What is this thing called love? I took my own stab at understanding the neurobiological circuits underlying love and sex with my own book, DIRTY MINDS: HOW OUR BRAINS INFLUENCE […]
When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, I started to worry. The diagnosis itself was scary enough. But I must admit, I was also not looking forward to dealing […]
Thanks to the hilarious and provocative Rob Reiner film,When Harry Met Sally, there is one debate that still gets even the most reticent people taking a stand. And, that, of […]
William Souder’s 2004 biography of John James Audobon, Under a Wild Sky, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His newest book, On a Farther Shore, chronicles the life and […]
Several years ago, a SUNY Albany study linked unprotected sex with elevated mood in college-aged women. The researchers surveyed nearly 300 female students about both their sexual practices and their […]
For centuries, great thinkers from philosopher John Locke to scientist Stephen Pinker have debated whether or not humans are born with innate traits like morality and empathy. Some go with […]
My eighth grade art teacher was the first to introduce me to the concept of “right-brain thinking.” He brought his copy of DRAWING FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BRAIN […]
Jesse Bering is the author of the new book, “Why is the Penis Shaped Like that?: And Other Reflections on Being Human.” He is well known in my circles as […]
Like most people, I’ve been thinking a lot about the shootings in Aurora, Colorado. And over the past week, I’ve seen the tragedy dissected in all manner of ways. I’ve […]
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about assumptions. Especially when it comes to trying to study bold, complicated and human constructs like love, empathy and creativity in the brain. […]
One of the most common questions I’m asked when I give lectures is how the brain differentiates love and lust. It’s an interesting question — and as most of us […]
In the past year, there have been a few studies that suggest that volunteer work is as healthy for the aging body and brain as exercise and the right diet. […]
Forgive me, but this is not a post about neuroscience. Rather, this is a post about conservation and loss. Today, the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands confirmed […]
Millions of people log on to Lumosity daily to flex their brain muscles–and hopefully improve memory, attention and general cognitive performance in the process. But this brain training site has […]
Nearly two decades ago, I walked into my first Abnormal Psychology class. Given the course title, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what the subject matter would […]
I interviewed Paul Zak, founding Director of the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies at Claremont Graduate University, for the first time two years ago. We met for a coffee at Neuroscience […]
I’m so surprised that so many people are convinced that monogamy—heterosexual, human monogamy, in particular—is some type of biological default.
Katie Hinde is the Director of the Comparative Lactation Laboratory at Harvard University. Her research examines mother's milk and how it contributes to infant development in humans and primates--including behavior, cognition and the brain. Here, she discusses the effects of breast milk on behavior, what she thinks human mothers should know and the recent (and controversial) Time magazine breastfeeding cover.
Blunt head trauma and traumatic brain injuries are well-known artifacts of war. The Brain Trauma Foundation reports that between 10-20% of Iraq veterans (approximately 150,000-300,000 individuals) suffer from some level […]
Is what I experience when I feel love qualitatively different from what a man experiences? Or what a lesbian may experience? If I consider Semir Zeki’s hypothesis that literature and art across the ages show a common substrate for love in the mind, I might suggest that descriptions of sex by male and female authors and artists are sometimes different.
