Mind & Behavior

Mind & Behavior

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

Illustration of a human brain with a metallic on/off switch embedded in its side, set against a solid dark purple background.
8mins
Having trouble learning? A PhD engineering professor gives you one key tip.
John Templeton Foundation
deaths of despair
Deaths of despair are skyrocketing in the U.S., while at the same time, they are falling in other wealthy countries. What are we doing wrong?
Pain makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. What's puzzling is why so many of us choose to seek out painful experiences.
John Templeton Foundation
Can we stop mass shootings? The first step is collecting data, and these authors have done just that.
words for love
You can love a romantic partner, but also a pet, a book, God, or the sound of someone’s voice. We need many more words for love.
digital nomad
Digital nomads can fully immerse themselves in their surroundings while advancing their career and stimulating the local economy. But there is one potential downside.
A woman cradles a baby while surrounded by four children in a rustic kitchen, with dishes on shelves and blue sky outside—a heartwarming scene that might inspire thoughts like, should I have kids?.
4mins
Kids don’t always make you happier. Here’s why people have them anyway.
John Templeton Foundation
A hand holding a whip with multiple knotted tails against a solid orange background, subtly hinting at themes of discipline and exploring why suffering is good.
5mins
There are two kinds of suffering. One is pure pain. The other makes life worth living.
John Templeton Foundation
What Odysseus needed from his father was something more important: the comfort of being a son.
genius
You've heard of Stephen Hawking. Ever heard of Renata Kallosh? Didn't think so.
John Templeton Foundation
greater fool theory
An analogy explains the greater fool theory: You don’t have to run faster than the bear to get away; you just have to run faster than the other guy.
Does your father say "I love you," or express it in another way?
angry hamsters
For 40 years, scientists thought a specific gene was linked to aggression in hamsters. Removing it, however, had violent consequences.
google AI
The engineer working on Google's AI, called LaMDA, suffers from what we could call Michelangelo Syndrome. Scientists must beware hubris.
game theory
Game theory is a unique combination of math and psychology. Its applications turn up everywhere, from nuclear war to Tinder to game shows.
In the age of distraction, don't we all want to read faster and more efficiently?
In "The Secret Life of Secrets", Michael Slepian explores how holding secrets affects our relationships, psychology, and well-being.
Types of therapy are about as different as the people who use it.
“It’s a big resource in the way the human genome is a big resource, in that you can go in and do discovery-based research."