Under the Cortex typically hosts authors of peer-reviewed articles. But in this week’s episode, we do things a little differently, take a step back, and explore what happens on the editorial side of scientific publishing.  Simine Vazire, the incoming Editor-in-Chief of APS’s journal Psychological Science, joined Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum to discuss her plans to …

Getting Your Research Published: Insights on Academic Publishing with Simine Vazire Read More »

When you were a teenager, your parents probably warned you once or twice not to get a tattoo or go to sketchy parties just because your friends do it. A new study shows that the influence of friends – for good and for well, mischief – extends into our older years, as well. … While …

Close friends can help you live longer but they can spread some bad habits too Read More »

For years, Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College, has been closely following two disturbing trends: the dwindling of independent activity and play afforded to children over the past half-century, and the accelerating rise in mental health disorders and suicides among youth during that same period. There are familiar factors that …

Children today have less independence. Is that fueling a mental health crisis? Read More »

The marshmallow test, designed to measure children’s self-control in the face of temptation, is one of history’s most famous psychological experiments. Research in Psychological Science suggests that it may also measure their interest in social approval.  “Our results suggest that even young children care about how they are perceived by others and can adjust their …

Children Motivated to Earn Social Approval Over Treats, Study Suggests Read More »

Being an eldest daughter means frequently feeling like you’re not doing enough, like you’re struggling to maintain a veneer of control, like the entire household relies on your diligence. To be clear, birth order doesn’t influence personality itself—but it can influence how your family sees you, Brent Roberts, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told …

The Plight of the Eldest Daughter Read More »

Before COVID, American teenagers’ psychological health was already in decline. The pandemic, with its sudden lockdowns, school closures and other jolts to normal life, made that downward slope steeper. The ensuing mental health crisis has given researchers a rare opportunity to gauge how an extraordinary event such as a public health catastrophe can physically affect the brains …

The Pandemic Disrupted Adolescent Brain Development Read More »

For the millions of Americans that celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s a time when a lot of us reflect on the things and the people in our lives that we appreciate. But according to Dr. Laurie Santos, psychology professor at Yale and host of the podcast, The Happiness Lab, a practice of gratitude can improve our lives year-round. …

How Gratitude Improves Your Relationships and Your Future Read More »

Image above: The wreckage of a collapsed building, Diyarbakır, Turkey, 2023. VOA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. About this series Science for Society is an APS webinar series focused on educating the public and bringing psychological science to decision-makers working to solve real world problems. In addition to psychological scientists, participants include public policy decision-makers, news reporters, advocates, and scholars from …

Trauma and Resilience in Disaster’s Wake: A Scientific Perspective Read More »

… Resilience is a popular term in modern psychology that, put simply, refers to the ability to recover and move on from adverse events, failure or change. “We don’t call it ‘character’ anymore,” said Jelena Kecmanovic, director of Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute. “We call it the ability to tolerate distress, the ability to tolerate uncertainty.” Studies suggest …

I Was Trying to Build My Son’s Resilience, Not Scar Him for Life Read More »

What do Beowulf, Batman and Barbie all have in common? Ancient legends, comic book sagas and blockbuster movies alike share a storytelling blueprint called “the hero’s journey.” This timeless narrative structure, first described by mythologist Joseph Campbell in 1949, describes ancient epics, such as the Odyssey and the Epic of Gilgamesh, and modern favorites, including the Harry Potter, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings series. Many hero’s journey …

To Lead a Meaningful Life, Become Your Own Hero Read More »