VAVictoria Allen

1. Article · Sep 27, 2026 · Victoria Allen

   Greeting a stranger with a hug could make them like you more (opens the original)

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   When meeting someone new for the first time, many people offer a polite handshake. But a hug may actually encourage new acquaintances to like you more, a study suggests. A team of 18 researchers greeted 330 strangers with either a hug, a handshake or no touch at all, then asked the strangers if they wanted to see their holiday pictures. People's willingness to look at the holiday snaps was a secret way of judging how much they liked the person who had just hugged - or not hugged - them. Among pe

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2. Article · Aug 16, 2026 · Victoria Allen

   Help, we've already reached our 'quarter-life' crisis, moan Gen Z (opens the original)

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   They are known for their love of avocado on toast, wellness and matcha lattes. But it seems the comfort ends there for Gen Z – with almost half those aged 18 to 29 going through a so-called quarter-life crisis, a study suggests. Events such as studying, moving into the next stage of education, and housing problems have left young Britons in dire straits, according to the research led by the University of Greenwich. Each of these issues affects more than one in five young adults, and the subject

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