The Tangled Wing

Bias

Mel Konner MD, PhD on October 1, 2012

Men don't hate women; they just oppress them. Some love.

Sex

Mel Konner MD, PhD on September 10, 2012

For most of human history men have tried to control women for their own reproductive aims. Despite worrying recent voices, this must soon come to an end.

Teamwork

Mel Konner MD, PhD on September 2, 2012

During our evolution, group loyalty to the point of hatred may have promoted cooperation and altruism within groups, but has this become maladaptive at last?

Depression

Mel Konner MD, PhD on January 4, 2011

My generation has officially entered the older phase of life, and our whining threatens everybody else with a Boomer Bust. We need to get over it.  

Bullying

Mel Konner MD, PhD on December 27, 2010

We should do all we can to prevent it, but we will not always succeed, and when we fail we should learn the facts before we start to blame grieving survivors, who are often also victims.

Resilience

Mel Konner MD, PhD on December 13, 2010

Politics

Mel Konner MD, PhD on December 6, 2010

Depressed or anxious about the election results and the upcoming change of government? Over the long haul they mean much less than you think. 

Trauma

Mel Konner MD, PhD on November 15, 2010

Can psychological symptoms once have offered adaptive protection? Can they now? And are positive moods also an ancient legacy?

Depression

Mel Konner MD, PhD on October 25, 2010

If you think that happiness is a good mood or a rush of pleasure, a bishop, an Islamic scholar, a rabbi, and the Dalai Lama beg to differ.

Depression

Mel Konner MD, PhD on October 11, 2010

Facebook and Twitter may seem new, but they reflect basic human needs that have been with us in other forms since the beginning.

Health

Mel Konner MD, PhD on September 27, 2010

Behavioral science is, and should be, at the heart of global health and the fight against disease, and one key behavioral weapon is to educate and empower girls.

ADHD

Mel Konner MD, PhD on September 13, 2010

Like many other chronic health problems, attention deficit and hyperactivity were not much of a problem for our ancestors.

Anger

Mel Konner MD, PhD on August 27, 2010

Seducing your wife is not a game and it's not therapy. Remember why you married her? It's love.

Genetics

Mel Konner MD, PhD on August 19, 2010

We evolved to stay active and store fat whenever possible. But how do we handle it now, when it's always possible?

Evolutionary Psychology

Mel Konner MD, PhD on August 11, 2010

Human nature is real and in many ways unchanging, and leaders in high places act on their own ideas about it. Psychologists and social scientists should try to describe and understand it, not pretend it doesn't exist.

Sex

Mel Konner MD, PhD on August 5, 2010

Darwin's theory predicts a big divergence between men and women in every aspect of sexuality. But what do the data say?