Mind & Behavior

Mind & Behavior

Study the science of how we think, feel, and act, with insights that help you better understand yourself and others.

A faint, grayscale image of a classical statue’s face with soft features and minimal details visible against a plain background.
4mins
How do “you” emerge from a collection of cells? A biologist explains.
A woman reading news with a cup of coffee.
We can no longer approach the news as passive consumers.
A sparkler with the word orgasm on it.
11mins
The best orgasms come when you learn how to unlock a sexual “flow state.” Emily Nagoski, a sex educator, shares a meditation to help you get started.
An image of the earth resonating in space.
The Schumann resonances are the background hum of the entire planet. But they don't affect humans in any way.
Are fools happy and geniuses disorganized — or is that a mistaken stereotype?
Sleep in brown's office - anti-psychiatry stance.
A brief look at the six-decade challenge to psychiatry.
Two mirrored human faces with dotted lines and patterns radiating outward, set against a solid blue background, suggesting connectivity or symmetry.
6mins
Scientists can't define spirituality. But we can study its healing effects, says this Columbia psychologist.
A blue background with a man's face behind bars depicting depression.
It could explain why so many people don’t respond to common antidepressants.
Someday, scientists could use stem cells to guide the development of synthetic organs for patients awaiting transplants.
Keywords: grief, flowers

Description: A depiction of a sorrowful woman surrounded by flowers, symbolizing the stages of grief.
Grief never ends. There is no closure, but there are things we can do to mitigate the feeling of loss.
A yellow brain drawing on a blue background, emphasizing speech.
The structure is fully developed in humans, partially developed in chimps, and completely absent in Old World monkeys.
A man displaying signs of hoarding disorder, sitting in a car in a garage.
Now that the DSM lists severe hoarding as a disorder apart from OCD, psychologists are asking what explains its prevalence.
A vintage photograph capturing a couple by a turntable in black and white.
Your heart rate reveals your brain activity, which in turn can predict hit songs — and maybe stock performance, as well.
An image of a spiritually enlightened man posing with a celestial blue ball in tribute to Carl Sagan.
In polarized times, our shared cellular origin can unite us in solidarity and awe — from the embryonic scale to the grandest cosmic perspective.
An image of a sunset through a window.
How the simple act of watching twilight can radically transform our perception of the world and our role within it.
John Templeton Foundation
A successful man in a suit captured in a black and white photo.
Psychopathic tendencies may be present to some extent in all of us. New research is reframing this often sensationalized and maligned set of traits and finding some positive twists.
A silhouette of a man holding up a newspaper, inspired by Dan Ariely.
Big Think covered the 2012 study shortly after it was published. We are now correcting the record.