Psychology

In comparison to this cell, those used for solitary confinement often lack even a barred doorway, further limiting exposure to others.

The Science of Solitary Confinement

Research tells us that isolation is an ineffective rehabilitation strategy and leaves lasting psychological damage

Why Some People Always Remember Their Dreams, But Others Never Can

Why people dream is still a mystery, however

Extreme Loneliness Can Be Deadly for Older People

People who suffer from loneliness were almost twice as likely to die over a six year study period than others

The New York Stock Exchange trading floor in 1963.

How Stress Hormones Impact the Behavior of Investors

Cortisol, a natural hormone, has been found to rise during times of market volatility and make people more risk-averse

Finding the Best Office Temperature Is Basically Impossible

Is there a universally perfect working temperature? Probably not, and trying to find it might be a wild goose chase

Your brain only sees some of these as faces.

Your Brain Now Processes a Smiley Face as a Real Smile

Perhaps eventually we’ll respond to emoji as we would to real dogs, cats and night skies

Americans Are More Into BDSM Than The Rest of the World

Not only is BDSM far more common than you might think, it’s also far less of a red-flag when it comes to health and psychology

Attractive Cyclists Are More Likely to Win Races

Endurance might be correlated with how attractive we find someone, new research suggests

Dreaming of world domination.

How You Describe a Dream Could Help Determine What Kind of Psychosis You Have

A recent study found dream descriptions could be used ot distinguish between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Everybody is listening, but nobody is learning.

When Are We Going to Stop Making Famous People Argue About Evolution?

From the Scopes trial to last night's Nye/Ham face-off, Americans love pointless creationism debates

Human Faces Might Only Express Four Basic Emotions

How many faces can you make? Offhand, you might guess ten, or twenty, but researchers now say...it's really only four

None

It Takes Just Five Seconds to Find Out If You’re a Good Liar

But maybe don't read too much into this test

The Holmes of BBC/Masterpiece's Sherlock, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, uses a mnemonic device straight out of ancient Greece—the mind palace.

The Secrets of Sherlock’s Mind Palace

The BBC/Masterpiece sleuth employs a memory technique invented by the ancient Greeks

Humans Are Naturally Inclined to Believe We’re Immortal

Even children who live in a culture with no beliefs about existence before birth have a concept of "pre-life"

The frozen brain of famous memory patient H.M., shown during the slicing process.

A Postmortem of the Most Famous Brain in Neuroscience History

Patient H.M.'s brain has been sliced and digitized, leading to new insights for scientists

Hugh, a manatee, undergoes training at Mote Marine Laboratory, learning to touch his nose to a plastic target.

A New Paradigm for Animal Research: Let Them Participate

In labs around the country, researchers are realizing that in many cases, it's easier to work with animals than against them

The Science Is Clear: Don't Text and Walk

Being distracted by texting makes people walk more slowly and crookedly, and they are more likely to be hit by cars

Being on the beach helps too.

You Can Get Placebo Sleep

Simply thinking you got better sleep makes your brain work better

To Boost Your Chances of Kickstarter Success, Use These Key Phrases

Some phrases shows up time and again in successful Kickstarters, while others are associated with failure

Do Babies Fake Cry?

Babies can be evil little creatures: they can even fake cry

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