Swipe! A match! Get struck by Cupid’s arrow! As with most things in life, dating in the digital age offers opportunities and challenges. One such challenge is conduct. What are…
Sleep is crucial to a healthy lifestyle. But many of us have little understanding of why it’s so important – and even what it is! Here, we investigate the scientific findings that…
The benefits of a good night’s rest include improved memory, resolution of emotional issues, and recovery from physical exertion. When you awaken, you might find you’re better…
Let’s talk about fentanyl, both the legitimate uses as well as the illicit. How does fentanyl affect the body, from low and moderate medicinal doses to a lethal dose? Is it…
People have been thinking about nothing for a very long time. From Parmenides in the 5th century BCE to elementary school children today, everybody has something to say about…
Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2010, has been shaped by the looming specter of climate disaster, increased political polarization, and the Coronavirus pandemic. What does the…
Gen Z is tech-savvy, socially aware, and strives for authenticity. They also face significant mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and stress, due to social…
Munchausen by proxy is a condition in which a caregiver fabricates a dependent’s illness, as in the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case. What causes it and why does it often go undetected?
In the last 20 years, scientists have made great strides in deciphering the complex interaction between the gut and the brain, even dubbing the gut “the second brain.” Read on to…
Both our understanding and treatment of mental illness has improved since we first began thinking of people as abnormal, but we still stigmatize those who struggle to fit in.
Psychologist John Money pioneered the now-common practice of surgically altering the sex of infants with ambiguous genitalia. But many intersex people have suffered trauma from…
Dreams, nightmares, and night terrors. What exactly are they, and why do we have them? Oneirology – the interdisciplinary study of dreams – uses a variety of methods and…
What are dreams? From ancient cultures to philosophers and scientists, people have attempted to explain the nature of dreams. No one has found the answer.
True crime is an extremely popular genre, and the majority of its fans are women. Why are women drawn to stories about serial killers and psychopaths? The answer lies at the…
Marriage is a global institution. Practiced for millennia, it is a bit of a contradiction. Marriage has conferred social benefits but also reflected deep-seated discriminatory…
Phobias trigger overwhelming fears that can be extremely disconcerting and debilitating to the people who suffer from them. Fortunately, there are effective therapies geared to…
Organ transplants have become virtually commonplace in the 21st century, with tens of thousands of operations each year. But it literally took millennia of trial-and-error…
Caffeine is a substance most of us encounter in our everyday lives, some of us more than others. You may drink it, but do you know the effects caffeine has on your body? Check out…
Urban legend or portal to another world? The Elevator Game purports to blur the lines of reality for players, if they follow the rules and don’t make a potentially fatal mistake.…
Many cancers have been shown to be related to lifestyle. To combat the risk, and to improve health, try changing a few habits. It may seem like a lot, but compared to the risk of…
We’ve had a fraught relationship with money for millennia. Money both reflects and determines value, and it’s often difficult to distinguish the two. Perhaps thinking about the…
Zen meditation reached the U.S. from Japan after World War II. Broadly gaining followers in the 1960s, American Zen has become its own distinct stream of Buddhist practice,…
Some of us are excited about the possibility of conscious computers, while others among us recoil in horror at the notion. But what does it mean to say that a computer could be…
Our unconscious mind controls many of our actions and our thoughts. But science-backed methods of influencing our brain, such as meditation and visualization, can put us back in…
Familicide is the act of killing family members, including children. Filicide is the act of a parent killing their child. One is more often committed by men, the other, women. So,…
We all love horror movies and true crime videos, but what if the killer on the screen is closer than you know? Being able to identify the terrifying traits and disorders that…
Hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, DMT, and psilocybin are known for their mind-expanding effects, and they have potential for treating some of the trickiest mental afflictions…
Music has long been understood to have mysterious properties to ease troubled bodies and minds. Starting in the early ‘90s, researchers were able to see in real time what melody…
From the animal kingdom to the kingdom of God, gifts have been important messages of caring and concern. The tradition of giving gifts to figures of importance, at memorable…
Transcendent experiences are moments where we feel a sense of deep connection with the world around us. They are sometimes accessed through near-death experiences (NDEs), drugs,…
The psychopath has been an archetype throughout cinematic history, evolving over time along with our perceptions of mental health. By evaluating these characters, we can get an…
Comfort foods offer many (psychological, if not physical) benefits. The dopamine release made possible by these foods confers rewards like pleasure, stress relief, and warm…
The world of mushrooms and fungi is more complex than most of us know. Fungal networks help plants communicate, heal human diseases, and can fight climate change and environmental…
Since the beginning of human history, people have been fighting off diseases and epidemics. Our current struggle against COVID-19 is yet another example, and it follows a familiar…
The Overview Effect is the feeling of connection that astronauts experience when seeing the Earth from space. It also helped inspire the first Earth Day.
From science fiction to the reality of robotic wives and therapists, artificial intelligence and robots are evolving rapidly, developing the ability to communicate and maybe even…
Body fat is often scrutinized when evaluating health and diet, but what exactly is it? Fat cells provide nutrients, and regulate temperatures and hormonal changes in the body.
Serial killers have always been a subject of both curiosity and fear. Though motives of serial killers are as various as their grisly crimes, we can begin to understand the inner…
Poppies are the source of many opioid drugs, medications that bind to the areas of the brain controlling pain and emotions. While first marketed with good intentions, the drugs…
Gaming has become a large part of society, and billions of hours are being spent on gameplay around the world, each week. But is all this gaming good for you? New findings suggest…
From Alice in Wonderland to Harry Potter, portals are everywhere in fiction and could hide at famous ancient sites, from Stonehenge to the Egyptian Pyramids.
Ghost hunting documentaries have never been more popular. But why do so many of us see ghosts, and why are we so fascinated with them? Science may have some answers
Cannabis has changed culture in the U.S. and other areas where laws have shifted. More adults smoke, and the public is more accepting. But with this societal evolution comes…
Millions of criminals with mental health issues are incarcerated each year, but unfortunately, the prison infrastructure is unequipped to handle their needs. Without proper…
While space travel seems out of this world, it comes with a cost. Each mission has physical and psychological effects on astronauts. As we try to push further into space, it’s…
The Apollo moon landings were massive achievements for technology and science. Unfortunately, they’re also shrouded in conspiracy theories. Why do people believe the Moon landing…
The first known coffee drinkers were Sufi mystics in Yemen, who used coffee to stay awake during their long prayers. Since then, coffee has held a prominent position in Islam,…
Coffee is ubiquitous in the U.S. and around the world, but how did this drug-bearing plant enter so fully into our cultural life? The history of coffee reveals both the light and…
The human brain is extraordinary, and the skills we learn as humans seem limitless. But what happens when a brain injury interrupts our everyday functions? Astonishingly enough,…
Though it’s sometimes written off as New-Agey magic, sound healing is being used to treat many of humankind’s most challenging ailments. Intriguing studies have found that sound…
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a psychological condition that affects around 3% of the population – across all ages, races, and genders. But what is OCD, who is at risk, and why…
Psychopath or sociopath? While some use the terms interchangeably, there are clear differences between them that have been debated among psychologists. Let’s take a look at what…
Superstitions have been common throughout history all around the world. But how much do they influence our everyday life? Let’s take a look at five of the most popular…
The BMI, or “body mass index,” is a common method to assess body composition. But how accurate is it really, and can it be used to predict health outcomes based on its…
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