10 video games to help kids think big

We found 10 video games that kids will love (and they'll secretly be learning, too).

(Photo: Nintendo of America)
  • Educational video games endure a gimcrack reputation for being boring.
  • We list 10 games that can help players learn and may improve their cognitive skills.
  • The American Psychological Association recognizes other benefits to playing video games, including social and motivational.
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Is creativity actually just a brain malfunction?

A new study says curiosity and creativity are computational errors.

Image source: 童 彤/Unsplash
  • If the job of the brain is to find the safest decision, why do creative people come up with the most interesting ones instead?
  • Scans show that the brain silently registers such "non-greedy" decisions as errors.
  • The experiments suggests we're not curious or creative, just fallible.
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neuroscience curiosity brain evolutionary psychology human body discovery creativity

On writing: What illuminates a story?

Don't be afraid to have the very experiences you aspire to write about — they will help you write more vividly, and from a genuine place of wonder.

  • When it comes to writing a story, it's important to find a way to have an experience that will illuminate the narrative for readers — that is, an experience that fills you, the writer, with wonder and gives you a fresh take on things.
  • A good way to make a nonfiction story rich is by tackling the subject with different lenses, by circling it from different points of views.
  • Good storytelling is about taking readers on a journey. This said, instead of leading with your conclusion, begin from the time when you were naive about the subject at hand, and, as you relay the different things you learn, you will help your readers, in a down-to-earth way, move toward knowing more, too.
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Science explains why we love being scared

Psychologists discover why people participate in scary attractions.

  • Psychologists link anxiety from ambiguity to why we find some people or situations creepy.
  • A study showed that people who go to scary attractions find their moods improving and stress levels lowered.
  • Scary situations can produce a euphoria and a sense of achievement.
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fear psychology emotions halloween brain curiosity personality neuroscience

9 self-actualized historical figures

When he was developing his famous hierarchy of needs, Abraham Maslow cited 9 historical figures that achieved self-actualization.

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  • In order to develop his model of self-actualization, Abraham Maslow interviewed friends, colleagues, students, and historical figures.
  • These 9 historical figures demonstrate different aspects of self-actualization that Maslow believed all self-actualized individuals possessed to one degree or another.
  • By studying these figures, we can come to a better understanding of what self-actualization really is.
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depression empathy curiosity creativity happiness leadership motivation philosophy self psychology