People who can identify moments of emotional expression in others tend to earn a higher salary, according to a new study conducted by the Department of Psychology at the University of Bonn.
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The fortunes used for philanthropic purposes by American billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett will run dry just decades after their patrons pass away.
To be a more virtuous person, surround yourself with emblems of higher moral standards.
When we measure ourselves against someone in close geographical proximity, and if there is a history of close competition, we create a rivalry.
Journalist Eric Schlosser, an executive producer on the film Food Chains, discusses the exploitation of poor workers in the American food system.
Small businesses that use status updates to advertise their products on Facebook will be less visible once new advertising rules take effect in January.
If we ate fewer calories we would reduce harmful farming and industrial practices, and begin treating animals more ethically.
“Every system that we build will surprise us with new kinds of flaws until those machines become clever enough to conceal their faults from us.”
-Cognitive scientist Marvin Minsky
Radiation gets stretched to longer and longer wavelengths as space itself expands, but what happens to matter? “The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.” –Molière It’s […]
All of us think that we’re more “special” and capable than we are. This phenomenon has many different names in the psychological literature, but my personal favorite is “The Lake Wobegon effect” – a reference to a mythical town where “all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.”
Banks and credit unions have found a new way to lure customers: for each deposit made, enter them in a lottery that pays out cash prizes.
The works of abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock are providing physicists with insight into the working of non-Newtonian fluid dynamics more than a half-century after the artists death.
Black Friday is a symbol of American over-consumption and classist judgement. It’s a good thing that retailers want to do away with the event.
Biographer Walter Isaacson discusses the contributions of both Alan Turing and Ada Lovelace to modern computer philosophy.
“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual. It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite – only a sense of existence.”
American Thanksgiving is hardly the only holiday of its kind.
There is a tiny, miniscule, itsy-bitsy minority of American families of which every member of the group enjoys a contentious debate at the Thanksgiving table. Chances are that your family isn’t one of them, so instead of being a loudmouth try to talk about more neutral subjects.
As children, many of us read in our U.S. history classes about the “great compromiser,” Henry Clay, congressman and secretary of state under John Quincy Adams. Clay argued effectively for […]
The way the Universe has unfolded, to bring us about in this moment, has been remarkable. Be thankful for it all. “We live in an atmosphere of shame. We are […]
The freedom associated with monetary gain is offset by other demands that the educated bear disproportionately: demanding professional lives, long work hours, and family matters.
Wearables are underutilized. These fitness devices have the means to prevent illness before it starts by notifying doctors when a patient isn’t practicing a healthy regimen.
We often can’t rely on ourselves to act rationally (or prudently). We know this, but influential social science models have a bad habit of ignoring it. We evolved to frequently act without “deciding.” We are habit-formers and habit-farmers.
Thinking about eating less could help us be healthier, create a more sustainable environment, and reduce animal cruelty. Smaller portions can go a long way.
People with extremely sunny attitudes find it difficult to empathize with people who are recounting a negative experience, according to a study recently published at PLOS ONE.
It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and soon enough Christmas trees, menorahs, Kwanzaa candelabras and nativity scenes will be dotting public buildings and squares in cities and towns across the United […]
Because the tone of a conversation affects how we react, and because physical cues help set tone, emoticons are much more than cute or trite.
And how, if we manage to harness it on Earth, it could be the most accurate probe in all of scientific history. “We… are what happens when a primordial mixture […]
The Twitter discussion about Ferguson is as polarized and entrenched as the online discussion of Israel and Palestine, according to statistician Emma Pierson.
Food writer Michael Pollan explains how the history of barbecue in America is one that includes all kinds of people working together in an integrated effort to produce the best possible meal.
Raising the minimum wage is presented as a solution to wealth inequality but in states that have raised the minimum wage, reality is complex.