Psychology

More Stories in Psychology

  1. image of three flags at half mask in front of the U.S. capitol building
    Science & Society

    COVID-19 has killed a million Americans. Our minds can’t comprehend that number

    We intuitively compare large, approximate quantities but cannot grasp such a big, abstract number as a million U.S. COVID-19 deaths.

    By Sujata Gupta
  2. a crowd at Disney World
    Science & Society

    Pressure to conform to social norms may explain risky COVID-19 decisions

    As a science reporter covering COVID-19, I knew I should mask up at Disney World. Instead, I conformed, bared my face and got COVID-19.

    By Sujata Gupta
  3. aerial photo of a crosswalk in Tokyo
    Psychology

    Latin America defies cultural theories based on East-West comparisons

    Theories for how people think in individualist versus collectivist nations stem from East-West comparisons. Latin America challenges those theories.

    By Sujata Gupta
  4. a sign outside a bar reading 'a shot for a shot' with a picture of a vaccine needle, advertising a free drink for people who got a COVID-19 vaccine
    Science & Society

    Nudge theory’s popularity may block insights into improving society

    Small interventions that influence people’s behavior can be tested. But the real world requires big, hard-to-measure changes too, scientists say.

    By Sujata Gupta
  5. a picture of Amber Williams and her family
    Science & Society

    Military towns are the most racially integrated places in the U.S. Here’s why

    The military’s big stick approach allowed the institution to integrate troops and military towns. Can the civilian world follow suit?

    By Sujata Gupta
  6. photo of Simone Biles at the Olympics
    Psychology

    How mindfulness-based training can give elite athletes a mental edge

    Mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy are two types of training psychologists are using to bolster athletes’ mental health.

    By Ashley Yeager
  7. image of parents laying on either side of an infant and kissing the infant
    Humans

    Babies may use saliva sharing to figure out relationships

    Actions like sharing bites of food or kissing may cue young children into close bonds, a new study suggests.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  8. illustration of a scientist holding a magnifying glass running up stairs
    Psychology

    Scientists should report results with intellectual humility. Here’s how

    Foregrounding a study’s uncertainties and limitations could help restore faith in the social sciences.

    By Sujata Gupta
  9. Women looking at an old photograph
    Psychology

    Nostalgia may have bona fide benefits in hard times, like the pandemic

    Once described as a disease, nostalgia’s reputation is much improved. Researchers hope to develop mental health therapies that trigger these memories.

    By Sujata Gupta