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Social Norms
Play isn’t frivolous — and by denying playful impulses, you could be holding yourself back.
Agreeable people may be a pleasure to be around, but they also have a harder time walking away from a bad deal.
Long before today's debates, immigration was already transforming the American accent into something distinctively its own.
From Swedish playgrounds to American kitchens, how we design our spaces broadcasts our priorities and can help spark broader cultural shifts.
When can a kid play outside alone? Two parents, one stranger, and the state collide.
A preview of the latest book by Chinese history expert Charlotte Brooks
Moltbook is a social media site built for conversation — but not for humans.
Pleasure is never bad — but its source can be.
What a 1950s experiment reveals about conformity in the age of the internet.
In this excerpt from "When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows...," Steven Pinker examines how crying may have evolved as part of a suite of emotional expressions aimed at strengthening social bonds.
Here are three ways to do it better.
This is my country and this is what we stand for. At least for now.
In "The Gift of Not Belonging," Rami Kaminski explains why group consensus may hinder the original thinkers who help advance society.
"Lookism" is prevalent and harmful. So why do so few take it seriously?
Be more like Goldilocks.
By designing smart systems, we can help ourselves live up to our best intentions — and perform even better in our workplaces.
People who've never been partnered tend to be less extraverted, less conscientious, and more neurotic.
Philosopher Peter Singer argues it's time to examine a morally dubious practice.
From tribal hunts to Stonehenge and into the modern day, the peer instinct helps humans coordinate their efforts and learning.
Would you be upset if I called you an eggplant?
Plenty of parents feel guilty about wanting to skip playtime, but there's no need.
It's a problem on both sides of the political divide.
Philosophy cures no disease and invents nothing new. What's even the point?
If philosophers really enjoy one thing, it’s a good debate — but not an argument.
Religion is a product of, and not a source of, our evolutionary moral dispositions.
Hospice nurse Julie McFadden shares three examples where people hold off death, just for a bit.
Everyone has to learn about sex somehow. Today, billions of people are learning about it from porn.
When stuffed and staring down the last bite, you might hear your mother's voice in your mind.
A reader asks whether we have an ethical responsibility to always debate bad beliefs, especially those that come from our elders.