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Psychology

Could This Painless Brain Stimulation Help Treat Depression and Alzheimer’s?

UNC researchers have shown that transcranial alternating current stimulation can help improve memory

The Tent of Casually Observed Phenologies.

Art Meets Science

Can the Art of Divination Help People Cope With Climate Anxiety?

A Brooklyn-based artist strives to create emotional connections with the looming threat of climate change.

fMRI changed the way researchers look at the human brain.

New Research

New Study Calls the Reliability of Brain Scan Research Into Question

Three million analyses point to a problem with fMRI brain activity studies

String theory—feline edition.

New Research

Cats Are Adorable Physicists

Beneath that fluffy exterior lies a shrewd understanding of how the world works

If Grit Breeds Success, How Can I Get Grittier?

University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth talks about her new book and the importance of the personal quality

Playtime with baby can help expand a child’s attention span, a new study shows.

Infants Learn to Pay Attention (or Not) From Watching Mom and Dad

Parents who focus on play may help babies develop critical skills that predict future success

Scientists keep finding new ways the brain can be deceived.

A New Way to Trick the Brain and Beat Jet Lag

For all its complexity, the human brain is not hard to deceive. Here are four studies where scientists have learned more about duping it

A recent study on clutter and overeating gave a new spin to the term "Hell's Kitchen."

New Research

Messy Kitchens Could Make You Eat More

Researchers put participants in the world’s most stressful kitchen for the sake of science

Ain't no rest for the wicked … or the innocent.

New Research

Sleepy Suspects Are Way More Likely to Falsely Confess to a Crime

In a study, almost 70 percent of sleep-deprived people admitted to something they didn’t do

New Research

Women “Catch” Yawns More Easily Than Men

Researchers sneakily observed thousands of interactions to see if gender made a difference in the contagiousness of yawning

Brain Scans Could Identify Kids at Risk of Depression

Knowing who’s at risk before the disease strikes could make preventative treatments possible

A Brandeis University researcher studied paintings by Edgar Degas and other bummed-out artists to see if grief affected their sale price.

New Research

Grief May Not Make Artists Better

New research shows that bummed-out artists aren’t necessarily better ones

Dogs, like humans, use mimicry to enhance social bonds.

New Research

Dogs Mimic Each Other’s Expressions, Too

The behavioral findings hint that dogs, like humans, might be capable of their own form of empathy

New Research

These Parrots Use Pebbles as Tools to Grind up Seashells

Polly want a mineral supplement?

New Research

Finally There’s a Scientific Theory for Why Some Words are Funny

The science behind Dr. Seuss

A bomb blast engulfs a mountainside near the town of Barg-e Matal in Afghanistan.

New Research

Shock Waves May Create Dangerous Bubbles in the Brain

Lab experiments show how people who survive explosions may still carry cellular damage that can cause psychological problems

Cool Finds

The Hidden Costs of Having a Gifted Child

Exceptional talent in children can be a source of financial and emotional stress for parents who don’t feel equipped

Seasonal affective disorder can cause people to feel isolated and hopeless.

New Research

Talking Is the Latest Tool for Battling Seasonal Depression

A large-scale study suggests that talk therapy may have longer-lasting benefits than light boxes for treating wintertime blues

New Research

People Who Believe in Ghosts Are More Fearful Overall

New research finds a link between paranormal beliefs and fears of things like natural disasters

Five Things We’ve Learned About Fear Since Last Halloween

Including why screams get our brain’s attention and why a drop of “love hormone” in our nose could make us less fearful

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