Talking Apes

How natural selection reprogrammed the brain for language

David Ludden Ph.D.

Why You Won’t Talk About Sexual Issues With Your Partner

Intimacy issues are difficult to discuss, but they’re also among the most important conflicts that couples need to resolve.

Why You Stay Even Though You Want to Leave

Sometimes people stay in unhappy relationships because they’re afraid of hurting their partner, but this may not be the best reason.

Pleasing Your Partner Is Half the Fun

Relationships are happiest when you make efforts to meet your partner’s needs, trusting they’ll meet yours in return.

Putting the Sex in Sexagenarian

Sexual desire decreases with age, but physical intimacy is still an important aspect of life even as we grow old.

Why Expressing Gratitude Can Be So Hard to Do

We’re often reluctant to show our appreciation because we overestimate the awkwardness and underestimate the positive impact.

Is Hook-Up Culture Dominating College Campuses?

Hooking up is nothing new for college students. Only the technology for finding casual sex partners has changed.

Why Do People Believe in God?

In the distant past, no humans believed in God. But as our lives became more complex, we created religious institutions to guide us.

What Men Really Think About Pornography

A new study finds that men have overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward watching porn.

How Sex Gives Meaning to Life

It’s not just the sensual pleasure, but also the deep personal connection, that makes partnered sex so fulfilling.

Do You Know Where You’re Going?

Some people are good with directions, while others easily get lost. These individual differences are due to a complex array of cognitive, emotional, and personality factors.

The Dark Side of Self-Control

Self-control is an important component of success, but it comes with a cost. To achieve our goals, we also need to be attuned to our feelings in the moment.

Are You a Morning Lark or a Night Owl?

Your preference for doing things early or late in the day tells a lot about your personality. It also predicts how satisfied you are with your partner.

Why Your Teenager Does Such Crazy Things

There’s far more than just raging hormones behind the risky behaviors that so many adolescents engage in.

A New Reason to Acknowledge Your Partner’s Sacrifice

Relationships are more satisfying when we show gratitude for the sacrifices our partner makes for us. The only problem is, we’re not very good at noticing when they've done this.

The Big Deal About the Big “O”

For most animals, sex drive alone is enough to ensure reproduction. So why do humans have orgasms? Psychologists offer a new take on an old question.

It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again

Feelings of déjà vu and premonition seem spooky, but when we understand the common tricks our memory plays on us, there’s nothing unusual about these experiences.

Mindfulness in the Bedroom

Research shows that mindfulness practices can improve the quality of people’s sex lives, which in turn leads to greater satisfaction with their relationships.

Why You Won’t Apologize (Even Though You Know You Should)

It can be difficult to apologize, but in the long run we feel better about ourselves — and have stronger relationships — when we make amends for the wrongs we've done.

Teaching Kids Handwriting to Help Them Read

New research shows that asking children to copy letters is the most effective approach to promoting early literacy skills.

How Marriage Changes Your Personality

A new study finds that husbands and wives change their personalities as they adapt to the demands of married life.

When to Punish, and When to Forgive

When someone has hurt us, our first reaction is to get even. But when we use restorative justice to resolve the issue, we also make the relationship stronger than it was before.

Searching for Evidence of the Oedipus Complex

A new study finds experimental support for Sigmund Freud’s theory of infantile sexuality.

Is Deafness Really a Disability?

Hearing people see deafness as a disability that needs to be remediated so that deaf people can fit in. But that’s not how the deaf view themselves.

Does Using Social Media Make You Lonely?

Social media use can increase feelings of connectedness or of loneliness, depending on what you do when you're online.

Why Do People Believe in Conspiracy Theories?

Belief in conspiracy theories can satisfy important psychological needs for some people. We need to understand this first before confronting a believer with facts.

Does Science Require a Leap of Faith?

No one has ever changed their essential beliefs on the basis of rational arguments.

East-West Cultural Differences in Depression

The incidence of depressive and anxiety disorders is far lower in Asia than in the West. Different ways of thinking about negative feelings may be the key.

The Wandering Eye and the Green-Eyed Monster

New research shows that when people fantasize about illicit affairs, they often project their guilty feelings onto their partner.

Music and Chess Do Not Enhance Cognitive Ability

The notion that certain activities can enhance general cognitive abilities is appealing, but there’s little evidence to support such claims.

How Lack of Sleep Affects Your Social Life

Although the cognitive effects of sleep deprivation are widely known, few people pay much attention to the social side of sleep.

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