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Psychology

A classic 1942 painting by US artist Edward Hopper shows people inside a late-night diner.
The Mind

Why we crave company

Neuroscientists are discovering that spending time with others may be a basic biological necessity, like need for food or water

Collage shows a rodent, chemical stick figure of a drug of abuse, a woman and her brain, synapses, neurons.
The Mind

What addiction does to the brain

Changes in neural connections due to substance use and withdrawal are long-lasting, and craving can peak well into abstinence. Understanding this process could inspire drugs to support recovery.

A woman eats, surrounded by images of comfort food.
Food & Environment

Why we crave ‘comfort food’

Nostalgia plays a big role in the meals that bring us solace — which mean we might be able to recondition ourselves toward healthier foods that still soothe

Black and white photograph shows a family group with one of the faces scratched out.
The Mind

The troubling rise of family estrangement

As more adults cut off their parents, a researcher calls for closer scrutiny of causes and effects, and suggests paths to reconciliation

A conceptual illustration of a person holding cradling her torso, which is colorful, glowing and special-looking.
The Mind

What is wisdom, and can it be taught?

Scientists are trying to name the qualities that make someone wise and figure out how to cultivate them

Conceptual illustration of a woman looking at her reflection.
The Mind

Brain, think on thyself

What the science of self-awareness can tell us about confident decision-making

Illustration of a guide pulling back a veil of trees, showing the path ahead, as another person walks through a forest.
The Mind

Looking for an ADHD coach? Choose carefully

As diagnoses surge, so does an unregulated coaching industry

A face in profile against a background of books, sarcophagi and scent molecules.
Society

Recreating the smells of history

Using chemistry, archival records and AI, scientists are reviving the aromas of old libraries, mummies and battlefields

Photo, with shading, of a young woman holding an infant in her arms. She is leaning against the wall with a despairing look in her eyes.
The Mind

Postpartum depression: Better remedies, and now a predictive blood test

Scientists are learning more about this leading complication of childbirth. Treatments are improving and doctors can test for biological markers that flag heightened risk.

Conceptual collage shows a bar chart, police line tape, dollar signs and the shape of a human target.
Society

Property crime and violent crime have different solutions — here’s why

Addressing poverty helps to curb thefts and burglaries, but offenses like assaults and shootings need more innovative approaches

Illustration shows a handshake with money changing hands, and watching eyes.
Society

Corruption: When norms upstage the law

People with good motives may engage in bribery and worse depending on what society expects of them. A political scientist explains.

Illustration of men sitting in a room in a circle.
The Mind

Can a shift in strategy reduce intimate partner violence?

New research, innovative programs and emboldened advocates are challenging decades-old conventions about how to respond to domestic abuse

Conceptual illustration in dark blue tones shows a woman on her knees next to a smashed window; a chair is lying on its side behind her.
Health & Disease

Unsafe at home: The misery of intimate partner violence

Public health researchers explain the levers that can reduce — or worsen — this global blight. A bright spot: There are more data than ever on strategies that can help.

A collage including children tattling, an old-fashioned telephone, an advertisement for a tip line, a pointing finger, police with a detainee, a mugshot and a woman blowing a whistle.
Society

See something, say something? The science of speaking out

From tattling to whistleblowing, a sociologist explores what drives people to tell on one another

Ilustration of a doctor raking in a Japanese rock garden drawn to resemble a person’s profile, symbolically erasing a tumor cell by reducing stress.
Health & Disease

How stress shapes cancer’s course

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?

Collage featuring a brain, hippocampus, rabbit and neuronal activity.
The Mind

It began with a rabbit: Unraveling the mystery of memory

Half a century after the discovery of long-term potentiation, we’re still learning how the brain remembers

Two people conversing. Their speech bubbles contain short interjections.
The Mind

Huh? The valuable role of interjections

Utterances like um, wow and mm-hmm aren’t garbage — they keep conversations flowing

Two people conversing.
The Mind

Speech interjections aren’t throwaway lines

PODCAST: Turns out, the best listener isn't quiet, as our host learns in a chat with two linguists. All those ums, ohs and mm-hmms have unexpected value.

Photograph of a couple sitting on a couch. They are reading quietly.
The Mind

Quiet couples: Alone time together

The right kind of silence can be golden, revitalizing and strengthening a relationship

People doing different things in a crowd: walking, standing and talking, rushing, carrying things, pushing strollers, walking dogs.
Society

Bustling through the physics of crowds

COMIC: Using tools from fields like fluid dynamics to better understand how groups of people move around can improve flow and make large gatherings safer

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