Humans have a psychological need to see the world as fair and just. Paradoxically, that’s why we sometimes blame the victims in cases of sexual abuse.
Psychology
The Internet Knows You’re Depressed, but Can It Help You?
Depressive people tend to use the Internet differently than mentally healthy types, but it’s not clear whether their pattern of use helps or exacerbates their mood.
How Feeling Lonely Can Shorten Your Life
Is loneliness lethal? According to two new studies published online Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, living alone or feeling lonely can increase your chances of disability and early death.
Why People Stick with Cancer Screening, Even When It Causes Harm
When it comes to complex medical decisions, cold hard statistics may hold little sway over patients in the face of a single, compelling anecdote.
Understanding Psychopathic and Sadistic Minds
Psychopathic serial killers are a source of infinite public fascination. If best-selling novels, hit TV series and popular films are any indication, you’d think real-life Hannibal Lecters were constantly running amok in the U.S. …
Why We Talk About Ourselves: The Brain Likes It
Science has now proved what kindergarten teachers, reality-show fans and Catholic priests discover anew every day: humans can’t help talking about themselves. It just feels too good.
DSM-5 Debate: Committee Backs Off Some Changes, Re-Opens Comments
The committee responsible for revising the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — psychiatry’s diagnostic “bible” commonly referred to as the DSM — has dropped the inclusion of two …
Losing Your Religion? Analytic Thinking Weakens Religious Belief
Most of the world’s population believes in God, or gods, but alongside them there are also hundreds of millions of nonbelievers. What makes one a believer or not?
Why Clingy People Feel Colder
An icy stare may do more than just chill your heart metaphorically — it can literally change the way you perceive ambient temperature, making a room feel several degrees colder.
Shhh! Genius at Work
In this week’s issue of TIME, we explain why the brain does its most creative work while you’re asleep. Subscribers can read the full story here.
Why Republicans and Democrats Can’t Feel Each Other’s Pain
A new study shows why empathy doesn’t cross the political aisle.
Study: Narcissism and Religion an Unethical Mix
Narcissism and religion: an unethical combination
Oscar Fixation: Why Are We Obsessed With Celebrities?
Admit it. Many of you Oscar viewers were more interested in what Jennifer Lopez was wearing than in whether the worthiest films actually took home the hardware.