PSYCHOLOGY

Yes, Parents Do Play Favorites—And Often Love Their Youngest Kid Best

Sorry, older sibs.

8 Ways to Tell If Someone Is Lying to You

3. A liar avoids eye contact at the moment of untruth.

The Optical Illusion That Makes Static Lines Look Like They're Pulsing

Which half of the line is longer, the blue or the red part?

Bad Day at Work? New Study Finds a Voodoo Doll of Your Boss Might Be the Most Effective Way of Getting Even

Just don't let your boss actually see it.

12 Facts about Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment

The protagonist Raskolnikov commits a terrible crime and descends into spiritual turmoil.

Speaking in a Foreign Language Can Impact Your Moral Judgment

Ethical integrity has more to do with language than you'd think.

The Simple Optical Illusion That Makes an Image Look Like It's Drawing Itself

Don't let your eyes deceive you.

Narcissists Are More Likely to Be Compulsive Facebook Users

Scientists are just beginning to understand "Facebook Addiction Disorder."

3 Easy Ways to Curb Your Smartphone Addiction

Research shows that being constantly tethered to our phones makes us unhappy, but it's hard to break the habit. Here are three super-simple ways to minimize your stress without missing a text.

Humblebraggarts Are the Worst (Science Says So)

We all know one. And would probably rather not, according to a new study.

Why It's So Hard to Keep New Year's Resolutions (and What You Can Do to Stay Motivated)

It may seem like New Year's resolutions are destined to fail, but we work harder to achieve them if we set goals that are both concrete and demanding.

The One Word You Should Never Use When Apologizing

How to not sabotage your own apology.

Goldfish Can Get Depressed, Too

That little bowl can really bring about the blues.

Can You Figure Out This Newly Discovered Optical Illusion?

Can you tell whether the lines are curves or zigzags?

Vivid Imagery Makes Poetry More Pleasurable, According to Psychologists

Aspiring Wordsworths, take note.

Why Reading Aloud Helps You Remember More Information

A new study suggests that reading information and hearing yourself speak it aloud is a more effective memory technique than reading silently or listening to someone else read.

10 Surprising Ways Senses Shape Perception

Things are not always as they seem.

Owning a Dog May Add Years to Your Life, Study Shows

You'll have to spend some of it picking up their poop, but still.

6 Totally Normal Behaviors That Might Mean You're a Psychopath, According to Science

Are you a night owl? Uh oh.

Using Words Like 'Really' A Lot Could Mean You're Really Stressed

Our speech patterns reveal more about us than we may realize.

Why 'Good Luck Charms' Seem to Work, According to Science

A case for digging out your lucky childhood action figure.

Want to Get Better Sleep? Don’t Think of Yourself as an Insomniac

Identifying as an insomniac will only make your sleep worse, a new study suggests.

Fright Fest: The Science Behind Why We Love to Be Scared

Take a deep dive into our darkest impulses to find out why humans love watching horror movies, enduring scream-worthy haunted houses, and otherwise getting scared out of our minds.

How Urban Legends Like 'The Licked Hand' Are Born

The spooky stories you heard at childhood sleepovers can tell you a lot about how folk tales spread through culture.

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