Mind & Behavior

Mind & Behavior

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

Two elderly women walking alongside and interacting with a statue of a man holding a briefcase.
A growing body of research suggests that optimism plays a significant role in promoting both physical and mental well-being.
An abstract digital collage inspired by alien abduction stories, with a monochrome vinyl record at the center surrounded by colorful, glitch-like textures and shapes.
The truth may be out there — but it’s not in these close encounters of the third kind.
Mismatched socks on feet standing among wildflowers represent unique work-life hacks.
The Reitoff principle gives us permission to "write off" a day and intentionally step away from achieving anything.
An illustration of a hand with mechanical fingers and wires, symbolizing the inception of dreams in the integration of technology with the human body.
One MIT-trained poet spent nine months trying to find out.
A tailless human from a rope.
CRISPR study helps answer a question that has long puzzled scientists.
A melting yellow smiley face on a black background.
15mins
Harvard has conducted an 85-year-long study on what makes humans happy. Psychiatrist Robert Waldinger explains what they found.
BetterHelp
A group of cult members dressed in white participating in an outdoor gathering or ceremony under a partly cloudy sky.
Or are cults the religions we find distasteful?
An image of a person holding a pair of binoculars with the new happy face on it.
Happiness is not a five-star holiday. It's often the result of struggle — and asking for help, as author Stephanie Harrison recently told Big Think.
A pair of headphones on a green background with AI coaching.
AI looks like a natural and inevitable fit for business coaching — but some humans are wary. Here are the pros and cons.
A woman, channeling her best ai humor, is holding a microphone in front of a purple background.
The secret sauce of humor is incongruity. AI knows this as well as we do.
A photo capturing the memory of a woman standing in front of a body of water.
Memories aren’t mental recordings, but pliable information we can use to better manage the present and conjure future possibilities.
A woman holding up a picture of a smiling mouth.
6mins
Pathologically busy people clamoring for happiness. Founder of HATCH Monica Parker explains how we can do so much better than that.
An image of a pelican with its feet in the water, capturing the essence of Stanford Duck Syndrome.
When we view hard work as a sign of low aptitude, it harms our ability to learn and grow.
A teacher in a classroom with children sitting on the floor, learning a second language.
Being bilingual benefits children as they learn to speak — and adults as they age.
A broken alarm clock on a purple background, reminiscent of a Tali Sharot study.
Neuroscientist Tali Sharot recently spoke with Big Think about a two-step method for escaping the dark sides of habits.
An etching of a whale.
When all your teammates fall for "the emperor's new clothes," the results can be disastrous — here's how to bust the groupthink.
A statue of a woman with a red blindfold on her head, symbolizing the human experience in the realm of science.
Here's the case for why science can't keep ignoring human experience.
A blue and white drawing of a person wrapped in a tape illustrating genetic determinism.
Genes are sometimes called the “blueprint of life,” but that doesn't make them the behavioral playbook.
A statue of a man with his hands on his head, symbolizing regret.
A simple dice game shines a bit of light on the psychology of regret.
A black and white photo of a person's brain.
Here's the thorny reality behind psychedelics' ability to unearth buried memories.