Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Psychology

New Research

Smelling a Fish May Improve Critical Thinking Skills

New research shows that gross smells can foster a healthy sense of distrust

A new campaign encourages fireworks enthusiasts to be courteous with their explosions this 4th of July.

For Veterans’ Sake, Make A Little Less Noise With Your 4th of July Fireworks

Fireworks can trigger PTSD in some veterans, and one organization is trying to raise awareness

Joyable helps individuals address different situations that trigger social anxiety.

Smart Startup

There is Now a 12-Week Online Program for Overcoming Social Anxiety

Two Stanford graduates are the brains behind Joyable, a startup that pairs users with coaches to tackle social challenges

People Get Seasonal Depression in the Summer, Too

Millions suffer from SAD in summer as well as winter, and evidence hints that birth season plays a role in who develops the disorder

Fermented foods, like pickles, may influence social anxiety levels — though it's unclear exactly how and why.

A Pickle a Day May Keep Your Anxiety at Bay

Fermented food appears to calm the nerves of the socially challenged

These 15th-century female musicians are clearly in grave medical danger.

Cool Finds

Some 19th-Century Physicians Thought Music Could Infect the Brain

When it comes to music in the brain, medicine has come a long way

A prison cemetery in Huntsville, Texas, where many executed inmates have been buried.

Support for the Death Penalty May Be Linked to Belief in Pure Evil

People who think evil exists in the world are more likely to demonize criminals, regardless of their character traits

New Research

Atheists Remind People of Death

New research shows that atheists trigger death-related thoughts

New Research

When People Want an Upgrade They Tend to Break and Lose Their Old Gadgets

Researchers call it the “Must-Have Effect”

A person looks at profile photos on the messaging app Momo in Shanghai.

New Research

Your Online Dating Profile Picture Affects Whether People Trust You

Attractiveness is linked to trust, but the responses are very different between men and women

10 New Things Science Says About Being a Mom

Such as, how much time she spends with her child doesn’t matter as much as we think

A blood-sucker creeping around on a potential victim's pristine white sheets.

Cool Finds

How Our Modern Lives Became Infested With Bed Bugs

After being bitten by the tiny pests, author Brooke Borel set out to learn all she could about her blood-sucking foes

New Research

People Are Too Optimistic About How Much Optimism Matters

Looking on the bright side doesn’t actually make dark things bright

New Research

What Does It Feel Like to Be Invisible?

Volunteers in Sweden were tricked into thinking their bodies had vanished, and the “superpower” seemed to ease social fears

New Research

Cognitive Scientists Question a Journal’s Gender Balance

A major journal publishes a special issue with a striking lack of women authors

Cool Finds

This Is Why You Like to Cry In the Shower

Hot, steamy, sad

Cool Finds

Does That Button Really Work, Or Is It a Placebo?

Fake buttons are more common than you might think

New Research

Painkillers Might Also Dull Your Emotions

A study shows Tylenol could affect emotional evaluations, but judging the meaning of that finding is tough

People seem to flow like river currents through the Central MTR subway station in Hong Kong.

Crowds Are Much Smarter Than We Suspected

In a new book, Michael Bond explores a growing body of research that says people in crowds exercise a collective intelligence

Surprise!

New Research

Like Tiny Scientists, Babies Learn Best By Focusing on Surprising Objects

Lab tests suggest that infants learn more about the world around them when they encounter and investigate unexpected phenomena

Page 14 of 24