Amidst the headlines tallying the damage wrought by persistent economic decline, cataclysmic climate change and unbending political stalemate — among other things — Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker brings good news.
violence
The Interrupters: Stopping the Contagion of Violence
Is violence a virus? The literal answer is no, but the metaphor offers important insight into stopping the epidemic.
The Criminal Mind: How Drugs and Violence May Affect the Brain
Brain imaging studies of violent criminals are difficult to interpret because the most persistent among them — those who are responsible for a disproportionate amount of all crime — are not only violent but also …
Top Ten Legal Drugs Linked to Violence
When people consider the connections between drugs and violence, what typically comes to mind are illegal drugs like crack cocaine. However, certain medications — most notably, some antidepressants like Prozac — have also …
How Do You Wreck the Mind of a Child? One Word: War
As yet another round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks crank up, here’s something that the intractable parties on both sides might consider: Neither country is going to have much of a future if they persist in driving their kids crazy.
Parental controls: getting children to watch less TV
To get your kids to watch less television, a study suggests a simple solution for parents: set firm rules and stick with them.
In a study of the screen-gazing habits of 7,415 9-to-15-year-olds — which included watching TV and playing video and computer games — researchers found that children who strongly agreed with the statement …
Many abused women view partners as “dependable”
In spite of physical, sexual or psychological abuse, many women in abusive relationships with men continue to view their partners as dependable, and some describe them as having positive traits such as being affectionate, according to a new study conducted by researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and Adelphi University in
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Can violent video games make kids more aggressive?
The topic of virtual violence in video games resulting in real life aggression has long been controversial—and many courts have tested the limits of the “video games made me do it” defense. Now a new study published this week in the March issue of the Psychological Bulletin adds to the debate with findings suggesting that, while
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