Psychology

  1. image of someone watching a woman graduate on a video call
    Psychology

    The pandemic may be stunting young adults’ personality development

    People typically become less neurotic and more agreeable with age. The COVID-19 pandemic may have reversed those trends in adults younger than 30.

    By Sujata Gupta
  2. image of the face of someone sleeping in bed under a blue sheet
    Neuroscience

    Sleep deprivation may make people less generous

    Helping each other is inherently human. Yet new research shows that sleep deprivation may dampen people’s desire to donate money.

    By Sujata Gupta
  3. Anthropology

    Demond Mullins climbed Everest to inspire more Black outdoor enthusiasts

    Mullins hopes his successful Mount Everest summit will encourage more Black people to experience the great outdoors.

    By Melba Newsome
  4. Two people hug outside a sign that reads ROBB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. There are flowers all around the sign.
    Psychology

    The idea that many people grow following trauma may be a myth

    Studies of posttraumatic growth are fundamentally flawed and can contribute to toxic cultural narratives, researchers say.

    By Sujata Gupta
  5. image of three flags at half mask in front of the U.S. capitol building
    Science & Society

    COVID-19 has killed a million Americans. Our minds can’t comprehend that number

    We intuitively compare large, approximate quantities but cannot grasp such a big, abstract number as a million U.S. COVID-19 deaths.

    By Sujata Gupta
  6. a crowd at Disney World
    Science & Society

    Pressure to conform to social norms may explain risky COVID-19 decisions

    As a science reporter covering COVID-19, I knew I should mask up at Disney World. Instead, I conformed, bared my face and got COVID-19.

    By Sujata Gupta
  7. aerial photo of a crosswalk in Tokyo
    Psychology

    Latin America defies cultural theories based on East-West comparisons

    Theories for how people think in individualist versus collectivist nations stem from East-West comparisons. Latin America challenges those theories.

    By Sujata Gupta
  8. a sign outside a bar reading 'a shot for a shot' with a picture of a vaccine needle, advertising a free drink for people who got a COVID-19 vaccine
    Science & Society

    Nudge theory’s popularity may block insights into improving society

    Small interventions that influence people’s behavior can be tested. But the real world requires big, hard-to-measure changes too, scientists say.

    By Sujata Gupta
  9. a picture of Amber Williams and her family
    Science & Society

    Military towns are the most racially integrated places in the U.S. Here’s why

    The military’s big stick approach allowed the institution to integrate troops and military towns. Can the civilian world follow suit?

    By Sujata Gupta
  10. photo of Simone Biles at the Olympics
    Psychology

    How mindfulness-based training can give elite athletes a mental edge

    Mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy are two types of training psychologists are using to bolster athletes’ mental health.

    By Ashley Yeager
  11. image of parents laying on either side of an infant and kissing the infant
    Humans

    Babies may use saliva sharing to figure out relationships

    Actions like sharing bites of food or kissing may cue young children into close bonds, a new study suggests.

    By Erin Garcia de Jesús
  12. illustration of a scientist holding a magnifying glass running up stairs
    Psychology

    Scientists should report results with intellectual humility. Here’s how

    Foregrounding a study’s uncertainties and limitations could help restore faith in the social sciences.

    By Sujata Gupta