The #1 thing employees want at work Here’s how to design a work environment that gives control to employees and stimulates open conversation. ▸ with Todd Rose
How do you rationalize your unethical behaviors? Kelly Richmond Pope, a forensic accountant, shares a simple test that puts your ethics under the spotlight. ▸ 4 min — with Kelly Richmond Pope
Neuropsych Imagination: The ability to envision what doesn’t exist is what makes us human Only humans can voluntarily conjure new objects and events in our minds.
The Well An evolutionary history of the human brain, in 7 minutes Plato and Carl Sagan were wrong about the human brain, says a top neuroscientist. ▸ 7 min — with Lisa Feldman Barrett
Neuropsych Brain implant translates neural activity into letters, letting a paralyzed man “speak” Giving speech to the speechless.
Health Psychoactive drug helps veterans with traumatic brain injury One dose of ibogaine was shown to dramatically reduce depression and PTSD.
Change bad spending habits in 5 steps Addicted to spending money you want to save? Here’s how to stop. ▸ 7 min — with Lindsay Bryan-Podvin
Health What if we tolerated diseases? Some scientists think we should allow our bodies to more harmlessly live with pathogens until they’re cleared from our systems.
Health The neurons that make us feel hangry Neuroscientists think a cluster of cells in the brain that stimulate appetite could be a target for eating disorder therapies.
Neuropsych “Obsessive passion”: The surprising links between OCD and radicalization People who score high in “obsessive passion” can become rigidly consumed by ideological causes — sometimes dangerously so.
Health Capsaicin: Could the compound that gives chili peppers their heat treat diabetes and obesity? Capsaicin is already used to treat nerve pain. Early research hints it could do more.
The Well Why we want the wrong things Humans, like animals, are driven by instincts. But we also have wants. Here’s what that means for our lives. ▸ 5 min — with Luke Burgis
The Learning Curve Is the “marshmallow test” really a predictor of future success? The replication crisis has debunked many of psychology’s fair-haired hypotheses, but for the marshmallow test, things have only become more interesting.
The Well The neuroscience of nightmares This is not your average dream interpreter. Nightmares, as explained by a neuroscientist. ▸ 6 min — with Patrick McNamara
Health “People allergic to me”: Do some people emit skin gases that make others sick? “I am not sick at all but everyone around me becomes sick.”
Business Leaders can tackle team loneliness with a simple code: 0.6-1-5 The world’s workplaces are growing lonelier — but the solution requires less than you might expect.
Health Eat sea squirts for better memory and gorgeous hair? The plant-like sea creatures contain a molecule that improves memory, learning, and even hair quality, according to a new study in mice.
The Learning Curve 5 Stoic quotes to help you through difficult times “We suffer more often in the imagination than in reality.”
Hard Science NASA’s chief warned that China might take over the Moon. Could they do it? The costs of such an endeavor would be extremely high, while the potential payoffs would be uncertain.
Business Normal has left the building: 5 ways leaders can handle volatility The old certainties of “business as usual” have been crushed by disruption — here’s a strategy for resilience.
Life Humans may be the most powerful evolutionary force on Earth Without even realizing it, we’ve actually become pretty god-like in our powers.
Health Curing cancerphobia: How the psychology of fear distorts our view of cancer The evidence that pollution causes cancer is weak. Lifestyle factors, like smoking, obesity, and alcohol, matter far more.
High Culture Are certain languages intrinsically beautiful? One from New Guinea rose to the top in a recent study.
The Learning Curve Implicit bias: What you can (and can’t) do about it Implicit bias may be outside your conscious control, but that doesn’t mean change is.
The Future A general-purpose robot is entering the workforce Named “Phoenix,” this AI-powered humanoid could be your next coworker.
Neuropsych How the 3 steps of “adaptive plasticity” can grow your brain and make learning easier If you want to achieve new goals, harness your brain’s ability to change chemically, structurally, and functionally.
Health New obesity treatments could reshape the world Today’s popular weight-loss drugs could soon be joined by brain stimulation and gene therapies.
Health Precision nutrition: How certain diets can starve cancer cells Cancer likes glucose. So take it away.
Health Your “immune resilience” greatly impacts your health and lifespan People with higher immune resilience live longer, resist diseases, and are more likely to survive diseases when they do develop.
Thinking Five philosophers on the philosophy of sex Philosophy can focus on some dull topics. Luckily, some thinkers have spent lots of time on the philosophy of sex