scenes.

Charmaine D. Royal

MW 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m.

Course Credits: AAS 261D, BIOLOGY 261D, CULANTH 261D, GLHLTH 258D, SCISOC 258D, VMS 274D (EI, STS, NS, SS)

Interested in engaging with challenges related to race and genetics? This course explores human origins, human variation, human identity, and human health to reflect on the concept of race within the field of genetics on a global scale. Scientific, ethical, legal, societal, cultural and psychosocial issues surrounding the concept of race will be discussed. Students from any discipline in the arts, humanities and sciences are welcome.

Taught by Kimberly K. Lamm

MW 10:05-11:20 a.m.

Course Credits: AAAS 355S, ARTSVIS 353S, ENGLISH 353S, GSF 355S, LIT 355S (CCI, W, ALP)

This course focuses on Black feminist perspectives on clothing and fashion, and reveals fashion and clothing as aesthetic practices of everyday life that defy the objectifying effects of racism and sexism.

Students will analyze the photos, paintings and literature of Black artists and writers in which clothing is a primary theme. They will further explore slaverys and colonialisms impact on gender and sexuality.

Taught by Margaret Humphreys

TuTh 8:30-9:45 a.m.

Course Credits: HISTORY 371, SCISOC 371 - 01 (CCI, STS, CZ, SS)

Feeling hungry?

This course takes a dive into the history of food, from the Paleolithic era today. It explores food exchanges across continents and cultures, discovery of vitamins and vitamin deficiencies, growth and impact of food industries, and the rise of diseases. It also considers the intersection of food and health, looking at food insecurity and obesity.

Taught by John Forlines III

Th 1:25-3:55 p.m.

Course Credits: ECON 255S, PUBOL 257S (CCI, SS)

Wondering how you can use Shakespeare to understand human behavior in the modern financial market? This course will analyze plays like Hamlet, Julius Caesar and Twelfth Night and use their themes to better understand current socioeconomic trends. Lessons will look at policy errors, cultural and political dislocation, regime changes [and] demographic conflicts.

CORRECTION: A previous version of the article listed Sexual Pleasure in the Modern World as a class being offered next fall. This class is being taught this spring and is not offered next fall. The class has been replaced with Feast and Famine: Food in Global History in this article. The Chronicle regrets the error.

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Ayra Charania is a Trinity junior and a senior editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.

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Here's five fall 2023 classes to fire up your bookbag - Duke Chronicle

Human Behavior

McDonald: Aspen’s like living in a ‘Pullman town’ – The Aspen Times

It seems the city of Aspen continues to endorse large public housing developments for more employees to service more commercial developments to maximize revenue stream mutually beneficial for city largess and the developers bottom line.

Potentially, there can be serious systemic corruption associated with any symbiotic relationship between municipal governments and big developers.American corporate capitalism, with all its attributes, still requires government legislation to collar the greed is good corporate mantra.

Without rules to protect the public from the inherentpredatory practices offree-market capitalism, in a blink, you could have just a few mega, all-powerful monopolistic corporations owning just about everything there is to own that can make rent (Blackrock). A nation could quickly be transformed into cities of Pullman towns where the majority of the population are indentured proletarians of the corporation.

This would be a dystopian world brought forth by lobbying influences employing high-tech advancedmanipulationof human behavior, similar to Cambridge Analytica. Considering our republic has the best government money can buy, thanks to Citizens United together with AIs off-the-shelf, mind-bogglingcapabilities and limitless heuristic potential for almost any application such as tracking/managing large populations in realtime this scenario could be plausible.

City government has made Aspen what you see today, which is a version of the above scenario. This transformation has been playing out in Aspen for the past three decades. Aspen was once a diverse, affordable, and vibrant, functioning city. It is now a homogenized, high-end theme park /strip mall for the rich bourgeoisie, andAPCHA is the proletariat Pullman town.

The citys endorsement ofspeculativehegemonicownership of numerous keystone commercial core properties by a few big developers is acceptable because its profitable tothe city.

The APCHAconstituencyhasendorsed the citys predatory and punitive legislation for revenue, but ironically, their councils have not visibly improved their quality of life.

One reason is the citys punitive taxation and corporate development giveaways are a wealth filter, accelerating societal bifurcation, gentrification, and big-money speculation. Who in town would endorse this outcome? Just about anyone expecting to make a buck.Whos left?

The free-market homeowner is the citys default cash cow and whipping boy. The majority of free-market homeowners dont wanttraffic gridlock orany other city degradationjust to meet some corporate bottom line and to feed more largess to city staff.

Aspens over-the-top legislation for profit and big development incentives do fund the upper tranches of city employees withselect housingspecial privilegesthat others dont have. Additionally, by and large, most city employees do receive perks far above the national municipal average.

Aspens typical corporate proletariat does not have parity to city benefits.Keycity personnel aresupplemented generously with cheap sometimes free housing with maintenance, above-average wages, long vacations, health care/retirement packages,incentive bonuses, club membership discounts, and education allowances.

It all sums up to having your cake and eat it, too, with great disposable income. That is why you Ottto see so many high riding city managers dining out, maybe with discounts?

Scott and Caroline McDonald are Aspen residents.

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Human Behavior

Children Who Are Exposed to Awe-Inspiring Art Are More Likely to Become Generous, Empathic Adults, a New Study Says – artnet News

Science & Tech

The study found that children who viewed inspiring videos were more likely to help refugees.

Want to raise kind, generous kids? Take them to the art museum!

The feeling of awe inspired by great art, it turns out, can be a humbling experience that encourages kids to help others, rather than focusing on their own needs.

In encounters with vast mysteries, awe makes individuals feel small, humble, and less entitled, thereby shifting their attention toward the needs and concerns of others rather than the self, read a new study in Psychological Science.

Lead author Eftychia Stamkou, of the department of psychology at the University of Amsterdam, decided to investigate the effects of experiencing awe on children after realizing the feeling had been extensively studied in adults, where it led to less self-entitlement and greater generosity. Stamkous study, which included 159 volunteers aged 8 to 13, suggests the results are much the same for kids, reports Inc.

Participants watched short movie clips designed to elicit either joy, awe, or a neutral responsethe wine-drinking scene from Fantasia, a clip from Song of the Sea in which a character turns into a seal, and an instructional video about painting walls or making coffee, respectively.

A child looks at a giant rabbit lantern at the China National Arts and Crafts Museum and China Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum ahead of Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit on January 14, 2023 in Beijing, China. Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images.

Researchers then asked the children to complete an easy but time-consuming task of counting items for a food drive for families in need, or, instead, if they would be willing to donate the art museum tickets or chocolate snacks they were supposed to receive for participating in the study to a refugee family.

Children who watched the awe-inspiring video chose to count 50 percent more items for the food drive than children who watched the joy-inspiring clip and more than twice as many items as children who watched the neutral clip. Children in the awe-inspiring condition were also two to three times more likely to donate their study rewards than children in the joyful or neutral conditions, the Association for Psychological Science blog reported.

Awe, an aesthetic and moral emotion, helps societies flourish by making children more generous, the study claimed. Our research is the first to demonstrate that awe-eliciting art can spark prosociality in children.

A girl attends the exhibition Pipilotti Rist : Your Brain to Me, My Brain to You, a new large-scale, site-specific installation by Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist at the National Museum of Qatar in Doha, on November 18, 2022. Photo by Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images.

Though the researchers didnt use famous paintings or sculptures to evoke awe in the study, they did note that their findings could help prove that art can offer benefits to society as a whole, not just to the individual.

If awe-inspiring art really does encourage people to act more selflessly, it would counter the still-common perception that art has hardly any real-world consequences on human behavior because art experiences are bracketed in imaginary, non-real worlds, read the study. Our research provides concrete evidence for arts behavioral consequences on outcomes that promote other peoples well-being.

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Children Who Are Exposed to Awe-Inspiring Art Are More Likely to Become Generous, Empathic Adults, a New Study Says - artnet News

Human Behavior

DataDome Raises Another $42M to Prevent Bot Attacks in Real … – AlleyWatch

Bot attacks, automated cybersecurity intrusions that mimic human behavior at scale, are growing in intensity, frequency, and complexity. In fact, its estimated that 27.7% of all online traffic is attributable to malicious bots that are looking to take nefarious and disruptive actions like account takeovers, scraping, form and API abuse, and payment fraud that leave enterprises vulnerable. DataDome is a SaaS platform focused on detecting and preventing bot attacks and online fraud for the enterprise. The company uses a proprietary machine learning engine to assess internet visits in real-time (less than 2 milliseconds) by using 3M+ signals to protect attacks on apps, websites, and APIs with 99.99% accuracy. DataDome is trusted by 300+ organizations like ZocDoc, Foot Locker, Rakuten, Reddit, Asus, Tripadvisor, and McDonalds; last year the company stopped 250B+ online fraud attempts.

AlleyWatch caught up with DataDome CEO and Founder Benjamin Fabre to learn more about the business, the companys strategic plans, latest round of funding, and much, much more

Who were your investors and how much did you raise?This is a Series C funding round of $42M. This round was led by InfraVia Growth, with participation from existing investors Elephant, ISAI, and others, to support DataDome on its mission to rid the web of bot-driven cyberattacks and fraud.

Tell us about the product or service that DataDome offers.DataDomes solution helps protect websites, mobile apps, and APIs from automated cyber attacks and online fraud. With machine learning at the edge and a 24/7 threat intelligence team, we prevent bot-driven fraud, including fake account creation, account takeover, credential stuffing, and more. DataDome detects and responds to sophisticated attacks with unparalleled speed and accuracy without ever compromising the consumer experience. Our AI-powered bot detection engine processes more than 3 trillion signals every day to protect the largest global online enterprises in real-time.

What inspired the start of DataDome?I founded DataDome in 2015 with my long-time business partner Fabien Grenier. Were serial entrepreneurs and both had long track records in scalable web infrastructures, AI-powered data stream processing, SaaS technologies, digital strategy, and cybersecurity.Working with digital companies in previous jobs, Fabien and I noticed that most were unable to detect and block even the simplest of bots, which ultimately exposed their vulnerabilities to fraudsters. We saw a need for a solution that could block automated online threats, but in a different way. We needed to depart from the usual approach; static rules, no matter how quickly updated, would always be a step behind.We made a key decision to build ML at the edge to assess every request to a website, mobile app or API. It was a significant challenge to do this in real time without impacting the end-users experience. But we ultimately achieved what we set out to do. Since we founded the company, the level of bot sophistication and the numerous pains they inflict, have skyrocketed. Our decision to deviate from business as usual is what helped propel DataDome into a leadership position.

How is DataDome different?There is often a tradeoff between speed and accuracy among other bot and online fraud protection providers. Not with DataDome. Unlike other solutions, DataDome detects and responds to attacks with unparalleled speed, accuracy, reliability, and expertise using machine learning monitored by our in-house Security Operation Center (SOC) to stop fraud before it happens. In other words, we provide automated detection with 24/7 adult supervision.We also offer the most integrations, the greatest transparency, and a uniquely consumer-focused approach. Getting more granular:

What market does DataDome target and how big is it?Any business with an online presence, regardless of industry, needs online fraud and bot protection. 50% of online traffic is made up of bots, which cybercriminals use to target online businesses with fraud and other attacks. Theres no denying bots (which are growing more advanced by the second to bypass security measures) disrupt digital business operations, and put data security and CX at risk; just ask retailers about the Sony PS5 launch, or major brands like TicketMaster and Nike, which recently made headlines in their fight against bots.We know that online businesses are bearing the consequences of automated cyberattacks and online fraud, and its a costly situation to be stuck in. Enterprises need a cybersecurity solution that puts them back in the drivers seat and empowers them to fight fraud. Thats what were here to do. In 2022 alone, we stopped over 250 billion fraud attacks!300+ enterprises worldwide trust DataDome, across industries like e-commerce, media, travel, ticketing, healthcare, and local governments. We empower them with the data they need to go on the offense against online fraud. Its a win for everybody except for fraudsters and threat actors.

300+ enterprises worldwide trust DataDome, across industries like e-commerce, media, travel, ticketing, healthcare, and local governments. We empower them with the data they need to go on the offense against online fraud. Its a win for everybody except for fraudsters and threat actors.

Whats your business model?

SaaS with services.

How are you preparing for a potential economic slowdown?We have always invested in delivering the best solution to keep our customers safe from bots and online fraud. As a result, weve enjoyed an extremely high customer retention rate (98%) and new customer acquisition rate (over 100% year-on-year in the US). Our solution proves essential for digital businesses. Not only does it help our customers mitigate risks, it also positively impacts their bottom line; we help reduce fraud costs by 95% and significantly contribute to cloud cost optimization.

What was the funding process like?

Truth be told, we werent looking to raise funds at this time. But InfraVia shares our vision of bot mitigation as the foundation for online fraud prevention, which made for a compelling case!

What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?We are fortunate to have demonstrated significant growth with very responsible cash efficiency. So fundraising was a matter of finding the right partner for our next phase of growth, which we did in InfraVia. Were also very grateful to continue to receive the support of our earlier investors, who share into our vision for the market.

What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?As Guillaume Santamaria, Partner at InfraVia (who led this funding round) said, We were genuinely impressed by the sophistication of DataDomes solution, as well as the companys growth trajectory, especially in the US. DataDome perfectly embodies our commitment to growth technology companies, and we fully endorse the teams vision of bot management as a foundation for fighting online fraud. We are very much looking forward to the next phase of DataDomes evolution and global scale.

What are the milestones you plan to achieve in the next six months?We will continue to put all of our effort behind stopping fraud in its tracks, which means blocking even more online fraud attempts than we did in 2022. We are also working on some new products I am particularly excited about, and I would be happy to brief you when we get closer to their launch!

We will continue to put all of our effort behind stopping fraud in its tracks, which means blocking even more online fraud attempts than we did in 2022. We are also working on some new products I am particularly excited about, and I would be happy to brief you when we get closer to their launch!

What advice can you offer companies in New York that do not have a fresh injection of capital in the bank?Every situation is different, but customer centricity is core to success in my opinion: Are you solving a major pain point for your customers? Are you doing it better than other providers on the market? Are you demonstrating value from day one? After all, growth is driven by customer adoption!Where do you see the company going now over the near term?Because online fraud is such a massive, looming threat and a growing market we intend to focus on global commercial rollout, and R&D efforts to ensure our solution maintains its award-winning competitive edge, and stays well ahead of bot developers and fraudsters.

Wheres the best place to hold a team offsite in the city?

Were a global company and are fortunate to be able to connect with our colleagues at offsites abroad.

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DataDome Raises Another $42M to Prevent Bot Attacks in Real ... - AlleyWatch