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You go in for a pair of jeans and come out with two pairs and some new shoes. Sound familiar? Shopping centers use your own psychology against you to get you to buy more.
"The brain is a superb miracle of errors," says David DiSalvo. The author's new book demonstrates that nothing we remember, feel or think is as it seems.
As much as we would like to think that, put on the spot, we would do the right thing—and perhaps even the heroic thing—research has shown that that usually isn't true.
Rumor has it that 80% of Newt Gingrich's Twitter followers were purchased and as a result are fake and/or useless. This may be an exaggeration, but the evidence is clear […]
Research on gender difference must have enough courage to ask important questions but be thoughtful enough not to jump to conclusions. Here are some guidelines for reading research.
A lot has been and will be written about Salman Khan. Though he already arrived in the spotlight of mainstream media, he is clearly just at the beginning of his […]
A recently-tested anti-depressed, which looked very good on paper, has failed to reduce depression rates. Our understanding of the brain still doesn't suffice to make good drugs.
So we really do have an aging society. The good news, as I’ve said before, is that we’re living longer, on average, than ever before. The bad (some say) is […]
Obamacare is going to get its day in the Supreme Court. The court granted certiorari in—literally, informed the lower courts that it would hear—three cases challenging the Affordable Care Act […]
In theory, a single cell from one animal can be used to feed the entire global population, without stressing the environment, says a new short film on the future of meat production.
Deep in the heart of the cell, your DNA may be undergoing subtle changes that could lead to a devastating disease several years down the line. Scientists want to detect those changes.
As scientists gain a better understanding of how antibiotics work on a molecular level, they are learning how some superbugs become resistant. Can they also find a weakness?
You are on a date with a wonderful man/woman. He/she is speaking, but you are gazing lovingly into his/her eyes thinking how lucky you are having finally met your perfect […]
The Food and Drug Administration has banned a popular treatment for breast cancer, in use since 2008. Some patients claim the drug works; the FDA says the harms outweigh the benefits.
Impulsive and addictive behaviors are genetically linked in men, but not in women, says a new study from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. The gene in question is called NRXN3.
“What is so distasteful about the Homeric gods,” W. H. Auden complains in his essay “The Frivolous & the Earnest,” is that they are well aware of human suffering but […]
Benetton's controversial new "Unhate" ad campaign, which features pictures of world leaders like Barack Obama and China's Hu Jintao caught in a liplock, actually raises a thought-provoking question: Is it […]
Parker, the creator of Napster and a key player in the rise of Facebook, is, as usual, thinking big. He worries about a warring tech industry and envisions how social media can transform politics.
Is the West presently severely disadvantaged with regard to Asia, if not in relative decline?
This week Big Think decided to give Twitter a big bear hug. Why? We realized the Twitosphere had (undeservedly) become the neglected stepchild of our various social media profiles. To […]