Love's Loopy Logic 
Encounters with the opposite sex skew our psyches in such a special way that reason and bias climb right into bed with each other. In this mode, it sometimes pays to deceive ourselves. Welcome to the paradoxical world of mating intelligence.

The Ideological Animal 
We think our political stance is the product of reason, but we're easily manipulated and surprisingly malleable. Our essential political self is more a stew of childhood temperament, education, and fear of death. Call it the 9/11 effect.

Also in this issue:

The Home Team Advantage
Testosterone and estrogen drive touchdowns and boost brainpower, but they work their magic with a selectivity that science is only beginning to understand. A primer on how these counterintuitive chemicals truly shape us.

Catfight in the Boardroom
Do women hold other women back? Whether it's reality or perception, says Judith Sills, Ph.D., office pressures can make women uncooperative.

Mommy's Favorite
We may dream about unconditional love, says Nando Pelusi, Ph.D., but parental ambivalence is the more likely fact of life.