Are you the quiet, retiring type? You’re not alone. To find out more, read TIME’s cover story, “The Upside of Being an Introvert,” available to subscribers here.
Growing Up: Free-Range Kids or Smother Mother?
How’s a parent to know when a child is old enough to cross the street — or, in Laura Dekker’s case, the ocean — alone?
Study: Why Words With Many Meanings Make Language More Efficient
Why do so many words have so many meanings? And why doesn’t that just confuse us more in conversation?
Why Home Births Are on the Rise
The key to a successful planned home birth? Flexibility.
Men Are More Likely to Have Oral HPV than Women
A rise in oral sex may be pushing up HPV infection rates in men, along with head and neck cancers caused by the virus.
The Healthland Podcast: Brown Fat, Crawling-Skin Disease, Messy Desks and Kids’ Vaccines
This week on the podcast: how your brown fat can burn white fat, whether Morgellons disease is real, what your messy desk says about you (it’s not what you think), and how chemicals in household items may weaken children’s …
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 Great Introverts and Extroverts of Our Time
Herewith, TIME’s unscientific survey of loud (and quiet) giants — it takes both kinds to make history. Read the related TIME cover story, “The Upside of Being an Introvert,” available to subscribers here.
LEGO’s New ‘Friends’ Line for Girls: Offensive?
Lego’s new building set for girls is sparking outrage among gender-equality advocates.
Demi’s Drug: What Is Nitrous Oxide?
A former nitrous addict and expert on addiction explains why laughing gas is no joke.
Morgellons Mystery: No Medical Explanation for ‘Crawling Skin’ Disease
The symptoms of the bizarre illness known as Morgellons are enough to make your skin crawl. For patients who say they are suffering from the condition, that sensation is all too real.
Pink Light Burlesque: Breast Cancer Survivors Strip Down and Celebrate
Jennifer Burke used to prize her breasts as her best feature. But it wasn’t until she had a double mastectomy that she found herself performing a burlesque striptease in front of an enthusiastic New York City crowd.
Why We Nag. And Why We Shouldn’t
Nagging can wreck a relationship. So why is it so hard to just stop?