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Top Posts of 2018

Amidst another year of transient, turbulent news cycles, behavioral scientists and writers continue to explore the eternal aspects of human nature, and to shine a light on a few contemporary sagas, such as the definition of autism or a tribe untouched by time. A few remarkable takes follow:
Alain Abou-Atem/Pexels

Is Religion Good or Bad for Us?

By David B. Feldman Ph.D.

Three reasons religion may be good for us.

ElisaRiva/Pixabay

What Narcissists Thrive On

By Susan Krauss Whitbourne Ph.D.

New research shows why narcissists cultivate chaos and frenzy.

Africa Studio/Shutterstock

What Makes You Great Can Kill You

By Nassir Ghaemi M.D., M.P.H.

How manic-depressive illness can spur greatness — but at a cost.

Official EPA portrait of Scott Pruitt, from Wikimedia Commons

Selective Skepticism

By Douglas T. Kenrick Ph.D.

Liberals, conservatives, and selective skepticism

Rosanna Smith, used with permission

With Whom Do We Compare?

By Richard H. Smith Ph.D.

With those who share comparison-related attributes.

Matt Motyl - with permission

The Polarization of America

By Glenn Geher Ph.D.

Each year, we become more fractured and more polarized.

(c) 2018 John Elder Robison

Is the Definition of Autism Too Broad?

By John Elder Robison

An answer to the psychologists who suggest it is . . .

pexels.com

Is Being Sexy More Important Than Being Beautiful?

By Aaron Ben-Zeév Ph.D.

What's more important?

Photo by mdorotta 123RF

Why Does Cloning Your Dog Seem Wrong?

By Hal Herzog Ph.D.

New research helps explain why people oppose cloning pets.

Max Pixel, CC0 license

The Fantasy of Love

By Mark D. White Ph.D.

What if that is all you can have.

Johnny Silvercloud

Gerrymandering: Carving Up Minorities In America

By Thomas Hills Ph.D.

When government misrepresents Americans.

stockfour/Shutterstock

Overcome Your Perfectionist Tendencies

By Toni Bernhard J.D.

Stop comparing yourself to others

Attributed to Cima da Conegliano [Public Domain] Wikimedia Commons

Why Do People Believe in God?

By David Ludden Ph.D.

The evolution of religious belief.

Shutterstock

Falling for the Nigerian Prince Scam?

By Frank T. McAndrew Ph.D.

Cyber-scams exploit human vulnerabilities, not tech ones

mohamed_hassan CC0 via Pixabay

People Learn to Punish Moral Violations

By Art Markman Ph.D.

Outrage at a moral violation may be common, but we do learn how to respond.

Chanwit Whanset/Shutterstock

The Sad Saga of John Chau

By David P. Barash Ph.D.

And the North Sentinelese

Ira Hyman

A Supreme Court Nominee, A Sexual Assault, and Memory

By Ira Hyman Ph.D.

A Sexual Assault, and Memory

Pixabay / CC0 Public Domain

Break Through to a Breakthrough

By Hal McDonald Ph.D.

Embodying creative metaphors can lead to creative thinking.

Nolan chart, 2d political spectrum, by Silver Star/CC BY 2.5

Who Benefits From Your Political Behavior? You Do!

By John A. Johnson Ph.D.

You.

PJF Military Collection/Wikimedia Commons

Why Republicans Listen to Country Music

By Cody Kommers

And Democrats Don’t

Sayan Puangkham/Shutterstock

Fathers Who Kill Their Kids

By Dale Hartley MBA, Ph.D.

Revenge against the mother.

Roy Eidelson

Another Crossroads for the APA

By Roy Eidelson Ph.D.

Will votes next month mean continued progress toward redeeming the profession?

Lesterman/Shutterstock

Ketamine: Old Drug, New Tricks

By Emily Deans M.D.

An NMDA antagonist treads where no psychiatric drug has before.

Damedeeso, free images Dreamstime

Jealousy in Dogs

By Marc Bekoff Ph.D.

When dogs feel dissed fMRIs show there's increased activation of the amygdala.

Jeri Michaels, used with permission

Making Sense of Character Strengths

By Todd B. Kashdan Ph.D.

Integrating positive psychology into personality science.

Bogdan Sonjachnyj/Shutterstock

Why You Need a Social Convoy

By Lydia Denworth

Improve your health and avoid loneliness by traveling through life in a group.

lenets, via BigStockPhoto

Premarital Cohabitation and Divorce

By Scott M. Stanley Ph.D.

What are the odds?

dbreen/Pixabay

A Real Dietary Treatment for Depression

By David Rettew M.D.

How a healthier diet can improve depressive symptoms.

Matt Collamer/Unsplash

The Human Voice Is Medicine

By Bruce Grierson

So Why Aren't We Talking?

Drobot Dean/Adobe Stock

Getting Sleep Back on Track

By Seth J. Gillihan Ph.D.

When acute insomnia strikes, follow these principles to start sleeping better.

Woman with coffee by Daiga Ellaby/ Unsplash/ Licensed Under CC BY 2.0

Bragging on Social Media

By Utpal Dholakia Ph.D.

When it might be a good thing

ESB Professional/Shutterstock

Are There Really Four Personality Types?

By Matthew Hutson

A new study is easily misinterpreted.

Lin et al. (2018)

Corrupt Politicians

By Gregg R. Murray Ph.D.

The faces of corrupt politicians may betray them.

Grant H. Brenner

Climate Change Worsens Mental Health

By Grant Hilary Brenner MD, FAPA

Is climate change hurting our emotional well-being?

State Library of NSW/Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

When Countries Protect Workers

By Benjamin Radcliff Ph.D.

Citizens are happier

woodleywonderworks/Flickr

The Power of Expectation

By Vanessa LoBue Ph.D.

Research on how our expectations for our children could affect their behavior

Max Pixel

How Schools Thwart Passions

By Peter Gray Ph.D.

Pursuit of passions requires time for play and self-directed education.

Freestocks

Do Pets Affect Partner Preferences?

By Robert P. Burriss Ph.D.

Fluffy rabbits can change what we desire in a partner.

Gage Skidmore, WikiCommons/CC-BY-SA 2.0

The Evolutionary Role of Narcissistic Sociopaths

By Nathan H. Lents, Ph.D.

Analysis of narcissistic sociopathy and Trump.

CC0/Canva

Why Alcohol Misuse May Be the Forgotten Addiction

By John F. Kelly Ph.D., ABPP

With all eyes on opioids, this massive unseen threat continues to claim lives.

Public domain according to Wikipedia.

The Hothouse Earth

By Paul Thagard Ph.D.

Preventing climate disasters requires changing concepts, beliefs, and values.

Sundays Photography/Shutterstock

A Universal Translator for Dog Language

By Stanley Coren PhD., DSc, FRSC

Computers and the attempt to translate canine communication.

Jannis Tobias Werner/Shutterstock

The College Student Mental Health Crisis

By Gregg Henriques Ph.D.

What's behind the rise in reported problems?

fizkes /Shuterstock

On the Tip of the Tongue?

By Anne M. Cleary Ph.D.

A surprising finding has emerged in research on tip-of-the-tongue feelings.

Source: Painting of the burial chamber of Sennedjem [Public domain], Wikimedia Commons

Why People Worry Much More Than They Need To

By Mark Leary Ph.D.

A shift in human life 10,000 years ago may have started the problem.

Source: Pixabay

The Science of Fresh Starts

By ​​​​​​​Nick Hobson, Ph.D., Leandra McIntosh, and Maryam Marashi

Know when to hit the reset button so you can achieve more of your goals

CC0 Public Domain Free for commercial use Link referral required

7 Common Misconceptions About Anxiety

By Noam Shpancer Ph.D.

What you don’t know about anxiety can hurt you.

Aaron Gilcrease/Flickr

Is Your Mind Under Your Control?

By Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin, Ph.D.

We tend to think that others control their mental states.

Pexels public domain images

Problem Solving Buffers the Brain Against Anxiety

By David DiSalvo

A new study shows why working through a few problems may be an anxiety elixir.

l i g h t p o e t/Shutterstock

Why You Can’t Think Straight When You’re Sleep Deprived

By Michael J Breus Ph.D.

After a bad night of sleep, we feel off our mental game.

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

Feel Like a Fake or a Fraud?

By Peg Streep

You're Not Alone