Stories by Siri Carpenter

How Do You Write Compellingly about Science?

A new book entitled The Craft of Science Writing explains how to help readers understand the science that underlies so many of the issues that touch our lives

How Scott Walker Dismantled Wisconsin's Environmental Legacy

As governor of Wisconsin, the likely Republican presidential nomination-seeker consistently dismissed science and sided with polluters

Body of Thought: How Trivial Sensations Can Influence Reasoning, Social Judgment and Perception

Fleeting sensations and body movements hold sway over what we feel and how we think

Telltale Heart: Word Association Test Reveals If Love Will Last

A test of hidden attitudes predicts relationship decay

Early Risers Crash Faster Than People Who Stay Up Late

Night owls belie slacker reputation by staying alert longer

Pride: Deadly Sin or Social Lubricant?

Feeling proud makes people more dominant and likable in social tasks

Observing Others' Self-Control Can Sap Your Own

How your peers' goals and efforts trick your brain

Finding Control in Chaos

Feeling helpless leads us to see nonexistent patterns

Rapid Thinking Makes People Happy

Accelerated thoughts may trigger the brain's novelty-loving reward system

Speaking of Race

People who avoid mentioning race appear more prejudiced

Decision Making Suffers from Unconscious Prejudices

Study reveals how much people sacrifice to satisfy their biases

Head Lines: Spotting a Fake Smile

Also: Men Who Can Move; Borrowed Identity; Speaking of Race; and Marrying Mom

When Imitation Is More Than Flattery

Imitating others' emotional expressions may foster empathy

Seeing is Hearing: New Type of Synesthesia Discovered

For some, visual movement triggers a perception of sound

Buried Prejudice: The Bigot in Your Brain

Deep within our subconscious, all of us harbor biases that we consciously abhor. And the worst part is: we act on them

Perfect yet Imperfect

An exceptional musical skill yields clues to auditory processing

Shoot First, Ace Geometry Later

Video gaming may eliminate the gender gap in spatial skills

Left Brains vs. Right Brains

Political ideology is tied to how the brain manages conflict

Unspoken Accents

Nonverbal language reveals your roots

Fuel for Thought