Gaming Social Sciences

The study of how people behave when they're playing games, from the cooperative (teamwork, strategy, shared victory dances) to the competitive (smack talk, rage quitting, blaming lag) to the bizarre (players who spend hours just decorating their virtual houses). It examines why gaming communities develop their own languages (GG, noob, pwned), why some players become toxic (anonymity plus frustration equals disaster), and why watching someone else play games has become a multi-billion-dollar industry (parasocial relationships, mostly, plus it's easier than playing yourself).

Example: "A gaming social sciences study observed a team of players in a competitive shooter. When they were winning, they were friendly and coordinated. When they started losing, they immediately began blaming each other, the game's balance, their internet connections, and, finally, the alignment of the planets. The study concluded that winning has friends; losing has excuses."

by Nammugal February 14, 2026

Spaceflight Social Sciences

The study of how human societies organize, fund, and react to space exploration, from the Cold War space race (we'll go to the moon because they're going to the moon) to the modern era of private spaceflight (billionaires racing to see who can build the coolest rocket). It examines why nations spend billions on space when problems exist on Earth (prestige, mostly, plus the off chance of finding aliens), how space agencies manage public perception (carefully staged photos, heroic narratives), and what happens to astronaut marriages (usually divorce, space is not kind to relationships).

Spaceflight Social Sciences Example: "A spaceflight social sciences study examined why public interest in space spikes during launches and crashes during the years of preparation in between. The conclusion: humans have short attention spans and space is mostly waiting. The study recommended more explosions, as those get views. NASA declined to comment but did schedule more test flights."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Space Social Sciences

The study of how human societies imagine, fund, and react to the cosmos, from ancient star-worshippers to modern Mars-colony dreamers. It examines why we project our hopes and fears onto the heavens (aliens will save us / aliens will eat us), how space discoveries reshape culture (the Earthrise photo changed everything), and why billionaires are so obsessed with space (it's the ultimate gated community). Space social sciences reveal that the cosmos is a mirror, reflecting not what's out there, but what we bring to it.

Example: "A space social sciences study analyzed why Mars colonization captures the imagination while ocean exploration doesn't. The conclusion: space feels like the future; the ocean feels like the past. Also, Mars doesn't have sharks, which is a significant advantage in the public perception department."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Spacetime Social Sciences

The study of how human societies understand, represent, and are shaped by concepts of space and time, from ancient calendars to modern time zones to the weird feeling that time speeds up as you age. It examines why different cultures have different relationships with punctuality (some see time as a line, others as a circle, others as a suggestion), how space and time structure social life (work here, live there, do it now, not later), and what happens when our technologies collapse spacetime (instant global communication means you can be harassed by your boss from anywhere, at any time—thanks, progress).

Example: "A spacetime social sciences study examined why meetings always run long. The conclusion: humans have a poor intuitive grasp of time, compounded by optimism (we can do five things in an hour), social pressure (no one wants to be the first to leave), and the fact that the person who scheduled the meeting didn't account for the spacetime curvature caused by their own ego, which bends time around them so they always have 'just one more thing.'"

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Spacetime-Probability Sciences

The formal study of the five-dimensional continuum where the familiar four dimensions of spacetime are joined by a fifth dimension: probability. This revolutionary field posits that every possible outcome of every event doesn't just "might happen"—it actually exists, curled up in the probability dimension, waiting to be observed or collapsed. Spacetime-probability sciences attempt to map this hyperdimensional reality, asking questions like: where do all the lost socks go? (Answer: they exist with high probability in a dimension we can't access). And why does the bus always come only after you give up and light a cigarette? (Answer: you've just shifted to a probability branch where the bus exists).

Example: "She got a PhD in spacetime-probability sciences and now explains that her chronic lateness isn't a character flaw—it's just that she exists in a probability branch where traffic is always bad, while the version of her that left five minutes earlier is enjoying a coffee, smug and punctual. Her boss remains unconvinced but fascinated."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Spacetime-Probability Social Sciences

The study of how human societies would organize themselves if everyone knew that all possible outcomes exist somewhere in the probability dimension. How do you build consensus when every decision branches into infinite alternatives? How do you punish crime when the criminal exists in branches where they didn't do it? And how do you manage relationships when you know there's a version of your partner who loves you, a version who tolerates you, and a version who has already moved to another dimension and started a new life with someone else? Spacetime-probability social sciences suggest that societies in such a reality would either achieve perfect peace (nothing matters, everything exists) or collapse into utter chaos (nothing matters, everything exists).

Spacetime-Probability Social Sciences Example: "A spacetime-probability social sciences study examined how couples would function if they could see all possible versions of their relationship. The researchers found that most couples, when shown a branch where they were happier, immediately became unhappy with their current branch. When shown a branch where they were miserable, they felt relieved—until they realized that version of them was also suffering. The study concluded that infinite knowledge is terrible for relationships and recommended blissful ignorance."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Spacetime-Probability Cognitive Sciences

The interdisciplinary study of how minds process information across the five-dimensional manifold of space, time, and probability. This field asks not just "how do we think?" but "how do we think across all possible branches of reality simultaneously?" It investigates phenomena like déjà vu (momentary overlap with a probability branch where you've already experienced this moment), intuition (access to information from adjacent probability branches where you already know the answer), and that strange feeling that you're being watched (you are—by a version of yourself from a branch where you're standing behind you). Spacetime-probability cognitive sciences suggest that your mind is not a single processing unit but a multiversal network, with most of its activity happening in branches you'll never consciously occupy.

Example: "She studied spacetime-probability cognitive sciences and now explains her forgetfulness as 'cross-branch interference.' 'I didn't forget your birthday,' she told her boyfriend. 'I just accessed a probability branch where I already celebrated it with you, and the memory hasn't properly synchronized with this branch.' He said that in the branch where she remembered, she probably also remembered to buy a gift, which she hadn't."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026