Music as a Sleep Aid
“Turn up the music, I’m trying to sleep!” It’s not a phrase you’re likely to hear, but it’s one that apparently describes many people’s bedtime routines. Music is a popular sleep aid, and a new study from researchers in the
Dark Personality Traits and Internet Usage
It’s a common recognition these days that the internet has a dark side. The anonymity, lack of face-to-face interaction, and low amount of effort required are all a natural fit for the less noble side of human nature. Psychologists researching
Teaching Makes a Difference in Whether Students See Classes as Easy or Hard
It’s a common recognition on college campuses that one course might be an “easy A” while another strikes fear into the heart of even the most capable student. But what exactly makes some classes easy and others hard? Teaching technique
How Much of Life Is Spent Mind-Wandering?
The human mind is hard to pin down. It goes where it wants, not necessarily where it’s supposed to, and it’s averse to sitting still. But how much does the mind wander? How much of our time do we spend
Children With Warm Parents Flourish as Adults
What makes a good parent? That’s a complex question, maybe an impossible one. But warmth doesn’t seem to hurt. A new study from researchers at Harvard University suggests that children who experience more parental warmth go on to flourish in
Can Dying in Virtual Reality Change Your Life?
Many people who have near-death experiences report coming away with a new perspective on their lives. From a scientific standpoint, we don’t know much about how this works because it’s hard to study near-death experiences systematically. To quote the authors
Labels Can Help or Hurt People With Mental Health Conditions
Labels are a tricky part of mental health awareness. On one hand, no one wants to be reduced to a label. On the other hand, labels give us a language to talk about mental health. So does using labels for
Shyness Is Related to Thinking About Thinking
Feelings of shyness can come with all kinds of thoughts. Worries, doubts, rumination. But a new study by researchers in Italy suggests it goes deeper than that: shyness might also have to do with how we think about thinking. Psychologists
Spooky Science: The Psychology of Paranormal Beliefs
Long-time readers of this blog will know that I can take the fun out of almost any holiday. For Thanksgiving, I’ve written about the advantages of being ungrateful and the inner lives of Turkeys. On Valentines day, I covered loneliness.
Can Natural Sounds Recharge the Brain?
Buy a CD of music for relaxation, and there’s a good chance it’ll feature running water, chirping birds and rustling leaves. Instinctively, it makes sense to us that the sounds of nature should be refreshing for the mind. This idea
