Stories by Victoria Stern

Tips for Picking Up a New Lingo

New Books about Mind Control, Mental Rest and Why We Swear

Scientific American Mind weighs in on recent titles from neuroscience and psychology 

New Books Explore Puzzles of Taste, Gender and Addiction

Scientific American Mind weighs in on recent titles from neuroscience and psychology

New Books Explore Breaking Habits, AI, Productivity and Enlightenment

Scientific American Mind considers five recent popular titles from neuroscience and psychology

Mini Reviews: 3 Compelling Reads about the Brain and How It Works

New books about addiction, autism and the mysteries of other people’s minds

Teen Texting: Girls versus Boys

A study finds girls are more likely to become compulsive texters and suffer academically

2 Books Explore Our Powers of Prediction

Scientific American MIND reviews Phishing for Phools and Superforecasting

3 Books Explore the Inner World of Animals

Scientific American MIND reviews Beyond Words, Voices in the Ocean and The Soul of an Octopus

Smell Tests Could One Day Reveal Head Trauma and Neurodegenerative Disease

Memory for odors is particularly complex, making scratch-and-sniff tests an early indicator of damage to the brain

Three Books Explore the Spiral of Shame

Scientific American MIND reviews “So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed,” “Beyond Bullying,” and “Is Shame Necessary?”

A Short History of the Rise, Fall and Rise of Subliminal Messaging

People have believed in subliminal influences for hundreds of years—but the last few decades have taken a far more scientific look at these ideas

MIND Staff Share Their Reading Picks

Reviews and recommendations from Scientific American MIND

3 New Books Explain the Roots of Altruism

Books and recommendations from Scientific American MIND

Infants Focus on the Familiar and the Phenomenal

Examining the factors that capture a baby’s attention yields insights into cognitive development

3 Books Explore How to Make Smart Choices

Books and recommendations from Scientific American MIND

6 Syndromes with Surprising Psychotherapy Solutions

Ailments we typically think of as bodily might be improved by thought alone

Dizziness Can Be a Fatal Side Effect of Many Medications

Lightheadedness and disorientation are among the most common side effects of prescription drugs

Blood Type Matters for Brain Health

People with AB blood type are at higher risk for age-related cognitive decline

Drink Up: Discern Fact from Fiction for Popular Health Beverages

Learn what the science says about some popular claims regarding the cognitive effects of certain drinks

Roundup: Distinctively Human

Three books explore what makes us unique