The Boston Globe: Lisa Feldman Barrett thinks we’ve long misunderstood how our brains work — and what’s going on when we’re stressed. For decades, scientists have assumed that the brain simply responded to signs from the outside world: See tiger coming; get anxious. But instead, Barrett, a Northeastern University professor More
APS recognizes six psychological scientists pushing the limits of their field with the 2015 APS Janet Taylor Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions. This year’s award-winning research spans an exceptional breadth, encompassing topics such as the overlap of visual perception and action, the evolution of cognition and culture, human More
Joseph E. LeDoux, a 2015 recipient of the APS William James Fellow Award, will speak at the 27th APS Annual Convention in New York City, to be held May 21–24, 2015. LeDoux will speak about how the brain learns to cope with fear, anxiety, and threat states. LeDoux’s groundbreaking research More
Scientists Study How the Threat of Divine Wrath Shapes Human Behavior More
The Washington Post: Fear is one of our most basic evolutionary instincts, a sudden physical jolt to help us react to danger more quickly. In the modern world, fear often seems excessive — in the absence of wild animals to flee, we’re left screaming over roller coasters and scary movies. More
Moral instruction is a big part of religion. That’s why most faiths come with strict laws of personal conduct. Indeed, many believe that living a sober life, free of risk and excess and recklessness, is evidence of devotion to a higher power. But most instruction of this sort focuses on More
