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Embrace the Awkward Silence
At this point, Julie Boland is resigned to awkward silences. She’s a psychology and linguistics professor at the University of Michigan, and like many of us, she’s been spending a lot of time on Zoom calls
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People Differ Widely in Their Understanding of Even a Simple Concept Such as the Word ‘Penguin’
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “penguin” as “any of various erect short-legged flightless aquatic birds (family Spheniscidae) of the southern hemisphere.” That description seems simple enough, but definitions are not what people have in
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Your Native Tongue Holds a Special Place in Your Brain, Even if You Speak 10 Languages
Most people will learn one or two languages in their lives. But Vaughn Smith, a 47-year-old carpet cleaner from Washington, D.C., speaks 24. Smith is a hyperpolyglot—a rare individual who speaks more than 10 languages. In
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Remembering Sam Glucksberg, Who Pioneered the Study of Figurative Language
A professor at Princeton University for 44 years, Glucksberg chaired the APS Publications Committee in its critical earliest years and later edited Psychological Science from 2000–2003.
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New Research in Psychological Science
A sample of research on racism, well-being in childhood and adult health, cultural differences in delayed gratification, problem solving in animals, and much more.
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Why Simple Is Smart
A few years ago, a young writer asked me if I had any tips for an aspiring journalist. My first instinct was to say no. My career has been full of hard work but also
