Making Sense of Your Senses

We're perhaps most aware of sights and sounds. But what we sniff, touch, and taste affects our ideas and mood—even how we vote.

Are You a Supertaster?

How overactive taste buds can make you overeat
by Susan Albers, Psy.D.

The Dangers of Soft Chairs

Can what you touch change how you think?
by Matthew Hutson

Manipulated by Scent

Voting against the stench of politics
by Rachel Herz, Ph.D.

What You See Is What You Hear

Are you a synesthete?
by Daniel R. Hawes

"What? I can't hear you, my glasses are off."

Can you hear with your eyes?
by Stephanie Sarkis, Ph.D.

Use Your Senses to Be More Creative

It's noir! It's fantasy! It's imagination at work!
by Susan K. Perry, Ph.D.

Who Am I -- Inside Out?

How To Begin finding the Authentic Self
by Andrea Mathews, L.P.C.

Disrespecting Your Audience -- Meetings Without Purpose

I attended a disorganized meeting the other day. Ever been to one?
by Stanton Peele

Accounting for Taste

Why is a mouth-watering delicacy to some a serving of slop to others? Meet three flavors of eaters, explained.
by Emily Anthes

Do you live in a circus tent or a retreat center?

Your house matters to your happiness more than you think!
by Robert Biswas-Diener

Smoldering Shelties and Smoking Yorkies: Visual Processing in Asperger's

Can visual processing differences affect social interaction? You bet.
by Lynne Soraya

Does Time Spent Outdoors Alter Our Vision?

Why is near-sightedness on the increase?
by Susan R. Barry, Ph.D.

Do Dogs Understand What They Are Seeing On Television?

Dogs see TV images differently than humans do.
by Stanley Coren, Ph.D., F.R.S.C.

The Truth about Pheromones

A hidden code of chemical communication
by Rachel Herz, Ph.D.

A Sense of Wellbeing

Tuning in to perception aids your health
by Hara Estroff Marano

The Power of Satin Panties

The feel of fabric can help you succeed
by Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D.

Smell Your Way Thin

Can scent keep you slim?
by Rachel Herz, Ph.D.

We Like Life's Illusions

How to give your brain a boost
by Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D.

Sniff This

The scent of pleasure
by PT Staff

Cognition

Quite simply, cognition refers to thinking. There are the obvious applications of conscious reasoning—doing taxes, playing chess, deconstructing Macbeth—but thought takes many subtler forms, such as interpreting sensory input, guiding physical actions, and empathizing with others. The old metaphor for human cognition was the computer—a logical information-processing machine.

Read More on Cognition