Mind & Behavior

Mind & Behavior

Study the science of how we think, feel, and act, with insights that help you better understand yourself and others.

A child looks through a coiled toy spring held up to their eye.
6mins
How culture and collective agreement help build your Perception Box
Unlikely Collaborators
A person in a white t-shirt seen in a repeating, stacked motion, resting their head on an open book placed on a table.
Busying yourself with research often feels easier, safer, and more satisfying than taking action.
A woman in a red dress sitting in front of a backdrop featuring the painting “Echo and Narcissus” by John William Waterhouse.
2hr 18mins
Members
Clinical psychologist Ramani Durvasula explains what narcissism really is, how to spot it, and why most of what circulates online gets it wrong.
A woman with short curly brown hair, wearing tortoiseshell glasses and a coral top, smiles at the camera against a plain light background.
Members
Amy Gallo highlights that fostering positive work relationships through empathy and clear communication is essential for enhancing performance, creativity, and well-being, ultimately leading to more supportive and productive professional environments.
A wireframe digital hand representing AI consciousness reaches out from a computer screen to pet a black and white cat.
Our beliefs about AI consciousness may depend less on evidence and more on self-interest.
A digital collage of a Cartesian wound, featuring a bright central light surrounded by fluid shapes, with realistic trees and deer on the left and a blue wireframe landscape with deer on the right.
René Descartes drew a line between humans and machines. AI is blurring it.
Two stylized figures sit on opposite sides of a floating, stacked cube structure amidst swirling, colorful circular patterns representing an AI reality.
AI psychosis may be the most visible example of something much bigger and stranger.
Two heart-shaped pendants on chains representing AI relationships: one pixelated with binary code “100101” and one smooth with the word “Friends” in cursive script.
AI is challenging the idea that relationships require two conscious minds.
Yellow book cover titled “Unspeakable” by Christina Wing, featuring a black speech bubble and the subtitle, “The Taboo Topics We Avoid and How to Talk About Difficult Conversations.”.
With the right preparation and follow-through, anyone can get better at having difficult conversations.
Book cover for “Envy” by Stacy S. Kim, PhD, with bold pink text, green snakes symbolizing envy, purple flowers, and the subtitle: “Why wanting what they have is the key to getting what you want.”.
Envy gets a bad rap, but it can be a powerful source of self-knowledge.
A glowing white butterfly icon to the left, three horizontal wave patterns in the center, and stacked close-ups of an eye, an ear, and a hand to the right.
7mins
How curiosity can expand your Perception Box — and your awareness
Unlikely Collaborators
Two people at a green table with tea, a glass of water, and small cakes.
People might be taking the advice of “be a good listener” a little too far.
A smiling older man with a grey beard above a graphic pattern of concentric pink circles.
Members
Zen priest Robert Waldinger shares how to meet life’s messier moments with compassion and presence — for deeper connections, greater resilience, and less suffering.
Book cover of “The Shortest History of Reality” by Geraint F. Lewis, featuring blue tones, white text, and an atom illustration on a red background.
Complexity may explain how billions of simple neurons give rise to thought, creativity, and consciousness.
An older man in a white shirt hugs a figure made of digital green and blue pixels—an evocative portrayal of the growing connection between humans and AI social skills—set against a pale background.
AI can provide short-term relief from social anxiety, but it can come at the expense of the social skills you’re trying to build.
A hospital bed sits in a forest clearing beneath a large, glowing white light, surrounded by trees and greenery.
What happens when transcendent experiences collide with a culture that lacks language for understanding them?
John Templeton Foundation
Map showing live camera locations across North and South America, Europe, and Africa, marked with blue numbered circles and black camera icons. The interface includes search and navigation options.
The world webcam map, a defunct format from Web 1.0, is a foil to today’s algorithmic internet.
Text reading “Big Think Members. Your Brain on Books. A Members-Only Live Event” over a torn paper effect and a blurred stack of books in the background.
1hr 2mins
Members
What’s happening in your brain and body while you’re lost in a great book?