The Elusive Brain

Literature and Culture in the Age of Neuroscience

Grief
Grief, Storytelling, and Identity

Jason Tougaw on April 13, 2026

Breedlove's grief, and his love, are more searching and expansive that standard cultural narratives allow. He and his bandmates are expanding those narratives for the rest of us.

Breedlove's grief, and his love, are more searching and expansive that standard cultural narratives allow. He and his bandmates are expanding those narratives for the rest of us.

Attention
Virginia Woolf and the Reclaiming of Attention

Jason Tougaw on March 1, 2026

Reading Virginia Woolf in 2026 feels like an answer to a widespread cultural yearning to reclaim our fleeting attention spans.

Reading Virginia Woolf in 2026 feels like an answer to a widespread cultural yearning to reclaim our fleeting attention spans.

Creativity
Healing Through Music

Jason Tougaw on September 26, 2025

"Music has the potential to be a potent carrier for inner and outer revolution."

"Music has the potential to be a potent carrier for inner and outer revolution."

Relationships
"STANS" and the Psychology of Fandom

Jason Tougaw on August 14, 2025

"STANS," the new Eminem documentary, opens with fans reading from letters they've sent him. The questions are personal, but reveal a longing for connection.

"STANS," the new Eminem documentary, opens with fans reading from letters they've sent him. The questions are personal, but reveal a longing for connection.

Artificial Intelligence
The First Generation of AI Natives

Jason Tougaw on April 14, 2025

"The biggest tool we have as parents to support our children is to resist the myth that AI is magic, objective, and all-knowing."

"The biggest tool we have as parents to support our children is to resist the myth that AI is magic, objective, and all-knowing."

Mindfulness
The Profound Benefits of Walking

Jason Tougaw on January 9, 2025

Literary history from the ancients to the contemporary is crowded with writers reflecting on the benefits of walking—especially when it comes to the imagination and creativity.

Literary history from the ancients to the contemporary is crowded with writers reflecting on the benefits of walking—especially when it comes to the imagination and creativity.

Grief
Twenty-First-Century Grief

Jason Tougaw on November 11, 2024

Asher stages an ephemeral reunion with those we've lost, whose three-dimensional image is surrounded and sometimes subsumed by darting light and color.

Asher stages an ephemeral reunion with those we've lost, whose three-dimensional image is surrounded and sometimes subsumed by darting light and color.

Emotions
A Soldier's Perspective

Jason Tougaw on August 5, 2024

In "The After: A Veteran's Notes on Coming Home," Iraq War veteran Michael Ramos offers an intimate and forthright view of his life as a soldier and his struggles returning home.

In "The After: A Veteran's Notes on Coming Home," Iraq War veteran Michael Ramos offers an intimate and forthright view of his life as a soldier and his struggles returning home.

Hallucination
Dory Previn's Voices

Jason Tougaw on March 22, 2024

New documentary chronicles singer-songwriter Dory Previn's experience with hearing voices The voices, Previn contends, evolved from tormentors to collaborators.

New documentary chronicles singer-songwriter Dory Previn's experience with hearing voices The voices, Previn contends, evolved from tormentors to collaborators.

Sex
What New Data Reveals About Our Sex Lives

Jason Tougaw on December 1, 2023

Although consensual non-monogamy is an old idea, the word “polyamorous” was coined very recently—by a Neopagan witch named Morning Glory, around 1990.

Although consensual non-monogamy is an old idea, the word “polyamorous” was coined very recently—by a Neopagan witch named Morning Glory, around 1990.

Adolescence
Quarantine Generation: The Teen Experience

Jason Tougaw on February 21, 2023

"Coming of Age in 2020" lets teens speak for themselves, in writing, visual art, and video—expressing their struggles, and, crucially, their creativity and resilience.

"Coming of Age in 2020" lets teens speak for themselves, in writing, visual art, and video—expressing their struggles, and, crucially, their creativity and resilience.

Identity
Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

Jason Tougaw on July 27, 2022

DID is often diagnosed later in life because it tends to present covertly at first. It is unlikely you could pick someone with DID out of a crowd.

DID is often diagnosed later in life because it tends to present covertly at first. It is unlikely you could pick someone with DID out of a crowd.

Cognition
Pain and Its Metaphors

Jason Tougaw on February 9, 2022

The McGill Pain Index doesn’t just rate pain. It uses metaphors to categorize it: Pain can flicker, jump, drill, stab, cut, rasp, burn, or shoot.

The McGill Pain Index doesn’t just rate pain. It uses metaphors to categorize it: Pain can flicker, jump, drill, stab, cut, rasp, burn, or shoot.

Back
Back
Find a Therapist
Back
Get Help
Back
Magazine
July 2026 magazine cover
July 2026
26 Keys to Thriving

From the power of pausing to the ability to ignore, we’ve culled 26 simple, actionable measures for gaining a sense of control and living a meaningful life.

Subscribe Issue Archive
Back
Tests
Self Tests
Self Tests

Self Tests are all about you. Are you outgoing or introverted? Are you a narcissist? Does perfectionism hold you back? Find out the answers to these questions and more with Psychology Today.

Self Assessments
Quizzes