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Exploring Emerging Adulthood Among Ovambo Namibians
A new study looks at how young Namibians reach adulthood, broadening the understanding of this life stage in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Why Catchy Songs Get Stuck in Your Head
Of all the sounds we encounter, music seems to be the stickiest for our brains. While words and sounds can also pop into our head, they are less likely to echo there than songs, which tend to have a repetitive structure and looping motifs. Speech doesn’t inherently have that structure, but poetry might. Simply repeating spoken words can make them sound musical, a phenomenon known as the speech-to-song illusion, which was discovered by psychologist Diana Deutsch.
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The Sleep Trends Experts Think You Should (and Shouldn’t) Try
... These methods haven’t been rigorously studied, but it makes sense — at least in theory — that they may help some people fall asleep, said Allison Harvey, a professor and clinical psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley. Such mental exercises can distract you from any worries or stress-inducing thoughts that may be keeping you up, she said. However, they won’t work for everyone, she added — they should be just one of many sleep-inducing strategies you use. Whether you use a dedicated journal or a blank piece of paper, writing down any anxiety-provoking thoughts before bed — as some tout on social media — can help you fall asleep, Dr. Harvey said.
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Why Narcissists Emerge as Leaders Even in Childhood
Narcissistic leaders both fascinate and repel us. They can be charming, act assertively and articulate visions that may inspire confidence, especially in times of uncertainty. This can attract many followers. In 1931 Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, echoed this belief: “[Narcissists] impress others as being ‘personalities’; they are especially suited to act as a support for others, to take on the role of leaders and to give a fresh stimulus to cultural development or to damage the established state of affairs.” ... Why might children (or for that matter, adults) with low self-esteem be drawn to narcissistic leaders?
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What We Know (And Don’t Know) About Autism, According to Science
... “Autism is not one condition,” said Geraldine Dawson, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University and founding director of the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development. “It is many different conditions with many different causes.” ... Researchers have looked at pesticides, air pollution and water pollution and have found increases in risk that have “a small effect size” and are correlational, but not necessarily causative, said Charles Nelson, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
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The Alarm Over Social Media Is Getting Through to Teens
Over the past few years there has been a growing chorus of parents, doctors and legal experts who have been sounding the alarm about the effects of social media on teenagers. Jonathan Haidt, a psychologist and the author of “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” is among the most prominent voices warning against the omnipresence of technology in the lives of adolescents. In an interview with the Times Opinion columnist Ezra Klein, Haidt described the tech backlash as “a parent’s revolution.” He added: “All over the world, family life has turned into a fight over screen time. We’re all fed up; we want to do something about it.”
