Common Sense Science

Basic research for optimal child development.

Neuroscience
Neuroplasticity Across the Lifespan

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on March 3, 2026

Examining brain plasticity and its implications for development, aging, and brain injury recovery.

Examining brain plasticity and its implications for development, aging, and brain injury recovery.

Fear
The Age of Permanent Alarm

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 27, 2026

Over two decades of terrorism, climate change, pandemics, and nonstop media have reshaped risk perception, fostering a culture of persistent alertness and ambient anxiety.

Over two decades of terrorism, climate change, pandemics, and nonstop media have reshaped risk perception, fostering a culture of persistent alertness and ambient anxiety.

Social Life
Why We’re Not Polar Bears

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 24, 2026

Humans are social by design. Rising isolation from remote life clashes with our biology, weakening health and community in ways solitary species do not face.

Humans are social by design. Rising isolation from remote life clashes with our biology, weakening health and community in ways solitary species do not face.

Awe
The Quiet Power of Awe

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 23, 2026

Wonder restores depth, meaning, and emotional balance. By slowing down and staying curious, we reconnect with a world that feels larger, richer, and quietly alive.

Wonder restores depth, meaning, and emotional balance. By slowing down and staying curious, we reconnect with a world that feels larger, richer, and quietly alive.

Cannabis
When Legalization Meets Reality

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 20, 2026

As high-potency cannabis spreads, new research and personal stories are reshaping debate, linking heavy use to rising psychosis and forcing a cultural rethink on legalization.

As high-potency cannabis spreads, new research and personal stories are reshaping debate, linking heavy use to rising psychosis and forcing a cultural rethink on legalization.

Memory
When Words Wander

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 18, 2026

Messages get jumbled because memory is reconstructive, cognitive biases shape interpretation, and social context alters how information is retold, much like a game of Telephone.

Messages get jumbled because memory is reconstructive, cognitive biases shape interpretation, and social context alters how information is retold, much like a game of Telephone.

Nostalgia
The Secret Life of Old Objects

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 16, 2026

Old things evoke nostalgia, identity, and emotional continuity. Their stories, imperfections, and endurance help us feel grounded, connected, and comforted in a fast world.

Old things evoke nostalgia, identity, and emotional continuity. Their stories, imperfections, and endurance help us feel grounded, connected, and comforted in a fast world.

Relationships
Love in the Time of Deadlines

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 13, 2026

Why romance still matters. Exploring research and the emotional, cultural, and symbolic ways love brings meaning, chaos, and joy to human life.

Why romance still matters. Exploring research and the emotional, cultural, and symbolic ways love brings meaning, chaos, and joy to human life.

Apophenia
The Mind’s Search for Meaning

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 10, 2026

Apophenia is the mind’s tendency to find meaning in randomness. It shapes creativity, emotion, and misunderstanding, reminding us to balance intuition with reflective thought.

Apophenia is the mind’s tendency to find meaning in randomness. It shapes creativity, emotion, and misunderstanding, reminding us to balance intuition with reflective thought.

Sport and Competition
Sunday’s Sacred Ritual

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 8, 2026

Personal Perspective: From its ritual and spectacle to raw human drama, football provides our favorite excuse to scream in unison.

Personal Perspective: From its ritual and spectacle to raw human drama, football provides our favorite excuse to scream in unison.

Education
The Psychology of Holding On to Beliefs

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 6, 2026

Beliefs can change, but rarely through facts alone. Identity, emotion, trust, and personal stories shape whether people open their minds or cling to certainty.

Beliefs can change, but rarely through facts alone. Identity, emotion, trust, and personal stories shape whether people open their minds or cling to certainty.

Neuroscience
The Divided Brain: How Two Halves Create One Mind

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on February 1, 2026

The brain’s hemispheres are specialized for efficiency. Modern neuroscience shows lateralization enhances function without dividing the mind.

The brain’s hemispheres are specialized for efficiency. Modern neuroscience shows lateralization enhances function without dividing the mind.

Relationships
The Illusion of Certainty

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on January 29, 2026

Our evolved craving for cause and effect once ensured survival but now fuels misunderstanding. Learning to favor correlation over causation can deepen human understanding.

Our evolved craving for cause and effect once ensured survival but now fuels misunderstanding. Learning to favor correlation over causation can deepen human understanding.

Anger
The Pink Slime Problem

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on January 27, 2026

The movie "Ghostbusters II" shows how evolved instincts clash with fast, high-pressure systems and how to defeat them.

The movie "Ghostbusters II" shows how evolved instincts clash with fast, high-pressure systems and how to defeat them.

Evolutionary Psychology
What Beards Reveal About Men

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on January 25, 2026

Facial hair endures because it signals maturity, identity, and social meaning, revealing how humans fuse biology and culture into visible traits we still read instinctively.

Facial hair endures because it signals maturity, identity, and social meaning, revealing how humans fuse biology and culture into visible traits we still read instinctively.

Stress
Evolution, Schedules, and the Quiet Cost to Mental Health

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on January 22, 2026

Chronic time pressure strains mental health, suggesting relief may come from loosening time’s control rather than managing it better.

Chronic time pressure strains mental health, suggesting relief may come from loosening time’s control rather than managing it better.

Imagination
What Mickey Mouse Reveals About Being Human

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on January 19, 2026

Mickey Mouse endures because he fits our evolved need for safe faces, shared stories, and imagination, helping us regulate emotion and carry hope through joy, loss, and change.

Mickey Mouse endures because he fits our evolved need for safe faces, shared stories, and imagination, helping us regulate emotion and carry hope through joy, loss, and change.

Compulsive Behaviors
The Future of Gambling: Wired for Risk

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on January 17, 2026

Genetics, technology, and culture intertwine to shape modern humanity’s growing fascination with gambling.

Genetics, technology, and culture intertwine to shape modern humanity’s growing fascination with gambling.

Education
Why Does Math Make So Many of Us Anxious?

Sam Goldstein Ph.D. on January 14, 2026

Math anxiety grows from stress, culture, and experience, not ability. By changing how we teach, test, and talk about math, we can reduce fear.

Math anxiety grows from stress, culture, and experience, not ability. By changing how we teach, test, and talk about math, we can reduce fear.

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