mind
Psychedelics: The scientific renaissance of mind-altering drugs
There is a lot we don't know about psychedelics, but what we do know makes them extremely important.
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20 min
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Is free will an illusion?
Philosophers have been asking the question for hundreds of years. Now neuroscientists are joining the quest to find out.
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6 min
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Zebrafish give new insight to sound sensitivity in autism
These tiny fish are helping scientists understand how the human brain processes sound.
Adult language-learning changes how the brain’s hemispheres function
It's never too late to learn a new language. Just don't count on speaking French like a Parisian.
The universe works like a huge human brain, discover scientists
A new study found similarities between the human brain and the cosmic network of galaxies.
Autistic people’s nerve cells differ before birth, new study finds
"Such studies will lead to a better understanding of brain development in both autistic and typical individuals."
One is the loneliest number: the history of a Western problem
The negative associations of introversion help to explain why loneliness now carries such social stigma.
Psychogenic shivers: Why we get the chills when we aren’t cold
Humans are particularly prone to shiver when a group does or thinks the same thing at the same time.
Can you solve what an MIT professor once called ‘the hardest logic puzzle ever’?
Logic puzzles can teach reasoning in a fun way that doesn't feel like work.
What stops people from changing their minds?
A persistent barrage of information is not the best method for getting through to someone with a different point of view.
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5 min
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How music therapy benefits the autistic brain
While the benefits of music therapy are well known, more in-depth research explores how music benefits children with autism.
How confident are you in making decisions?
New research pinpoints the neurons responsible for your choices.
How to use psychology to increase workplace productivity
Here are 5 ways to make your workplace better and your workforce happier.
What is neurodiversity?
Creating a better understanding by clearing up common misconceptions about the neurodiversity movement.
1 in 5 vegetative patients is conscious. This neuroscientist finds them.
This week, Big Think is partnering with Freethink to bring you amazing stories of the people and technologies that are shaping our future.
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5 min
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Want students to cheat less? Science says treat them justly
Students who think the world is just cheat less, but they need to experience justice to feel that way.
Does forgetting a name or word mean that I have dementia?
The number of people with dementia is expected to triple by 2060.
Malcolm Gladwell: What if presidents were chosen by lottery?
Join Radiolab's Latif Nasser at 1pm ET today as he chats with Malcolm Gladwell live on Big Think.
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Scientists uncover the brain circuitry that causes mysterious dissociative experiences
A team of researchers have discovered the brain rhythmic activity that can split us from reality.
The art of asking the right questions
What exactly does "questions are the new answers" mean?
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10 min
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Five weird thought experiments to break your brain
Thought expriments are great tools, but do they always do what we want them to?
The rhythm of the night: How music can help insomnia
Insomnia is the product of mental or emotional pressure.
Time: Do the past, present, and future exist all at once?
Does time exist? Here's what the debate is all about.
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13 min
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Say yes to the world: On Nietzsche and affirmation
Can we affirm everything in life, the beauty and the suffering? Nietzsche says yes.
No, opposites do not attract
The problem is that what's true of magnets is not at all true of romance.
Can a robot guess what you’re thinking?
It's a very human behavior—arguably one of the fundamentals that makes us us.
Get better sleep each night by binging content on Restflix
Restflix has over 20 personalized channels for optimal sleep.
Children raised near greener areas have higher IQs, study finds
Spending time in green spaces seems to yield many health benefits, most of which researchers are only beginning to understand.
How math predicts life on Earth and the universe beyond
Math doesn't suck. It is one of humanity's greatest and most mysterious journeys.
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15 min
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Study: Names change how an infant’s memory encodes objects
A new study shows that naming conventions will change how infants represent objects in their memories.