The internet and social media have made persuasive appeals more powerful than ever before.

Does what kind of music you play alter the benefits you get by playing it?

What does it really mean when something is "Dickensian"? Or "Kafkaesque"? Sometimes these words are overused to the point where they lose their meaning. Here's how these and 6 other words got their origin. 

A new study find a connection between having more testosterone and not liking classical, jazz, or avant-garde music. 

History is littered with thousands of things that tried to appeal to everyone and yet failed miserably. If you want true success, try to appeal to a core group.

Artificial Intelligence has come a long way in a short time. So at what point will it be able to emulate the great artists and writers of our time?

Not all books are created equal. Especially when it comes to the ones parents read to children to aid their development. A new study from the University of Florida points to an important characteristic to look for in children’s books.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, famous in part for using his scientific literacy to point out flaws in TV and movies, recently criticized the good and bad science behind HBO's Game of Thrones.

Get lost in a good book. Time and again, reading has been shown to make us healthier, smarter, and more empathic.

We compiled a list of seven of the greatest public speakers of all time, people who forever changed the course of history with their words.

The title sequence to Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is memorable for its minimalistic, sleek design. But what do those graphics actually say?

Knowing how to tell a good story is like having mind control. Alan Alda shares some incredible tips for captivating a crowd—or nailing your next job interview.

Poop, soup, books — repeat. Who could forget that montage? Here are the key takeaways from the first episode of Game of Thrones season 7, which crashed the HBO website like wildfire taking down the Sept. 

The stories in Shakespeare's plays and 'Game of Thrones' are often bloody, but which are ultimately more violent?

Why is Machiavelli's The Prince still relevant today? 

Break-ups can be bad for your health. But new research shows that writing about your separation can improve cardiac health—as long as you write in a certain way. 

Musical savants have “enhanced pitch discrimination” and “increased auditory perceptual capacity.” But why?

A new paper suggests population size and migration explain the sudden bursts of innovation seen 50,000 years ago.

Kyle Maynard is a photographer, wrestler, and inspiration machine. Here's how he pursued his passion and helped others along the way.

Cut funding to the NEA and PBS? It would be incredibly costly to cut cultural spending.

What's it like to be a minority in America? To find out, read a book written by one.

In what Tristan Harris calls a "race to the bottom of the brain stem," media companies and advertisers will do almost anything to keep your eyes locked where they want them.

Do you walk up the escalator, or stand and let yourself be delivered to the top? One of these methods is more efficient than the other. 

There's a place Americans feel they can do anything, and it's not Las Vegas.

The Onion founding editor Scott Dikkers says every joke can be categorized in one of 11 "funny filters."

"Shut up and take my money" isn't just a meme anymore, it's the way people are increasingly choosing to access art, news, and culture.

In comedy there is always the temptation to go for the easy jokes – but now, more than ever, comedians have to challenge themselves.

In one of the best examples of free education this year, Pixar has released a six-part online course called 'The Art of Storytelling'.   

Storied skills and a musical analogy might help us update the logic of "virtue ethics." In life, as in jazz, freedom without skills results in a lot foolish noise. 

Columbia professor Tim Wu came to the Big Think studio to talk about clickbait. What happened next will shock you.