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.
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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.
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?
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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.
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?
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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 live rent-free in your brain. But why do songs get stuck in your head?
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?
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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.
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?
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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
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
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
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Even if you're very ticklish, you probably are incapable of tickling yourself. Learn why.
The term IQ typically refers to a score on a test that measures someone's cognitive ability. What does this test constitute exactly? And does it accurately measure intelligence?
By Alia Hoyt
In this article, we'll look at laughter -- what it is, what happens in our brains when we laugh, what makes us laugh and how it can make us healthier and happier. You'll also learn that there's a tremendous amount that no one understands yet.
We've all heard of a "sixth sense" and extra-sensory perception. So how many ways can we actually sense the world around us?
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Every animal sleeps -- some more than others -- but why they do it is a mystery to scientists. Is sleep more than just beauty rest? Could skimping on it kill you? And how much do you really need?
Kanye West says he says sees music in color. Other people can hear words that make them taste a particular flavor, or they actually feel another person's pain. Welcome to the world of the synesthete. It's a stimulating one.