Why Pictures Can Sway Your Moral Judgment
When we think about morality, many of us think about religion or what our parents taught us when we were young.
View ArticleA Lively Mind: Your Brain On Jane Austen
At a recent academic conference, Michigan State University professor Natalie Phillips stole a glance around the room. A speaker was talking but the audience was fidgety. Some people were conferring...
View ArticleBehind A Halloween Mask, Even 'Good' Kids Can Turn Into Candy Thieves
Vampires and monsters will be out in force tonight, but some of the darkest creatures out there might be your little angels inside those Halloween costumes.It's been more than a quarter-century since...
View ArticleWhat Earthquakes Can Teach Us About Elections
In January 2010, more than a year before Mitt Romney had formally announced he was running for president, political historian Allan Lichtman predicted President Obama would be re-elected in 2012.On...
View ArticleReading 'Maxim' Can Make You A Target For Thieves
Some time ago, a man wearing jeans, cowboy boots and a hoodie drove a dirty Ford Explorer into a carwash in Fort Worth, Texas. As soon as the car came back clean, he got it filthy again, and drove to...
View ArticleDo Orchestras Really Need Conductors?
Have you ever wondered whether music conductors actually influence their orchestras?They seem important. After all, they're standing in the middle of the stage and waving their hands. But the musicians...
View ArticleCan Murder Be Tracked Like An Infectious Disease?
If I asked you to think of a murderer, what's the image that springs to mind?If you're like most people, you'll probably think of an evil psychopath, or someone bent on revenge. Perhaps you'll see a...
View ArticleWhy Some Kids Have An Inflated Sense Of Their Science Skills
If you're a student at the halfway point of the academic year, and you've just taken stock of your performance, perhaps you have reason to feel proud of yourself.But a recent study suggests some of the...
View ArticleCan Skinny Models Undermine Your Dieting Goals?
The millions of Americans who make New Year's resolutions to lose weight often have pictures in mind.They're pictures that have been repeatedly supplied by the health and beauty magazines at...
View Article'Stand Your Ground' Linked To Increase In Homicides
If a stranger attacks you inside your own home, the law has always permitted you to defend yourself. On the other hand, if an altercation breaks out in public, the law requires you to try to retreat....
View ArticleElite Colleges Struggle To Recruit Smart, Low-Income Kids
Across the United States, college administrators are poring over student essays, recommendation letters and SAT scores as they select a freshman class for the fall.If this is like most years,...
View ArticleWhen Crime Pays: Prison Can Teach Some To Be Better Criminals
In popular lore — movies, books and blogs — criminals who go to prison don't come out reformed.
View ArticlePig Out In The Winter Or When Money's Tight? Blame Evolution
Has the recession made you fat?To the long and growing list of risk factors known to increase the risk of obesity, scientists recently added a new one: scarcity.People given subtle cues that they may...
View ArticleWhy You Love That Ikea Table, Even If It's Crooked
Have you ever spent a couple of hours working on a craft project — or a presentation for work — and then fallen in love with what you've accomplished?
View ArticleYour Child's Fat, Mine's Fine: Rose-Colored Glasses And The Obesity Epidemic
About 69 percent of American adults are overweight or obese, and more than four in five people say they are worried about obesity as a public health problem.But a recent poll conducted by NPR, the...
View ArticleWhy Not Apologizing Makes You Feel Better
To err is human.So is refusing to apologize for those errors.From toddlers and talk show hosts to preteens and presidents, we all know people who have done stupid, silly and evil things, then squared...
View ArticleTo Find Insider Trading, Follow The Kids' Money
In New York and Washington, government regulators are cracking down on insider trading, the illegal practice in which people with internal information about important company events make stock market...
View ArticleWhat Does Modern Prejudice Look Like?
Harvard psychologist Mahzarin Banaji was once approached by a reporter for an interview.
View ArticleShhh, The Kids Can Hear You Arguing (Even When They're Asleep)
For years now, psychologists have been telling couples who yell at one another to stop for the sake of the kids.
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