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Psychology

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

New Research

Crossing Your Fingers Could Reduce Pain (No Lie)

Researchers find the spatial arrangement of our digits affects the sensations they feel

New Research

Politicians Are More Persuasive During Interactive Town Hall Meetings

When given a chance at direct persuasion, most politicians are surprisingly good at changing our minds

Ask Smithsonian: How Do People Get Phobias?

The origins of irrational fears

New Research

The Desire to Conform Starts In Toddlers

Apes don’t have this problem — if they know the answer to a puzzle, they’ll do it, regardless of what their friends might think

Cool Finds

Our Brains Hate Waiting So We Sped Up Everything Else

Sidewalk rage, road rage and anger at slow-loading web pages are all part of our evolutionary inheritance

New Research

Can You Draw the Apple Logo From Memory?

New research shows you probably can’t

The Spiritualist Who Warned Lincoln Was Also Booth’s Drinking Buddy

What did Charles Colchester know and when did he know it?

Snack first, then try on that cardigan.

Hunger Makes You Buy More Stuff, Even If It’s Not Food

Whether you’re shopping at the mall or online, having the munchies will compel you to purchase extraneous things

Our furry friends might be able to infer our mood based on our facial expressions - just like human buddies do.

New Research

Dogs Can Tell Whether You’re Making a Happy or Mad Face

For the first time, science shows that a non-human animal can recognize the emotional state of another species

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