Psychology | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/psychology/RSS feed for PsychologyenFri, 22 May 2026 19:51:01 +0000What Did Jackson Pollock Hope to Accomplish With This Dizzying Drip Painting, Which Just Sold for a Record-Breaking $181 Million?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-did-jackson-pollock-hope-to-accomplish-with-this-dizzying-drip-painting-which-just-sold-for-a-record-breaking-181-million-180988794/The Abstract Expressionist is best known for his action paintings, which emphasized the movements of the artist's body during the creative process. "Number 7A, 1948" is now his most expensive work ever auctionedFri, 22 May 2026 19:51:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-did-jackson-pollock-hope-to-accomplish-with-this-dizzying-drip-painting-which-just-sold-for-a-record-breaking-181-million-180988794/Worried Your House Is Haunted? The Spooky Sensation Might Arise From a Surprisingly Simple Sourcehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worried-your-house-is-haunted-the-spooky-sensation-might-arise-from-a-surprisingly-simple-source-180988622/Infrasound—noise below the range of typical human hearing—from power, heating and mechanical systems within buildings can make people feel irritated and induce a stress response, according to a new studyTue, 28 Apr 2026 15:44:33 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worried-your-house-is-haunted-the-spooky-sensation-might-arise-from-a-surprisingly-simple-source-180988622/We Use Many of the Same Brain Cells to See and to Imagine Objects, a Study Suggests. The Findings Provide a New Window Into Memoryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/we-use-many-of-the-same-brain-cells-to-see-and-to-imagine-objects-a-study-suggests-the-findings-provide-a-new-window-into-memory-180988580/While past research has hinted at an overlap in relevant brain regions, the new work drills down to the cellular level. The discovery could help improve treatments for memory disorders, such as dementia, and certain psychiatric conditions, like schizophreniaWed, 22 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/we-use-many-of-the-same-brain-cells-to-see-and-to-imagine-objects-a-study-suggests-the-findings-provide-a-new-window-into-memory-180988580/The First LSD Trip Was a Literal Bicycle Ride 83 Years Ago. Fans of the Psychedelic Celebrate the Occasion Every April 19https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-first-lsd-trip-was-a-literal-bicycle-ride-83-years-ago-fans-of-the-psychedelic-celebrate-the-occasion-every-april-19-180988564/In 1943, a chemist in Switzerland synthesized a drug that alters consciousness. His discovery changed the study of medicine, psychiatry and biology—and became a central component of the counterculture movementFri, 17 Apr 2026 17:56:08 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-first-lsd-trip-was-a-literal-bicycle-ride-83-years-ago-fans-of-the-psychedelic-celebrate-the-occasion-every-april-19-180988564/How Do Different Psychedelics Affect the Brain? Scientists Analyzed More Than 500 Neural Scans to Find Outhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-different-psychedelics-affect-the-brain-scientists-analyzed-more-than-500-neural-scans-to-find-out-180988534/A new study suggests that four psychoactive compounds work in surprisingly similar ways, and that they break down the separation between how we think internally and how we perceive the outside worldWed, 15 Apr 2026 17:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-do-different-psychedelics-affect-the-brain-scientists-analyzed-more-than-500-neural-scans-to-find-out-180988534/Scientists Engineered Tobacco Plants to Produce Five Mind-Altering Psychedelic Compoundshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-engineered-tobacco-plants-to-produce-five-mind-altering-psychedelic-compounds-180988488/The substances have been used by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, but they've recently become popular as possible therapeutics for mental health conditionsTue, 07 Apr 2026 15:58:12 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-engineered-tobacco-plants-to-produce-five-mind-altering-psychedelic-compounds-180988488/