Author Archive

Calling a Bluff: Is It All In the Arms?

Annie Duke was on track for a promising career in psycholinguistics, when she abruptly abandoned the academic life for the high-stakes world of poker. That was two decades ago, and ... More>


Is the Music of the ’60s Really the Best Ever?

I had the good fortune to come of age during the richest musical epoch—well, ever. The Grateful Dead, the Beatles, Dylan, Janis Joplin, Zappa. I could go on and on. ... More>


The Teenage Brain: How Do We Measure Maturity?

Holden Caulfield is the archetypal American teenager. Or at least he was, way back in the 20th century. His misadventures, narrated in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, may ... More>


Damned Spot: Guilt, Scrubbing, and More Guilt

Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most complex characters, and by far the bard’s most obsessive. Immorally ambitious, she prods her husband to murder Scotland’s king, and then deludes herself ... More>


Can Our Beliefs About Exercise Make Us Fat?

Everyone is an expert when it comes to weight and weight control, and I’m no exception. I am what’s known as an “exercise theorist.” That is, I ascribe to the ... More>