January 2005

  • We search for happiness in eager anticipation and joyful memories, but it may be life's simple and everyday gifts that sustain our contentment.
  • Projective tests, recovered memories, correctional boot camps -- psychology's top 10 misguided ideas.
  • Losing half her body weight was no picnic. But living thin, and expanding her sense of self, nearly made Frances Kuffel's world blow up.
  • Gordon Rugg is an authority on the ways authorities get things wrong. He cracked a medieval cryptographic mystery with paper, pen and basic reasoning.
  • Money doesn't bring happiness nor do good looks, intelligence, or youth. The things that matter most may not be sexy, but they've got a charm all their own.

More from this issue

Therapy: The Laugh Track

Laugh your way to better health.

Wagging Tongues

How boys, girls, and dogs communicate.

The Virtual Millionaire

The multimillionaire who lost all his money.

Final Analysis: Davy Rothbart

A voyeur's penchant for snooping on strangers.

PT Bookshelf

New books for your nightstand.

Full Moon Crazy

The moon won't drive you mad, unless you think it will.

Video Gamers: Easy to Quit

Another strike against Playstation.

Morality Play

Copying may give kids a conscience.

Whine Connoisseurs

Blame evolution for a child's annoying whines.

Rhythm and Blues

Speech rate and voice pitch can indicate depression.

The Scholar Of Delight

A Nobel-Prize-winning psychologist finds the joy in everyday life.

On the Job: Casting Call

Casting director Douglas Aibel talks about his double life on screen and on film.

Size and Sensibility

For one woman self-acceptance didn't come with weight loss.

Living a Long, Happy Life

Fill life with happy feelings and live to be a hundred.

Cell Yell

One-sided conversations drive us to distraction.

The Emotional Life of the Heart

Bad lifestyle choices can ravage the heart.

Happy Hour

Life's everyday gifts give us joy.

Health Bites

The latest in car accidents, cyberchondria, kids on bikes, toasty offices, and Alzheimer's meds.

Ethics: Code of Conduct

Shock your sales force into ethical behavior.

The Voynich Solution

An ancient manuscript could be a hoax.

Advice: Too Scared to Date

How can I stop being afraid of dating?

Education: What $110,064 Buys

A different kind of test shows how much value college adds.

Sex: The Big Turnoff

Stymied by politics and Viagra, sex research goes limp.

Check, Please

Gordon Rugg cracked a medieval cryptographic mystery with paper, pen and basic reasoning.

Dieting: Allowing Shades of Gray

An all-or-nothing mind-set can be self-defeating.

Therapy: Band of Brothers

All-male counseling may ease men into therapy.

The Loose Screw Awards

Psychology's top 10 misguided ideas.

The First Lady

A trailblazing activist looks back at her life.

A Sniff of Your Sweetie

Do you sleep in your boyfriend's pajamas?

The Pleasure Paradox

Happiness really does start inside.

Unconventional Wisdom

Columnist Hara Estroff Marano shares advice on severe shyness, "bad boys," and intimacy.

The Hangover Hypothesis

Boost mood and memory with beer and bran.

Advice: My Boyfriend Is Mean to My Kids

He treats his own kids like royalty, but what about mine?

Advice: Handling The Nosy

What should I tell people about my scars?

The Real Dr. Doolittle

An autistic behaviorist who knows the animal mind.

Putting Stock in Weather Reports

Weather can be an indicator of mood and behavior.

The Compulsive Philanthropist

The man who gave away $40 million—and his kidney.

Is One Kid Enough?

Having more than one child may not add to a parent's happiness.

Decaf: A New Disorder?

Caffeine, a nasty habit or health benefit?

Current Issue

Everyday Creativity

How to start living creatively and reap the benefits.

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