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Melissa Dahl

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  1. Your Dog Has an IQWhat new research on canine smarts may one day reveal about human intelligence.
  2. Weird How Everyone You Know Is Suddenly an Expert on Gorillas and ZoosThe annoying psychology of overclaiming knowledge.
  3. It Seems Some Ambitious People Are Not Great at Being Kind to ThemselvesThe unfortunate, untrue belief that self-criticism equals motivation and success.
  4. You Will Make 200 Decisions About Food TodayHow to make (slightly) better choices.
  5. everything guide
    Everything You Need to Know About PoopGoing deep into the science — and many questionable innovations behind everybody’s favorite new topic.
  6. Men in Relationships Underestimate When Their Female Partners Are Turned OnThe science of sexual desire is complicated.
  7. Health Officials’ Unlikely Partner in Preventing Gun Suicides: Gun-Shop OwnersLessons from an intriguing study in New Hampshire.
  8. What Happens to Your Health After 20 Years of Arguing With Your PartnerA longitudinal study on the physical ramifications of some questionable conflict strategies.
  9. What It Means to Say Hillary Clinton Is Not a ‘Natural’ PoliticianSocial-science research shows that people tend to favor those who make their success look easy.
  10. Every American Except You Is UnhealthySure.
  11. A Brief Guide to Convincing Total Strangers to Do Your BiddingIt’s easier than you probably expect.
  12. What Does a Dog See in a Mirror?What a classic experiment can — and can’t — tell us about a creature’s sense of self.
  13. To Save Preemies, a Doctor Made Them Into a Coney Island SideshowThat’s one way to do it.
  14. How to Make the Most of a Scattered Attention SpanIt’s a great state of mind for generating new ideas.
  15. New Insights Are Causing Scientists to Rethink Adult ADHDThe disorder can show up in adulthood even if it never appeared in childhood.
  16. Happiness Will Forever Be Just One More Major Life Achievement AwayThis doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
  17. Nothing Wrong With Bottling Up Your Feelings, British News Site ArguesAn appropriately reserved defense of the stiff upper lip.
  18. If You Have an Awkward Work Problem, This Is the Person to Ask About ItAsk a Manager’s Alison Green is your work therapist.
  19. People Get Suspicious When the Uber Surge Price Is a Round NumberA super-specific price like 1.9 times the normal rate – that, we feel like can trust. But 2.0x? Sounds made up.
  20. How Good Intentions Killed a Baby BisonThe sad story illustrates the need for nuance when considering animal thoughts and feelings.
  21. What It Means to Be Uncommonly Good at Cards Against HumanityIt’s about more than having a weird sense of humor.
  22. Scientists Discuss Synthetic Human Genomes in Secret, Scientists-Only MeetingThis turns out to be a reliable way to draw public attention to your private meeting about the future of human genetics.
  23. How Long Will It Take Before You Feel Like Yourself at a New Job?This is a question a team of social psychologists recently set out to investigate.
  24. The White House Just Pledged Millions of Dollars to Study BacteriaA substantial federal investment to better understand the Earth’s teensiest organisms.
  25. Perhaps There’s a Reason ‘Storyteller’ Became a Twitter-Bio ClichéTwo psychologists investigate the allure of the word.
  26. There’s a New Scientific Journal Devoted to the Study of Animal FeelingsA sign of a sea change in the research community.
  27. 3 Reasons Why Scientists Can’t Seem to Agree About Alcohol and PregnancySome concerning methodology issues pervade this type of research.
  28. Don’t Believe the Hype About Grit, Pleads the Scientist Behind the ConceptWhat happens when enthusiasm runs too far ahead of the evidence?
  29. This Is Why So Many Labrador Retrievers Are So Very FatGenes found in obese Labs may help scientists better understand how to help some obese humans.
  30. How Your Brain Reacts When Everyone Laughs at YouYour poor brain. You’re embarrassing it.
  31. The U.S. Isn’t Ready for ZikaNo one expects it to spread here like it has in other parts of the world. Still, some smaller outbreaks are likely to occur.
  32. How Nervous Bike Commuters Too Often Put Themselves in DangerAnd everyone else, for that matter.
  33. What Cringing at Your Own Dumb Voice Reveals About YouThe “you” that exists in your own head is often very different from the “you” the world perceives.
  34. Zika Is Even More Damaging to Fetal Brains Than Scientists Feared“We do not know what will become of this generation.”
  35. The Weirdness of Becoming Real Friends With Your Work FriendsResearchers investigate the impact on work performance and “emotional exhaustion.”
  36. Introducing the Green Eggs and Ham Hypothesis of CreativityDr. Seuss delivers.
  37. Animals Are Smarter Than Humans Give Them Credit ForA famed primatologist explains why people tend to look at animal intelligence all wrong.
  38. To Make Networking Less Terrible, Stop Making It About YouResearch suggests that when people focus on how they can help others — instead of how others can help them — networking seems a little less awful.
  39. Is Mindfulness Overrated?A new analysis suggests the benefits reported in many studies may have been overstated.
  40. Your Dog Hates HugsThis is terrible news.
  41. Why Typical Preschool Crafts Are a Total Waste of TimeKids at this developmental stage find little benefit — or enjoyment — in constructing Thanksgiving hand-turkeys or cotton-ball snowmen.
  42. The Not-So-Secret Secret to Happiness: Be Kinder to Yourself, Okay?The science of self-compassion.
  43. Here’s a Test for Introversion You Can Do When You’re Home, Being IntrovertedGrab yourself a lemon and a cotton swab and let’s do some somewhat questionable science.
  44. How Neuroscientists Explain the Mind-Clearing Magic of RunningResearch in neuroscience shows a solid link between aerobic exercise and cognitive clarity.
  45. Here Is a Good Reason to Avoid Speaking to Humans When Ordering FoodSeamless forever.
  46. Rejection Doesn’t Hurt So Bad When You’re on ShroomsPsilocybin – the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms – could one day help treat people with social anxiety.
  47. Insights From a Scientist Who Is Trying to Slow the Aging ProcessSecrets from the science of longevity.
  48. The Sad Truth About Speed-Reading: It Doesn’t WorkThere is, alas, no real shortcut.
  49. Deep in the Ocean Lies the Loneliest, Horniest Mammal on Planet EarthPoor guy.
  50. Why We Need a Better Way to Treat Chronic PainThe current method — the pain-intensity scale — may have contributed to the opioid addiction epidemic, argue some pain-perception experts.
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