Let us now praise Doonesbury, a body of work and a work of art that could be compared to the Bayeux Tapestry, and which also has been compared, in the […]
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[This is a guest post from Don Watkins, responding to an earlier guest post by Doug Green. If you’re interested in being a guest blogger, drop me a note. Happy […]
"People consider work of just about any kind to be better than no work at all, and it improves their mental health in most cases, several studies have found." The L.A. Times reports.
WEIRD stands for western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. Though WEIRD people are a minority in global terms, they constitute the field of study for most psychological research.
“Vision,” Stanford’s Bill Newsome likes to say, “does not happen in the eye. It happens in the brain.” As I mentioned in my last post, this is a general theme […]
When searching for a mate online, singles are more likely to initiate contact with other online singles who are more attractive than themselves. When the market clears, so to speak, […]
Why do we listen to someone talking on the phone with more attention than to a conversation where we hear both sides? The Frontal Cortex explains the unavoidable temptation to eavesdrop.
It’s a sad fact of human history that the leadership regime most obsessed with art belonged to that of the Nazis. From Adolf Hitler the frustrated painter to obsessive collectors […]
In guest post today, David Ropeik, author of “How Risky Is It,” takes a critical look at President Obama’s assertion in the days leading up to the election that many […]
The jungle has often been a metaphor for the breakdown of morality. Think “Heart of Darkness” or “Aguirre: Wrath of God.” And now we have a true story to add […]
After finishing The Help by Kathryn Stockett a couple of days ago, I just put the book down and sat still for a few minutes, letting the final remnants of […]
Many of the guests who we interview at Big Think can be described as “giants” in their fields, but this week we actually hosted our tallest guest ever. John Amaechi, […]
While philosophers of yore postulated on human nature, today's thinkers approach tough questions with the tools of cognitive science. A philosophy professor on 'experimental philosophy'.
In the White House, can a white conservative do more to restrain anti-Islamic bigotry than an African-American progressive? Writing on the anniversary of 9/11, a couple of writers Saturday argued […]
"Are leaders born or made? Evolution may be throwing us a curve ball when it comes to picking them in the modern world" The New Scientist says leaders must first convince the rest of us.
Following the entry of "happiness studies" into psychology through the last two decades, some are now asking if being perpetually elated is truly good for your health.
Have you noticed just how ubiquitous the phrase “mad as hell” has become in news coverage and commentary? The catchphrase has been used to support a narrative that anger is […]
Over at Mother Jones, Kevin Drum has nailed the real problem with the deficit-cutting ideas floated the other day by the the co-chairs of President Obama’s Commission of Fiscal Responsibility […]
Jonah Lehrer at Frontal Cortex explains the most recent housing slump in terms of behavioral psychology: because humans innately fear loss, both sides of the market have stalled.
Research suggests that not only are male and female brains different, but that they exist on a spectrum with autism and psychosis at either end.
The first time I was subjected to a full body pat down was 25 years ago, in Detroit, when I went home with a college buddy. We were standing in […]
A good overview of the relevant research in social psychology from the Sunday Boston Globe.
"A debate on Cartesian dualism has led to radically differing approaches to the treatment of depression." A new book reveals how much is at stake in our understanding of the mind.
Do psychological diseases have a shelf life? "The idea of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as a credible diagnostic term has passed and it is time that we accept that and move on."
Dr. James Watson can’t help but speak his mind. And this has gotten the co-discoverer of DNA’s double-helix in trouble in the past. He has been called, among other things, […]
Readers in Washington, DC will find this event, open to the public, of strong interest: The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and […]
A groundbreaking 1981 study that showed that it is not our physical state that limits us, but our mindset about our own limits, is set to feature in a movie starring Jennifer Aniston.
Humans are hard-wired to make bad investment decisions, says Legg Mason Capital Management’s chief investment strategist, Michael Mauboussin. It’s in our nature to follow along with a bearish or bullish […]
"Living in another culture and learning the practices of that culture may enhance the psychological processes that make people more creative," says Psychology Today.
In an effort to spice up the classroom and dodge patient privacy concerns, psychology professors are teaching pathologies of fictional characters, like Twilight's vampire, Edward.