Inside the Mind
What are dreams really made of? Are humans the smartest animal? What causes schizophrenia? Travel inside the mind and find out how the human brain works.
Learn More / Page 2
Studies show that women are more sensitive to pain than men, despite their bodies' ability to withstand the agony of childbirth. Does social conditioning help men keep a stiff upper lip when they're hurt? Or do emotions and estrogen factor into this painful equation?
Touch can be a very powerful thing that can dredge up all kinds of intense feelings. The lightest touch in the right place can induce laughter in the most taciturn people. Why?
By Josh Clark
Think musicals are cheesy? You're not alone. But even the most cynical among us can't deny that hearing a favorite song can completely change our mood.
Advertisement
Money can buy important stuff like food and shelter, which brings a smile to anyone's face. But after you cross a certain financial threshold, how much happier can a new Jaguar and a Versace bag really make you?
People love chocolate. They eat it to drown their sorrows and to celebrate love -- some might say it's even better than sex. Chocolate clearly helps people feel good, but can it actually get you high?
By Josh Clark
Whether you belt out a tune in the shower, at a karaoke bar or in a choir, singing has some real, tangible health benefits. But can it also make you happy?
By Julia Layton
Would you be happier if you had the perfect body? A better job? A bigger paycheck? Being happy with yourself is less about the pursuit of happiness and more about finding it within you.
Advertisement
Predicting the future is a tricky business. We've long been promised flying cars and robot maids, only to be disappointed year after year. What might the crystal ball have in store for us in 2050?
Do you remember what it was like to feel that happy as a kid, when life was less complicated? If not, these 10 tips might get you grinning again. C'mon. Turn that frown upside down.
Of course they can. They do it every day when they wag and meow their undying love for you. Why are pets such a solid prescription for smiles?
Whether it's "Happy," "Baby Shark," or "Call Me Maybe," some tunes just get stuck in your brain. But why?
Advertisement
We talk about morals in relation to raising children, voting for political candidates and criticizing people who don't see eye-to-eye with us. But is morality even a choice? Or is it all in your head?
There are people who are smart, and there are people who are people-smart. The guy you want in your think tank isn't necessarily the same person you want at your birthday party. But can emotional intelligence say more about your brain than IQ can?
Do gender differences go beyond our reproductive organs? Popular culture would have you believe that men are from Mars, while women call Venus their planet of birth. Is it possible to finish the argument of nature versus nurture?
Compare neuroscientists with crackerjack detectives like Nancy Drew and Hercule Poirot, and the brain docs might come up short. After all, they have yet to crack the case on five big brain mysteries.
Advertisement
Laugh and the world laughs with you, the saying goes. In our image gallery, experience the range of human emotions from around the world.
You only use 10 percent of that big, wrinkled mass of smarts -- unless you listen to Mozart. At least, that's what we've heard about the brain. But how many common brain beliefs are just plain wrong?
Parents just don't understand. Scientists didn't understand either, until they got a good look inside the teenage brain -- and what they saw turned what we thought we knew on its head.
We've all seen the effects that hatred has on our society, but just what is this destructive emotion? And can it be overcome?
By Alia Hoyt
Advertisement
Blushing comes from the same system that causes your fight-or-flight response. But why do your cheeks flush? Is it some kind of universal, wordless apology?
By Josh Clark
When you see someone else yawn, you often find yourself doing it. Yawning is contagious. But what does that have to do with the ability to feel empathy?
By Josh Clark
Psychopaths can commit horrible crimes without feeling any guilt at all. A recent study of psychopathic brains may shed some light on what's going on -- or not going on -- in these people's heads.
By Julia Layton
With an ever-increasing number of studies finding a direct connection between sleep deprivation and weight gain, it's difficult to deny the cause-and-effect relationship.
By Julia Layton
Advertisement
Even if you're very ticklish, you probably are incapable of tickling yourself. Learn why.
One in three people consistently struggle through the autumn and winter months with a type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Here are some tips for dealing with it.