Brain Candy

Every day life explained with science.

by Judy Dutton

The Surprising Reason Why We’re Not Happier

“Why aren’t I happier?” is a question I often ask myself, and now I have the answer: Evolution is to blame. That, at least, is what I learned from Jonathan Alpert’s new book “Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days.” “We’re programmed from thousands and thousands of years of evolution to think negatively because back then, we needed it as a matter of survival,” he explains. Read More

The Fastest Way to Get Kids to Stop Crying

Crying kids are a perennial source of stress to parents (not to mention nearby airline passengers). But they've also become a topic of serious scientific study. Read More

One More Thing for Parents to Worry About

A new worry has been added to parents' already overflowing roster of anxieties: Are they a "childist" and just don't know it? The term "childism" recently infiltrated parenting websites and playground conversations with the publication of "Childism: Confronting Prejudice Against Children." Read More

New Book Reveals Secret to Happiness

Being happy is hard: In a world filled with stressful jobs, paltry paychecks, and long lines just to get a café latte, it's all too tempting to go through life grumbling. Which is why I was excited to get a copy of Amy Spencer's book "Bright Side Up: 100 Ways to Be Happier Right Now," out in stores February 7, 2012. Read More

3 Surprising New Targets of Prejudice

Many people face prejudice, from ethnic minorities to the overweight. But recent studies have identified a few new targets of discrimination: Take, for example, atheists. Read More

Are Men Funnier Than Women?

Are men funnier than women? That, at least, is the stereotype. But now a scientific study in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review has tackled this question in all seriousness and come to some surprising conclusions. Read More

Judy Dutton writes about the quirkier, conversation-worthy discoveries coming out of laboratories today. She's the author of Secrets from the Sex Lab and Science Fair Season.

more...