Psychology

A renowned psychiatrist and activist compares Trump’s election to other pivotal historical moments in which the ultimate victim was truth itself

Researchers directed electric current to activate targeted facial muscles and then asked study participants how they felt

Understanding curiosity can help people—and robots—learn faster

Is your kid in trouble? Blaming their friends is ill advised

Host Rachel Feltman and behavioral scientist Coltan Scrivner explore our fascination with fear and what drives our obsession with all things spooky.

To heal political division, start with common moral ground, a study suggests

Phone apps can tell whether your kid is playing hooky. But remotely surveilling your child might not be great for navigating the trials of the teen years

As tensions soar in the Middle East, the president’s lame duck status hinders efforts to manage the escalation of risks in the region

Despite high levels of innumeracy and math anxiety, people often appreciate numeric data

Falsehoods spread when uncertainties—and emotions—are high after hurricanes

“Fake news”-style misinformation is only a fraction of what deceives voters. Fighting misinformation will require holding political elites and mainstream media accountable

Why ordinary people will follow orders to the point of hurting others remains a critical question for scientists—though some answers have emerged