Psychology

A wolf yawning in the snow near Hesse, Germany.

Yawning Spreads Like a Plague in Wolves

Evidence of contagious yawning in chimps, dogs and now wolves suggests that the behavior is linked to a mammalian sense of empathy

How do you want to behave today?

Give Someone a Virtual Avatar and They Adopt Stereotype Behavior

People behave differently depending on the appearance of their digital avatar

Why You Look Like Your Dog

It's all in the eyes

The 10,000 Hour Rule Is Not Real

The biggest meta-analysis of research to date indicates that practice does not make perfect

Our Personalities Are Most Stable in Mid-Life

In some ways, our 80-year-old selves mirror our 20-year-old selves

Losing Weight Makes People Healthy—But Not Necessarily Happy

The relationship between losing weight and being happy is not at all straightforward

This Mathematical Equation Predicts Momentary Happiness

Keeping your expectations low, it seems, is key to achieving fleeting satisfaction

Suicide Risk Could Soon Be Predicted Through a Blood Test

Elevated levels of stress-related chemicals in the body seem to correlate with suicide

If You’re Feeling Stressed After Work, Skip the TV

People who arrived home stressed and then watched TV or played video games wound up feeling guilty about those activities

Researchers Crack the Code of First Impressions

Mathematics identifies the subtle facial features that influence how we judge others

A baby chimp in the 1950s

This Guy Simultaneously Raised a Chimp and a Baby in Exactly the Same Way to See What Would Happen

When treated as a human, the baby chimp acted like one—until her physiology and development held her back

Schadenfreude is a Childish Emotion

Even two-year-olds find the twisted joy in others' pain

Your Dog Might Be Jealous

How much is that green-eyed doggy in the window?

Playing Outside Enhances Kids’ Love of Nature and Animals

Exposure to the great outdoors could also influence kids' ideas about the importance of conservation

Science Proves That Kids' Eyes Really Are Bigger Than Their Stomachs

Adults around the world uniformly clean their plates at dinner time, but not kids

Children were asked to rate how cute they found each of the images to be.

Even Toddlers Recognize the Superior Cuteness of Puppies and Kittens

Our notion of cuteness might be hardwired rather than learned

These Psychologists Think We'd Be Happier If We Talked to Strangers More

Though you should definitely take this on a case-by-case basis.

No Matter How Much You Practice, If You Don’t Have Natural Talent You Still Might Never Be the Best, Some Experts Think

Yet other researchers think that different factors, such as the quality and timing of practice, matter most

A Quarter of Americans Are Stressed Out—And That’s Probably a Massive Underestimate

Health, family and monetary problems are top causes of stress, as are raising a teenager or being a single parent

Patients at an internet addiction boot camp in Guangzhou practice gardening.

China Now Has Up to 250 Boot Camps to Cure Teens of Internet Addiction

One of these facilities recently opened in the US, too

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