… Psychologists define meaning as the feeling that one’s life is significant, coherent, and purposeful, says Constantine Sedikides, a psychologist at the University of Southampton, in the U.K. And many times, our actions during a challenging time meet this definition—they are significant, coherent, and purposeful. Turning points in our lives usually provide fodder for nostalgia—and they are […]

Core faculty of the Consortium for Interacting Minds at Dartmouth (Left to right: Luke Chang, Kiara Sanchez, Mark Thornton, Thalia Wheatley, and Arjen Stolk). Photo credit: Katie Lenhart. Janet Taylor Spence Award recipient Mark Thornton is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College and director of the Social

Aimed at integrating cutting-edge psychological science into the classroom, columns about teaching Current Directions in Psychological Science offer advice and how-to guidance about teaching a particular area of research or topic in psychological science that has been the focus of an article in the APS journal Current Directions in Psychological Science. Billet, M. I., Baimel, A., Schaller, M.,

Children often surprise us with the details they remember—sometimes even better than adults! But what if their ability to learn comes not from focus, but from a broader, less selective attention? This episode unpacks research showing that while adults learn best when paying attention, children (ages 7-9) absorb information just as well, even when it’s

More than 280 million people live with depression, according to the World Health Organization. People experience the condition in a wide range of ways, with some faring better than others in how they cope with the symptoms.   In a 2024 Clinical Psychological Science study, APS Fellow Thomas Olino of Temple University and his coauthors investigated

A couple sits together on a sunny park bench. He appears to be studying the passing clouds; she’s absorbed in a novel. Some passersby might think, How sweet. Others might see them as bleak. … Weinstein and colleagues “are really looking at a topic that has received not nearly as much attention as it deserves,” says

Humans are pretty good at guessing whether a towering stack of dishes in the sink will topple over or where a pool ball will go when a cue hits it. We evolved this kind of physical reasoning to navigate our changing and sometimes dangerous environments. But a new study highlights one area of intuitive physics

… CBT is the gold standard therapy for treating depression and anxiety, one or both of which will afflict around 20 percent of people during their lifetime. It may be the best remedy we have, a growing number of scientists say, but it doesn’t help everyone. Research shows that only half of patients benefit and

… Marital researcher John M. Gottman found that even in successful long-term relationships, 69 percent of conflicts remain unresolved due to fundamental differences in personality, lifestyle preferences or values. Rather than seeking a “fix,” strive for mutual understanding in common areas of conflict like sexual desire, parenting, finances, housework and time spent with others. Gottman also

If you love someone, learn how to fight with them. Counterintuitive though it may seem, that’s the advice of world-renowned relationship researchers and clinical psychologists Julie Schwartz Gottman and John Gottman. “Conflict really has a purpose,” says John Gottman, “and the purpose is mutual understanding.” In the 40 years they’ve dedicated to the study and