Happy-Go-Lucky in the Time of COVID-19
New research highlights the risks of unrealistic optimism during the coronavirus pandemic
Stories by Susana Martinez-Conde
The Boredom Paradox
Why lockdown feels less tedious than you feared
Immersive Violence
Virtual reality could help domestic batterers identify with victims
Your Kids Are Heavier Than You Think
New research ties parents’ misperceptions of their offspring’s weight to childhood obesity
Congratulations to the Winners of the Best Illusion of the Year Contest!
These mind tricks will make you reconsider what is real
Vote Now for the Best Illusion of the Year!
The Top 10 mind-boggling videos competing for first prize
The Dark Side of Gratitude
Why saying ‘thanks’ can be detrimental
Lions See These Illusions the Same Way You Do
And then they rip them to shreds
I Heard It Before, So It Must Be True
Repeated exposure to implausible statements makes them feel less so
No, Women Can’t Multitask Either
Recent research finds zero support for the stereotype that they do so better than men
When a Still Life Comes Alive
This artist’s paintings walk among us
The Illusion of Safety
Eye surgery could cause you to misjudge distances while driving
Are Our Minds Just Our Brains?
A debate on minds, matter and mechanism
The Illusionists on the Playground
What folk illusions reveal about children’s perception and cognition
You’ve Got a Blind Spot at Nighttime
Recent research explains why you’ve never noticed before
Remembering the Great Tomsoni
Johnny Thompson’s magical insights informed neuroscience
The Art of Playing Dead
The trick fools only predators that know dead prey is yucky
Hey, You Looking at Me?
How to trick audiences into thinking you’re staring them in the eye
The Turn of the Screw, with a New Twist
A retelling of Henry James’s ambiguous masterpiece winks at illusion science
You Can't Say "Happy Thanksgiving" in Dothraki
The man who invented the language explains why
