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Evolutionary Psychology

Defining Good to Kill Evil

By Leon Pomeroy, Ph.D. on February 22, 2012 in Beyond Good and Evil

We need a definition of good without using examples of good. It isn't easy! The best minds of history failed. Read More

Why You Can't Trust Your Brain

By Leon F. Seltzer, Ph.D. on February 22, 2012 in Evolution of the Self

Anyone wanting an update on the fascinating developments in cognitive psychology and neuroscience (and, indirectly, evolutionary psychology as well) would do well to purchase a copy of David DiSalvo's informative and entertaining "What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite." . . . Read More

Are Some People Born Lucky?

By Nigel Barber, Ph.D. on February 22, 2012 in The Human Beast

Sometimes a person is the victim of harrowing personal misfortunes. But sometimes we escape injury and death when it rains down liberally on many of the people around us. Read More

Children and the Quest for Immortality

By Nathan A. Heflick on February 21, 2012 in The Big Questions

Why do people want children? What can explain this most pervasive of human drives? Read More

Presidential Leadership as Parenting

By Molly S. Castelloe, Ph.D. on February 20, 2012 in The Me in We

We fantasize our government as a caring parent. This election year what kind of parenting do U.S. citizens want? Candidates who contain our aggression over hot-button issues? Or leaders who distort and intensify our emotions in times of crisis? Read More

Contemplative Science and Practice: "How to Do Research You Love"

By Lynn E. O’Connor, Ph.D. on February 19, 2012 in Our Empathic Nature

In early January I presented a lecture on "Contemplative Science and Practice: How to Do Research You Love." A few days later, an opinion piece appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education by Owen Flanagan, essentially trashing what he called "Hocus-Pocus Buddhism." Read More

The Mental Spider That Claims to Be Us

By Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D. on February 19, 2012 in Get Out of Your Mind

Like a spider weaving a web, our stories of who we are cover us like a second skin. The methods used by the acceptance and commitment therapy community and other mindfulness based methods will help you alleviate psychological suffering as you become more flexible in your own thinking. Read More

Treat Your Baby Like a Monkey!

By Carl Beuke, Ph.D. on February 19, 2012 in You're Hired

Think you're smarter than a chimpanzee? So why does your baby cry and scream so much more than her offspring? What can new parents learn from how non-human primates raise their young? Read More

Is Evolution "Just a Theory"?

By Tania Lombrozo, Ph.D. on February 18, 2012 in Explananda

Evolution's scientific credentials are sometimes challenged by noting that it is a THEORY, not a FACT. Do people reject evolution because it's "just a theory"? Research suggests that understanding the nature of science, and in particular the idea that theories are reliable but revisable, is related to accepting evolution. Read on to find out why. Read More

The Case for Having (or Pretending to Have) a Hot Ex

By Jena Pincott on February 18, 2012 in Love, Sex, and Babies

A study finds that people appear much hotter when standing next to a very attractive ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend. Read More

Creativity and Intelligence: The Underlying BVSR Process

By Sandeep Gautam on February 18, 2012 in The Fundamental Four

This post continues the previous discussion of opposition between creativity and intelligence and does this time by looking at one of the theories of creativity: Blind variation and selective retention, proposed by Campbell about 50 years ago . Read More

Lancet Rejects Grief As a Mental Disorder

By Allen J. Frances, M.D. on February 17, 2012 in DSM5 in Distress

The Lancet is probably the most prestigious medical journal in the world. When it speaks, people listen. The New York Times is probably the most prestigious newspaper in the world. Again, when it speaks, people usually listen. The Lancet and The New York Times have both spoken on the DSM-5 foolishness of turning grief into a mental disorder. Read More

Where Are All The Aliens?

By Robert Lanza, M.D. on February 17, 2012 in Biocentrism

In Star Wars, the bars are bustling with alien creatures. Yet despite half a century of scanning the sky, NASA and SETI haven't found extraterrestrial life. So where are they? The problem may be more fundamental than anyone thought––it involves understanding our very selves. Read More

Free Will: I Do Not Think It Is What You Think It Is

By Dario Maestripieri, Ph.D. on February 17, 2012 in Games Primates Play

A friend of mine who read my book Macachiavellian Intelligence: How Rhesus Macaques and Humans Have Conquered the World and didn’t know much about the social behavior of rhesus macaques beforehand had the following reaction: “Wow, these monkeys really behave like people. They are people!” To which I replied: “No, it’s people who really behave like other primates. Read More

What You Don't Know About Rick Santorum

By Hank Davis on February 16, 2012 in Caveman Logic

A pair of taboos about religion and dead bodies have gotten in the way of open dialogue and good political journalism. Read More

The Power of Absence

By Renee Garfinkel, Ph.D. on February 16, 2012 in Time Out

What do deadbeat dads, estranged or dead relatives, and birth parents in closed adoptions have in common? What they have in common is the power of absence. That's when what isn't there is what captures attention, and traps it in an emotional embrace. The power of absence; let's look at how it works. Read More

Is Religion Just a Downer?

By Nigel Barber, Ph.D. on February 16, 2012 in The Human Beast

In widely read earlier posts, I argued that the basic function of religion is coping with anxiety. More specifically, it helps people to deal with the stress of uncertainty from third-world living conditions (even if these happen to affect affluent people in countries like the U.S.). Read More

Women’s Interest in Casual Sex

By Gad Saad, Ph.D. on February 16, 2012 in Homo Consumericus

In part II of my rebuttal to a recent post by a fellow PT blogger, I report findings from the evolutionary literature regarding women’s penchant for casual sex whilst recognizing that this proclivity is stronger in men. Read More

Can Humor and Laughter Boost Your Health?

By Gil Greengross, Ph.D. on February 14, 2012 in Humor Sapiens

One of the most popular beliefs regarding humor and laughter is that they are good for your health. There are many extraordinary claims regarding the health benefits associated with humor. Many people believe that humor and laughter can help you heal from almost any ailment from severe pain to heart diseases and even cancer. Read More

Dr. Neil Theise's Magnificent Time Wheels

By Maureen Seaberg on February 14, 2012 in Tasting the Universe

Dr. Neil Theise's time appears in synesthetic wheel form and he can access specific times and dates with a mental "flick" motion akin to using an iPad or iPhone. Read More

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