And we mean small. What scientists learned about the sense of touch using an insect and an eyelash.
Social Connection
Loneliness, Not Living Alone, Linked to Dementia
Yes, there is a difference. Why one is more likely to trigger serious memory problems.
To Really Read Emotions, Look at Body Language, Not Facial Expressions
We think we’re reading facial expressions, but most of us rely on body cues to understand emotion
Why Gratitude Isn’t Just for Thanksgiving
Being thankful is strongly linked with both mental and physical health— and can help to relieve stress, depression and addictions, among other conditions.
How Disasters Bring Out Our Kindness
In disasters, it’s human nature to band together and be kind to one another in order to survive
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.
How People-Pleasing May Lead to Overeating
Two new studies remind us that eating habits may be strongly influenced by people around us.
Quiz: Are You an Introvert or an Extrovert?
Answer yes or no to the following questions, excerpted from the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain, to find out where you fall on the introversion spectrum. Then read the …
The Upside of Gossip: Social and Psychological Benefits
Gossip isn’t all bad, a new study finds.
Got Money? Then You Might Lack Compassion
Are the rich really the unfeeling boors they’re made out to be? Studies suggest that the richer people are, the less compassion they show.
Study: Your Hostile Workplace May Be Killing You
“My job is killing me.” Who among us hasn’t issued that complaint at least once? Now a new study suggests that your dramatic grousing may hold some scientific truth.
Study: Pets Give Us the Same Warm Fuzzies That Friends Do
A dog is man’s best friend, the old adage tells us — and, indeed, new research shows that when it comes to fulfilling our basic psychological needs, humans do benefit from their pets in much the same way they do from their friends.
Thank You, Ginni Thomas
Virginia Thomas has done the nation a great service. In calling up Anita Hill, now a Brandeis law professor whose calm but graphic accusations of sexual harassment put the eeew in Clarence Thomas’s Seeewpreme Court confirmation …