Mind & Behavior

Mind & Behavior

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

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."
gabapentin
The common drug is called gabapentin, which is currently used to control seizures and manage nerve pain.
animal emotions
We already know animals feel emotions, and that they can understand humans' emotions. But can they understand each other's emotions?
Science doesn't fit neatly into ideology.
John Templeton Foundation
consciousness
What if intelligence can thrive without consciousness?
brain scan politics
A deep learning AI running on a supercomputer was able to link patterns of brain connectivity to political ideology.
bedtime procrastination
We know sleep is more important than aimlessly scrolling on social media or checking our email for the 50th time. So, why do we do it?
A woman paints as part of her creative habit.
Being more creative doesn’t require a ‘Muse.’ It’s about pairing intelligence and imagination.
Sherlock Holmes
Detective fiction reveals how a particular society or time period looks at crime and criminal justice.
One theory for catatonia is that it is similar to an animal's “death feint.”
The base rate fallacy may help to explain low reproducibility in various fields of science.