Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do” — Bertrand Russell

What “Sick With Grief” Means

Katherine Shear

Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University School of Social Work

Is grief an illness? When does “normal” grief become clinical? Columbia's Dr. Katherine Shear shares insights from her groundbreaking research.

In Health & Medicine, Life & Death

Featured Blogs

The View From Europe

Herman_van_rompuy
November 21, 2009 — 1:10 AM

The New European Union: Off To An Abysmal Start

Carrie Battan

In yet another baffling sequence of events, European heads of state have chosen two no-name leaders for the Union's top positions. Read more

Politeia

800px-obamas_and_bidens_at_lincoln_memorial_1-18-09_hires_090118-n-9954t-057
November 20, 2009 — 5:08 PM

Obama's Unemployment Problem

Robert de Neufville

For the first time, according to Gallup's latest tracking poll, less than fifty percent of Americans approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as President. That's down from 60% in July. As Greg Sargent says, this just confirms what Quinnipiac and Fox polls showed earlier in the week. And Obama's approval ratings have been hovering just over 50% for a while now. While there is nothing magic about the 50% threshold, it is a sign that the bloom is off Obama's political rose just ten months into his presidency. Read more

Mind Matters

Obesity-waist_circumference
November 20, 2009 — 12:42 PM

One More Reason to Skip Dessert

David Berreby

Creepiest incentive ever to exercise: Peruvian cops have arrested a gang that, they say, kills people for their fat. Read more

The Voice of Big Think

Santacon
November 20, 2009 — 9:54 AM

You Better Watch Out...

Big Think Editors

"You Better Not Cry" author Augusten Burroughs treats fans to a second Big Think interview this week, just in time for the holiday season. Famous since his 2001 bestseller "Running With Scissors" as a memoirist of the humorous, painful, and bizarre, Burroughs shares his view of Christmas as an essentially tragic holiday with a tiny nougat of joy inside the bitter candy coating. Read more

The Voice of Big Think

Green_card_nika_volek
November 20, 2009 — 9:45 AM

Play the Green Card Lottery!

Big Think Editors

Are you an eligible prospective immigrant to the United States? Are you feeling lucky? If so, you have 10 more days to apply for the random selection process conducted annually by the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program—in other words, the "green card lottery." The entry window, which opened October 2, closes November 30, and your chances of winning are a sobering 1 in 240: 12 million will enter, 50,000 will win. Read more

See all blogs