The Blind Use the Visual Cortex to Process Sound
Recent research has confirmed that in blind subjects who use echolocation to navigate, it is the visual part of the brain that processes the auditory echoes. Christie Nicholson reports
Rude People Can Be Perceived as Powerful
Powerful people often bend the rules, so if someone is a rule-breaker could they be perceived as powerful? Christie Nicholson reports
Sex, Sleep and the Law: When Nocturnal Genitals Pose a Moral Dilemma
Gut Bugs Affect Brains
A study with mice finds that the types of intestinal bacteria an individual carries can influence behavior. Karen Hopkin reports
Looking for Empathy in a Conflict-Ridden World
New Genetics Work Challenges Basic Ideas about Mental Illness
What if schizophrenia or autism are just symptoms of a deeper disorder? A scientist explains the early, exciting findings from copy number variation (CNV) studies
How to Speak Persuasively
Discover how to successfully persuade others with these findings from a recent study on speech. Christie Nicholson reports
Know Thyself
A recent review paper shows that we might not know ourselves as well as we think. Christie Nicholson reports
Deadline Pressure Distorts Our Sense of Time
The difficulty of a task stretches out our perception of time
Can Positive Thinking Be Negative?
Research suggests limits to looking on the sunny side of life
Readers Respond to "What, Me Care?"-- And More...
Letters to the editor about the January/February 2011 issue of Scientific American MIND
Pain Lessens Guilt
Physical discomfort can alleviate mental suffering