Mind and Behavior

Mind and Behavior

A large school of fish swims closely together underwater in the ocean, forming a dense, swirling cluster.
Nature evolved swarm intelligence in species like bees and fish. New AI-powered communication systems could help humans devise their own “collective superintelligence.”
A digital illustration of a human brain outlined in white, composed of circuit-like lines, set against a black background with scattered white dots resembling stars.
Neuroscientist Anil Seth on the deep differences between human minds and artificial ones.
Book cover of "Socially Wired: How Culture Shapes Our Brains" by Matthew W. Schelke, featuring a colorful neural network illustration on a light background that highlights the connection between brain and meaning.
Our motivations and sense of self may be more deeply shaped by our connections and social history than we think.
MRI brain scan images with a large red heart shape digitally added to the center of the brain on the main scan in the middle.
3mins
Falling in love can feel like finding “the one.” But to your brain, romance may look less like affection and more like craving, stress, and reward.
Unlikely Collaborators
Two scenes: Top shows climbers on an ice-covered terrain, embodying fun and success. Bottom captures an airplane in flight against a clear sky.
Fun in business is no laughing matter — it can create a golden strategic advantage and bring serious success in the long term.
A human skull, a game controller, and small artifacts are partially buried in dirt at an archaeological dig site with excavation tools nearby.
Your brain responds to game-like mechanics with focus, persistence, and engagement — the exact qualities you need to stay motivated.
Illustration of a brain with legs standing on a platform, surrounded by yellow rays and red and yellow dots on a pink background.
New research suggests fun isn’t a distraction from learning — it’s the brain’s way of rewarding us for navigating uncertainty, discovering patterns, and staying mentally alive.
Two children are climbing on a yellow and green jungle gym, viewed from below against a blue sky with some clouds.
Away from adult supervision, children practice the skills that make friendship, confidence, and independence possible.
A woman holds a red star-shaped object over one eye, with colorful abstract shapes and a small figure in a box in the background.
Play isn’t frivolous — and by denying playful impulses, you could be holding yourself back.
A vintage illustration of a woman with a pensive expression, resting her head on her hand, overlaid with swirling white lines.
3mins
Older cultures made room for mourning. Today, we often rush it, and it comes with a cost. Three experts explain.
Unlikely Collaborators
A person sits on a chair against a white backdrop, while two hands in the foreground hold a red pill and a blue pill.
30mins
You can't explain a third dimension to someone living in a two-dimensional world. According to Yale philosopher L.A. Paul, the same is true of life's biggest decisions — you simply can't know what it's like until you're already there.
A vintage illustration of prehistoric humans in a cave, with the central figure highlighted in bright green and a black scribble over the head.
Anxiety feels like a malfunction. Evolutionarily speaking, it's one of your most sophisticated features.
A person in a denim shirt is shown from the shoulders up. Highlighted text overlays mention that U.S. news often portrays being alone as more harmful than beneficial.
6mins
When we see loneliness as a kind of failure, it becomes damaging. When we see it as information, it becomes actionable. A psychologist, a social health scientist, and a psychiatrist explain.
Unlikely Collaborators
Digital illustration of a gray human head in profile with a yellow door on the side of the head, suggesting an opening to the mind, against a muted green background.
4mins
What if the voice in your head is less of a witness and more of an interpreter? Two neuroscientists discuss the brain’s drive to explain, narrate, and make everything add up.
Unlikely Collaborators
A sliced onion bulb with roots and stem, illuminated from behind and set against a black background, resembles the delicate layers of daffodils in bloom.
What the near-death experiences of daffodils can teach us about resilience, death, and becoming someone new.
A grid of closed yellow doors, with a few open ones revealing blue sky, a floral pattern, and handwritten text—reminding us how small habits make a big difference. Pale green circles highlight the open doors.
Author Daniel Coyle has spent a lot of time around people with exceptional social habits. These are some that stood out.
A man with light hair sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop, with a geometric blue and white pattern in the background.
1hr 5mins
Author Chris Bailey breaks down the "intention stack" and the underrated role of values alignment in follow-through.
A person stands at the base of a staircase leading upward through an arrow-shaped opening filled with light and clouds.
2mins
Optimistic people don’t just “feel happier,” they literally process information differently, at a perceptual level. Three experts explain.
Unlikely Collaborators
The image displays the words "mental," "health," and "illness" in white and gray text on a black background, with "mental" and "health" in focus—reflecting the strength found within the unfragile mind.
As mental health diagnoses become more common and expansive, the labels meant to help us understand our suffering may instead oversimplify it.
Dune features a determined protagonist in Frank Herbert's science fiction masterpiece.
These initially sympathetic characters take readers down a dark path.
A man with wavy brown hair wearing a brown suede jacket over a black shirt sits in front of a plain white background.
17mins
Modern life has confused comfort and stimulation for genuine fulfillment. Could the Ancient Greek distinction between hedonia and eudaimonia help pull us out of this trap?
A model of a human brain and a heart are shown side by side, connected by circular arrows indicating a relationship or interaction between them.
6mins
You've heard of the mind-body connection. But have you ever actually tried to understand your own? Three scientists break down the feedback loop running your brain and body — and what becomes possible when you learn to use it.
Unlikely Collaborators
Illustration of a person lying inside a low battery icon, using a phone with a yellow screen, against a dark blue and black background with neon accents.
Your energy doesn’t work like a battery — and treating it that way may be why you still feel tired even after a break.
Book cover for "Anchored, Aligned, Accountable" by Aiko Bethea, featuring gold stacked stones on a blue background and a subtitle about transforming lives and work by overcoming the false urgency myth.
Our obsession with speed and productivity creates unnecessary pressure that quietly fuels burnout and anxiety.
Silhouette of a human head in white with a small red figure appearing to move or climb inside, set against a black background—illustrating how our brains shape our selves.
Your sense of self isn’t located in a single part of the brain — it emerges from a complex interplay of cognitive processes that change over time.
A man in casual business attire sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop, with a mountain landscape and a climber scaling a rocky cliff in the background.
52mins
Brad Stulberg breaks down the biology, philosophy, and psychology behind genuine excellence and how to reach it.
A person looks out an airplane window at a cloud shaped like a brain in the sky, with a contemplative expression.
TikTok gave an old practice a terrible name. Neuroscience explains why it actually works.