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Psychology

Everybody is listening, but nobody is learning.

Trending Today

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

New Research

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

Cool Finds

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

New Research

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.

New Research

You Can Get Placebo Sleep

Simply thinking you got better sleep makes your brain work better

New Research

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

New Research

Do Babies Fake Cry?

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

Moving to An Area With More Green Space Can Improve Your Mental Health for Years

A new study finds that the mental benefits of greenery are immediate and long-lasting

Cool Finds

How Scientists Recorded the Music Inside One Woman’s Head

A patient was hallucinating musical scores, and researchers have managed to record it

New research suggests that before the age of seven, you can remember plenty from before you were three. But after, you start to forget.

New Research

Kids Start Forgetting Early Childhood Around Age 7

Memories of that awesome zoo trip? Those first few birthday cakes? All gone

Migraine Headaches and the Remarkable Power of Placebos

A new study finds that the placebo effect is just as powerful as a popular pill in treating migraines. How can doctors use that to help us feel better?

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Being the Victim of Racism Seems to Accelerate Aging

This study brings further evidence to the scientific belief that “social toxins” such as racism have a very real impact on people’s lives and health

At What Moment Do You Finally Become Yourself?

New psychological research considers whether you are ever really comfortable with your own taste

Bodily maps of emotion developed by the researchers.

Different Emotional States Manifest in Different Spots in the Human Body

Humans are emotional creatures, but whether emotions produced the same physical responses in people across varying cultures remained unknown until now

Don't let the badges fool you - most people are willing to cheat.

It’s Not That Hard to Make People Do Bad Things

How many people do you think you’d have to approach before you could convince one to tell a lie?

Playing an Instrument Won’t Make Your Kid Smarter

Music can, however, boost children’s creativity and teach them important life skills such as discipline and concentration—but so can other hobbies

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