Stories by Karen Schrock

Could an Infection Cause Tourette's-Like Symptoms in Teenage Girls?

The sudden onset of a tic disorder in 15 upstate New York teens might be the result of a strep or other microbial contagion, not "conversion disorder"

Why Penn State Students Rioted—They Deify Joe Paterno

The psychology of group membership helps explain why Penn State students can’t stop loving a man who ignored a child molestation scandal

Mummy Says John Horgan Is Wrong about Fat and Carbs in Food

I was struck today by the juxtaposition of two recent articles here at ScientificAmerican.com. In “Thin Body of Evidence,” John Horgan expresses his skepticism about journalist Gary Taubes’s claims that carbohydrates, not fat, are the cause of obesity, heart disease and other health problems faced by many Americans...

How Smokers Think about Death

Do graphic warning labels on cigarette packages really deter people from lighting up?

The hidden health power of spices and herbs is revealed in recent studies

BOSTON—As most of us learned in school, fruit is delicious because it evolved to be eaten—if plants can entice animals to eat their seeds, they'll be spread far and wide in handy packets of fertilizer...

People with Asperger's less likely to see purpose behind the events in their lives

BOSTON—Why do we often attribute events in our lives to a higher power or supernatural force? Some psychologists believe this kind of thinking, called teleological thinking, is a by-product of social cognition...

Once Learned, Never Forgotten

Lost languages acquired during childhood persist in the brain

Should Parents Spank Their Kids?

A task force concludes that parents probably should not use spanking as a punishment

Should parents spank their kids? Probably not, task force concludes

Imaginary worlds are early sign of highly creative kids

Monogamy Is All the Rage These Days

TORONTO—Gay or straight, male or female—everyone is having fewer affairs now than they were in the 1970s. According to a new study presented here today at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, extramarital (and extra-partnership) sex is way down, and discussion about the topic within couples is way up...

Why Music Moves Us

New research explains music's power over human emotions and its benefits to our mental and physical well-being

Calendar: Mind Events in February and March

Mind Events in February and March

Head Lines: Cut Up Those Cards

What does Barack Obama's brain look like?

Calendar: Mind Events in December and January

Mental Benefits

A new law requires better insurance coverage for mental illness

SciAm Mind Calendar: August/September 2008

SciAm Mind Calendar: June/July 2008

The summer's best brain-related exhibitions, movies, conferences and more.

Calendar: April / May 2008