Scientific American Mind

Amputee Envy
People with body integrity identity disorder feel alienated from a part of their body and want to have it amputated. Researchers are unraveling clues to the causes of this bizarre condition
By Sabine Mueller

Do Animals Feel Empathy?
We call a callous turncoat a "rat." Rats and mice, however, are giving scientists clues to the evolutionary origins of empathy
By Frans B. M. de Waal

Sex, Math and Scientific Achievement
Why do men dominate the fields of science, engineering and mathematics?
By Diane F. Halpern, Camilla P. Benbow, David C. Geary, Ruben C. Gur, Janet Shibley Hyde and Morton Ann Gernsbacher

Living with Ghostly Limbs
Scientists are pinpointing the neurological roots of the vivid and painful illusion of phantom limbs in amputees--and finding ways to curb it
By Miguel Nicolelis

Inside the Terrorist Mind
Scientists are probing the psyches of terrorists to reveal what motivates their monstrous acts. Far from being crazed killers, terrorists are gunning for the greater good—as they see it
By Annette Schaefer

The Secret to Raising Smart Kids
Hint: Don't tell your kids that they are. More than three decades of research shows that a focus on effort—not on intelligence or ability—is key to success in school and in life
By Carol S. Dweck

Bored?
Don't blame your job, the traffic or your mindless chores. Battling boredom, researchers say, means finding focus, living in the moment and having something to live for
By Anna Gosline

Psychedelic Healing?
Hallucinogenic drugs, which blew minds in the 1960s, soon may be used to treat mental ailments
By David Jay Brown

February 2008 >>

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