Natured Nurture

Gender

Hormones Determine Sex More Than Genetics

Adam Omary on November 8, 2023

Sex differentiation is primarily programmed not by genetics but by hormone exposure. Intersex disorders allow us to disentangle the influence of chromosomes from sex hormones.

Social Life

The Key to Social Harmony

Adam Omary on June 12, 2023

Just as the body strives to maintain homeostasis, individuals and groups strive to maintain "sociostasis."

Anger

The 'Love Hormone' Promotes Aggression Too

Adam Omary on May 24, 2023

The same hormone that makes us warm and fuzzy can also stoke the fires of aggression under the right circumstances.

Anxiety

How Uncertainty Causes Anxiety

Adam Omary on April 12, 2023

Insights from the neuropsychology of anxiety.

Oxytocin

The Evolution of the Love Hormone

Adam Omary on February 20, 2023

How oxytocin promotes care in humans and other animals.

Sex

Not All Sex Differences Are Created Equal

Adam Omary on January 17, 2023

Humans are moderately sexually dimorphic, with an evolutionary history of pair bonding and sexual competition.

Sensation-Seeking

How Do We Measure Risk-Taking in the Brain?

Adam Omary on November 25, 2022

Bursting balloons offer insight into the neural substrates of risk and reward sensitivity.

Cognition

How Babies Detect Social Bonds

Adam Omary on October 29, 2022

Infants as young as eight-months-old can tell who will help others in distress.

Memory

Is Memory Transfer Possible?

Adam Omary on October 12, 2022

The surprising history of one small creature's role in the study of memory.

Adolescence

A Recipe for Responsible Teenagers

Adam Omary on October 6, 2022

Portraying teens as valuable contributors to society motivates them to behave responsibly.

Adolescence

How Stereotypes About Teens Cause Harm

Adam Omary on September 30, 2022

Negative preconceptions about teens create a self-fulfilling prophecy for brain and behavioral development.

Psychology

What Does Entropy Have to Do With Psychology?

Adam Omary on September 23, 2022

We expend energy to maintain biopsychosocial order. Here's what that means.

Neuroscience

How the Brain Responds When You Lose the Use of an Arm

Adam Omary on September 17, 2022

Brain plasticity is so effortless you could do it with one arm tied behind your back.

Play

What Tickling Rats Tells Us About Human Development

Adam Omary on September 9, 2022

We evolved not just as social mammals, but playful mammals.

Dopamine

The Benefits of a "Dopamine Reset"

Adam Omary on September 2, 2022

Understanding what our brain rewards us for can help us set healthy habits.

Genetics

Is Kindness Genetically Predetermined?

Adam Omary on August 25, 2022

How knowledge of behavioral genetics influences our moral judgments.

Gender

What Primates Can Teach Us About Gender

Adam Omary on August 17, 2022

Frans de Waal’s new book "Different" shows us how similar we really are.

Stress

Feeling Irritable This Summer? Blame the Heat

Adam Omary on August 10, 2022

How environmental stress can change your brain and behavior.

Happiness

The Science of Happiness

Adam Omary on August 2, 2022

Did we evolve to be happy, or to find meaning through struggle?

Attachment

Is Music Really Auditory Cheesecake?

Adam Omary on July 26, 2022

Is music a unique aspect of, or simply a byproduct of, human evolution?