Researchers at the University of Southampton in the U.K. have also found nostalgia to be a potent mood booster. Since memories often star important people in our lives, they may give us a comforting sense of belonging. According to studies by ...
For the last 15 years, economist Kay-Yut Chen has been quietly toiling away in Hewlett-Packard's labs, running experiments mostly on nearby Stanford students to help determine such things as the best incentive schemes to use with the hardware maker's ...
For years, lacking evidence to the contrary, most scientists had assumed that altruism is unique to humans. Sure, other primates groom each other and even share food, but this kind of helping could be chalked up to selfish motives—either to benefit ...
Is it true that familiarity breeds contempt? A psychology study published this year concludes that the answer is yes. It seems we are inclined to interpret ambiguous information about someone optimistically, assuming we will get along. We are usually ...
Some anthropologists argue that the idea of God first arose in larger societies, for the purpose of curbing selfishness and promoting cooperation. Outside a tightly knit group, the reasoning goes, nobody can keep an eye on everyone’s behavior, so these ...
To kill two birds with one stone — what could be better? Taking the train instead of driving a car, for example, gets you to where you’re going and lets you read the paper. But it turns out that if you have just one goal in mind, chances are you’ll ...
People often display a remarkable ability to adapt to adversity, bouncing back to their usual levels of happiness despite extreme hardships. But people don’t always rebound, and scientists have long wondered what factors might account for the ...
Why do we have to wait days, weeks, or even months for a doctor's appointment? Such delays have become so routine that they seem normal. But if some of the most popular restaurants can take same-day reservations, why should run-of-the-mill doctors ...
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