Language976 articles archived since 1845

Fiction Hones Social Skills

Reading fiction can strengthen your social ties and even change your personality

Sniffing Out a Good Time

Ambient smells could make or break a party

'Language Gene' Speeds Learning

Mouse study suggests that mutation to FOXP2 gene may have helped humans learn the muscle movements for speech.

Your Birdsong Stays on My Mind

A new app may help birders identify species just by sound

Believing in "Bad Vibes"

Exploring the science of emotional residues

Calendar: MIND Events in November and December

Museum exhibits, conferences and events relating to the brain

The Joke's on Your Computer: The Latest Humor Coded into Software

Programmers continue to plug humorous gems into everyday software

The Many Faces of Happiness

Cultural twists on the concept hint at new ways of lifting your spirits and making you more content with life

Bold Stroke: New Font Helps Dyslexics Read [Slide Show]

Dutch researcher designs distinct characters into "Dyslexie" to make it more difficult for dyslexics to rotate, swap and mirror letters and numbers

Bold Stroke: New Font Helps Dyslexics Read [Slide Show]

Dutch researcher designs distinct characters into "Dyslexie" to make it more difficult for dyslexics to rotate, swap and mirror letters and numbers

Computers versus Brains

Computers are good at storage and speed, but brains maintain the efficiency lead

Body Language Improves Our Communication

Recent research finds that body language significantly improves how well we are understood by our audience. Christie Nicholson reports

Pentagon Cultural Analyst Helped Interrogate Detainees in Afghanistan

'Experiment' raises alarm among social scientists.

Vacuum Tube: Kids under 2 Should Not Watch Television

The new statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics warns of possible language delays. Instead, unstructured play is better for linguistic development

Hesitant Speech Helps Kids, Um, Learn

Filled pauses direct toddlers' attention to new words

Pull Up a Chair

We tend to move closer to those who share our physical traits

The Scent of Your Thoughts

Although we are usually unaware of it, we communicate through chemical signals just as much as birds and bees do

MIND Reviews: Roundup: Quirks and Quibbles

Primal Brain in the Modern Classroom

Evolution biased the human mind to attend to some types of information over others—often the exact opposite of what teachers wish children would learn

"I've Got Your Back"

New evidence shows that chimpanzees aren't as selfish as many scientists thought