Meditation clears your mind and calms your body. It has also been shown to reduce stress-induced hormones in the blood, decrease anxiety and anger, help alleviate chronic pain without medication, and even lessen cat allergies. Read More

Is learning like making good wine, which takes time to mature? Or is Bill Gates' hope that kids can learn learn math concepts without noticing, the way to go? Are children just guinea pigs in an unregulated research project? Read More

MOOCs are probably not the educational answer. They may present new problems, including some new forms of elitism. Read More

I have a soft spot in my heart for the song “Sunny Side of the Street,” and that song has helped me get through some tough times in my life. The lyric “Life can be so sweet/On the sunny side of the street” captures our general belief that rainy days are sad, while sunny days are happy. Read More

How does someone become vulnerable to a cult-leader like The Master? And, what leads another to become The Master—taking such absolute, omniscient, and sadistic control over other people’s minds? What’s in it for him? Read More

"Flying doesn't scare me", says one plane crash survivor, because the odds of being in another crash "are just astronomical." Actually, her odds are the same as anyone else who boards a plane. And what are those odds, really? Read More

If we all make judgments all the time, does that make us all judgmental? Eight key dynamics are reviewed to help keep your judgments constructive as opposed to destructive. Read More

Could synesthesia be the lynchpin to savant Jacob Barnett's vast abilities? Read More

There is more to Empathy—the human ability to feel the pain that others experience. It also predisposes understanding, attachment, bonding and love and makes our brain more loving. Read More

Education that helps kids cope with today's Internet porn phenomenon is a great idea. But let's not waste a brilliant educational opportunity trying to sort good porn from bad porn. Read More

The art of the love letter seems to have drifted away from us in this 140 character society. And, yet, I know there are many of us who still cling to that one special letter that sent our hearts and spirits soaring – the letter that defined love. Read More

Economics as a science aims to be the value-neutral study of how value happens. Since all living things express values, economics is fundamental to all of the life and social sciences. Some say economics can't speak to transcendent values like love and spirituality. Here's an argument than it can--more honestly, humbly and wisely than other spiritual practices do. Read More

The self is a laboratory in which identities are minted, tested, and from which they step onto the stage. Read More

The Powerball Lottery jackpot currently stands at $550 million—about $275 million after taxes to a single winner. That’s a lot of money by almost anyone’s standards. Whether you buy a ticket or not, it’s worth asking yourself what you would do if you won. Read More

Does your physical strength determine whether you are for or against wealth and income distribution? The results might surprise you. Read More

Studying culture doesn't just help you understand the stranger next door, it can also you understand yourself. A recent book provides 8 ways to describe yourself. Read More

Men's sexual desire is often ignored, but this study examined what predicts men's sexual desire. Read More

“Away from” is a rally cry, but it’s not an organizing principle. Read More

Angelina Jolie bravely underwent preventive removal of her breasts because she has a breast cancer mutation, but a few issues about her situation remain undiscussed. Doctors often have trouble talking about this sensitive issue with patients. Millions of women can't test for this gene because it is patented. Much work remains before others can save their lives, too. Read More

Many people, whether or not they are spiritual, have wondered about prayer. What is the point of prayer? If God already knows what will happen, why pray? If I pray for something good to happen, wouldn’t it happen anyway, if God is good? Read More

Not every workplace accusation is going to be accurate. But how you handle them will say more about you and your company to employees than almost anything you do. Read More

Why would dance be a vehicle to cope with daily stressors or even horrific tragedies such as the Boston Marathon explosions, or the Newtown school shootings? Studies have shown that dance, in particular, can decrease anxiety and boost mood more than other physical outlets. Because dance in itself is innately an expressive art, it is a particularly useful tool in therapy. Read More

Eric leaned back in his chair, tilted his head, opened his mouth, and let out the most blood-curdling wolf howl imaginable. Read More

How can we identify and overcome the old characteristics and attitudes within ourselves that hurt us in our lives today? How can we separate what is us and what is a repetition of someone else? Here are some fundamental ways to become differentiated. Read More

Can money make you happier? Surprisingly, yes. Social psychologist Michael Norton, author of Happy Money and associate professor at Harvard, has some ideas. In this interview, we discuss the keys to spending wisely. Read More

Think of a value you carry and think of an aptitude you have and then consider their origins. To what in your personal past and ancestral past can you trace this value and talent? Read More

A response to a post decrying a presumed denial of AIDS in homosexual men. A brief, personal history of this epidemic Read More

A new viral video titled "This Is Water" features David Foster Wallace's Kenyon College commencement speech about lessons we may not learn by the time we graduate- but should. Read More

A tall, wiry man-boy in his early twenties, Ugo enjoys jumping off his parents’ two-story roof, doing BMX bicycle stunts in a half-pipe, and hitching skateboard rides by hanging on to the bumper of passing cars. Ugo is an adrenaline junkie—and has the scars and hospital bills to prove it. Ugo is impulsive. Read More

My sister's inspiration is there when I need it most. Read More