Mental Health

A graphic of a coded message.

Your Brain Is A Decoding Machine; Give This Message A Try

Your brain can unscramble this message in milliseconds.

 | Ryan Biek

Neurons under a microscope

A Root Cause Of Schizophrenia May Have Finally Been Found

For the first time, scientists have pinpointed a single gene that can shape a person's risk of developing schizophrenia.

 | Steven Sparkman

Sad woman sitting alone in canyon

We're Entering A New Era In How We Treat Depression

A flood of new antidepressants are being developed to help patients feel better in a few hours rather than a few weeks.

 | Steven Sparkman

A Chinese woman uses her smartphone as her daughter sits beside her on a park bench on September 10, 2014 in Beijing, China.

Put Away Your Smartphone; Your Kids' Health Might Depend On It

A recent study suggests that children who receive "fragmented" attention from their mothers might develop emotional problems in the future.

 | Matt Moreno

Dogs Are Likely More Self-Aware Than You'd Think, New Study Says

A researcher found an interesting way to show dogs likely have concepts of "self" and "others."

 | Ryan Biek

'Skunk' Pot May Hinder Brain's Ability To Send And Receive Messages

Researchers in Italy and the U.K. have found high-potency marijuana can affect the corpus callosum, the nerves that connect the halves of the brain.

 | Cliff Judy

Having A Pet Dog Might Help Prevent Anxiety Disorders In Children

A new study suggests that having a pet dog might lower kids' chances of experiencing childhood anxiety disorders.

 | Ethan Weston

Unlike Smell, Taste Is Hardwired In Your Brain

Researchers were able to manipulate taste perceptions between bitter and sweet in mice, indicating taste is hardwired in the brain.

 | Ryan Biek

Is Taking 'Smart Drugs' Cheating?

This "2-Minute Debate" is part of a series co-produced by Intelligence Squared U.S. and Newsy.

 | Elizabeth Hagedorn

Surfing Offers Alternative Therapy For Wounded Veterans

When troops come back from combat, they are often left to deal with tolls on their bodies, but alternative therapies can help with the recovery.

 | Melissa Prax

Why Are So Many More Middle-Aged White People Dying?

A study released by a Nobel Prize-winning economist showed liver disease, suicides and drug and alcohol poisoning are hitting the demographic hard.

 | Cliff Judy

Why Do iPhone Flaws Make Us So Angry? It's A Primal Instinct

Psychotherapist and senior tech editor Georgia Dow explains the psychology behind the hubbub that seems to accompany every iPhone release.

 | Mikah Sargent

Hate Chewing Sounds? Call Yourself Creative, Then Just Deal

If you hate the sound of someone eating, you could have misophonia. It's an aversion to certain sounds and it could mean you're a creative genius.

 | Grant Suneson

Are You Serious? Outgoing? It's Not Because Of Birth Order

A new psychological study seems to settle the debate on whether birth order determines personality and intelligence.

 | Ryan Biek

Study Says Girls, Not Boys, Hurt By Compulsive Texting

A new psychological study has found girls who text compulsively perform worse in school, yet boys with the same degree of compulsion aren't affected.

 | Ryan Biek

20 Questions Study Brings Us A Step Closer To Mind Reading

A new study in brain-to-brain communication placed participants a mile apart and asked them to play a game of 20 Questions with just their minds.

 | Ryan Biek

There's More To Learn About Why Babies Smile

A new study on baby smiling habits says the reasons babies smile and the reasons moms smile at babies could be different.

 | Samantha Crook

Sarcasm Is Good For You. Seriously

Saying exactly what you don't mean can benefit you and those around you. We're not being sarcastic.

 | Ryan Biek

Afraid Of Math? Stanford Study Says Get A Tutor

A new study published in the The Journal of Neuroscience says a child's fear of math can be alleviated by one-on-one tutoring.

 | Mikah Sargent

Feeling Blue Might Make It Harder To See Colors

A new study linking emotions and color perception found sadness makes it harder to distinguish yellow and blue.

 | Ryan Biek

Asking For Advice Makes Experts Think You Need Less Of It

Seeking advice? Just ask. A recent study found that asking for advice will not only help you succeed, but it'll also make you appear more capable.

 | Ryan Biek

6 People Have Gone Into Isolation For A Year For Science

A joint University of Hawaii-NASA experiment called HI-SEAS has sent six people into isolation for one year — longer than its three previous missions.

 | Jake Godin

Can This Bedtime Story Really Make Kids Fall Asleep Faster?

An Amazon bestseller is grabbing parents' attention. The author claims the book can help kids fall asleep faster than the average bedtime story.

 | Ryan Biek

The Science Of Why You Trust Some People More Than Others

Researchers at Dartmouth College have mapped a part of the brain that they say makes you trust friends and strangers differently.

 | Ryan Biek

Learning A Skill? Raw Talent Might Trump Hard Work

When we practice, it doesn't improve parts of the brain, according to a new study. Researchers say raw talent is a bit more important than we thought.

 | Ryan Biek

Eli Lilly's New Drug Could Lead To Alzheimer's Cure

Eli Lilly is debuting solanezumab, its new drug designed to cure Alzheimer's. But will the drug fare better than past trials have foreshadowed?

 | Ryan Biek

Living In Poverty Might Physically Alter Children's Brains

Living below the poverty line reduces brain volume in areas associated with learning, according to a new joint study from three universities.

 | Ryan Biek

Over Here! How We Direct Our Attention Might Be Unique

The neural networks that allow humans to focus and shift attention could be unlike those of any other animal.

 | Ryan Biek

Can Psychology Reason Its Way Out Of A Replication Crisis?

Some studies in the field of psychology have trouble replicating the same results, but is that problem really as bad as it seems?

 | Ryan Biek

Science Attempts To Explain The Scream

What's the purpose of a scream? Some researchers tried to find out.

 | Jake Godin