Psychiatry

So many people are singing the praises of neurologist and author Oliver Sacks that I hesitate to chime in. In February, Sacks revealed in The New York Times that he has terminal cancer, and reviewers are now raving about his new autobiography, On the Move, and entire oeuvre.

—Sue Napier, via e-mail

Science helps us understand why we keep animal companions and how they became so prominent in our daily lives

Not everyone we think of as a narcissist shows both facets of the personality trait

Books and recommendations from Scientific American MIND

Treating the anxiety inherent in a “watchful waiting” approach might help patients make better medical choices

Scientific American MIND’s online survey of pet owners uncovered some interesting results when people were asked about their interspecies relationships

Letters to the editor from the January/February 2015 issue of Scientific American MIND

The FDA maintains dyes are safe, but some studies have linked them to hyperactivity in children

Guidelines that emphasize the need for behavioral therapies often go unheeded, although study results broken out by demographics were surprising

Alice B. Toklas truly stirred the pot when she included a recipe for hashish fudge in her memoir-cum-cookbook. She published The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook in 1954, following the death of her lifelong partner, Gertrude Stein.

Inside and outside the kitchen, chefs have been known to get into the weeds–but the majority of culinary cannabis creations have been mainly limited to a few cakes, cookies, and of course, the archetypal pot brownie.