PSYCHOLOGY

Researchers Say You’re Exercising More Than You Think

Most of us "underestimate the importance of just walking to the store, taking the stairs, cleaning the house, or carrying the kids."

Scientist Asks: Why Do We Weep?

And how is it different from crying?

Charles Dickens, Part-Time Mesmerist

Dickens wrote, “I have the perfect conviction that I could magnetize a Frying-Pan.”

Why We Keep Falling for Fake News

The bots are only partly to blame.

Why Coloring and Doodling Make Us Feel Good

Quick, low-pressure art projects activate the brain’s reward center.

Is Your Mobile Phone Use Bad for Your Mental Health?

Researchers are studying whether technology use is connected to depression, anxiety, and other issues.

How Do Hormones Affect Emotions?

Anger, depression, lack of energy—they're all linked to specific hormone levels.

Scientists: Maybe Yawning Isn’t Contagious After All

Everyone knows yawning is contagious. What this study presupposes is … maybe it isn’t?

We Don’t Like Our Scientists to Be Too Good-Looking

A new study finds that people find attractive scientists more interesting, but less capable and credible.

8 Common Misconceptions About Antidepressants

Dr. David Mischoulon, director of research at Massachusetts General Hospital's Depression Clinical and Research Program, sets the record straight about antidepressants.

Why CC-ing the Boss on Emails Makes Your Coworkers Hate You

According to researchers, it can reduce trust between employees.

People With Flexible Work Schedules Work Longer Hours

There is a trade-off that comes with flexibility.

Watch and Listen to Rare Footage of Sigmund Freud

We only have one audio recording of the founder of psychoanalysis, in a message for the BBC in 1938.

Just 10 Minutes of Meditation May Help Anxious People Focus

Researchers say 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation per day can reduce distracting thoughts in people with anxiety.

Franz Anton Mesmer, the Man Who Invented Hypnotism

He's one of the few people to have a verb—mesmerize—named for him.

Viewing Your Job as Your "Calling" Can Lead to Letdown and Burnout

Putting too much pressure on your ability to change the world at work can lead you to quit your industry altogether.

6 Mood-Boosting Benefits of Exercise

That feel-good side effect of breaking a sweat isn't imagined.

What Is Math Anxiety?

And how do you quell it?

Study Finds Male Tennis Players Are More Likely to Choke Under Pressure

In the pressure cooker that is Grand Slam tennis, men are more likely to choke than women.

Democrats and Republicans Are Equally Willing to Admit When They’re Wrong, Study Says

“A whole lot of people … are very intellectually arrogant about the positions they have, on both sides of the aisle.”

Living in a City Can Change How You View the Future

People living in denser environments have a more future-oriented mindset, one study finds.

New Study Replicates Stanley Milgram’s Infamous Shock Experiments

Around 90 percent of Polish subjects were willing to administer painful electric shocks to a stranger when instructed by a scientist in the lab.

Postcoital Cheer May Pump Up Satisfaction at Work

Survey respondents reported more enjoyment of and engagement with their jobs the day after they’d had sex.

Why Making Decisions Stresses Some People Out

Plus, what you can do about it.

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