For NPR | For Edge.org | For Psychology Today
When Do We Have Free Choice? (Nautilus; Oct 21, 2024)
Why We Hallucinate Supernatural Explanations (Nautilus; June 13, 2023)
Existential Comfort Without God (Nautilus; September 15, 2021)
Human Exceptionalism Stifles Progress (Nautilus; May 2, 2019)
Women, Power, and Prestige (Chronicle of Higher Education; November 7, 2014)
Can Science Deliver the Benefits of Religion? (Boston Review; August 7, 2013)
For NPR’s 13.7 Cosmos & Culture
2018
Giving Notice: Reflections On Capturing The Light (April 9, 2018)
The Psychology Of Fake News (March 27, 2018)
No Man Is An Island: The Wisdom Of Deliberating Crowds (March 12, 2018)
3 Ways To Elevate The Debate About Guns (March 1, 2018)
A New Goal: Aim To Be Less Wrong (February 12, 2018)
The ‘IKEA Effect’ — And Getting Kids To Eat Their Veggies (January 29, 2018)
What History And Fiction Teach Us About Women And Power (January 8, 2018)
2017
Kids Start To Test Surprising Claims By Early Elementary School (December 19, 2017)
Can Celebrity Scientists Change The Way People Think About Science And Religion? (December 4, 2017)
Can Science Explain The Human Mind? (November 20, 2017)
What’s Your (Epistemic) Relationship To Science? (November 6, 2017)
The Good Psychology In ‘The Good Place’ (October 23, 2017)
What Influences Attitudes Toward Gun Control Reform? (October 9, 2017)
Is Curiosity A Positive Or Negative Feeling? (September 25, 2017)
Yes, Some Questions Are Better Than Others (September 11, 2017)
What Should We Be Teaching Young Children? (August 28, 2017)
In Children’s Storybooks, Realism Has Advantages (August 14, 2017)
The Subtleties In Causation Talk (July 31, 2017)
How Small Inequities Lead To Big Inequalities (July 24, 2017)
Technology Can Be A Tool, A Teacher, A Trickster (July 17, 2017)
You Can Learn From Declaring A Mystery (July 10, 2017)
Transgender Prejudice And The Belief In A Biological Basis For Gender (June 26, 2017)
The Neurobiology Of Father’s Day Cards (June 19, 2017)
The Dangers Of Hidden Jargon In Communicating Science (June 12, 2017)
CRISPR, Five Ways (June 5, 2017)
Think Your Credentials Are Ignored Because You’re A Woman? It Could Be. (May 22, 2017)
A Google Search For ‘Motherhood’ (May 15, 2017)
What Is Pseudoscience? (May 8, 2017)
Can Repeating False Information Help People Remember True Information? (May 1, 2017)
Science Isn’t Partisan, But Public Perception Of Science Often Is (April 24, 2017)
Why Hard Decisions Should Be Easy (But Aren’t) (April 17, 2017)
How (And When) To Think Like A Philosopher (April 10, 2017)
Skepticism About Skepticism (April 3, 2017)
A Day In The Life Of An Academic Mom (March 27, 2017)
Is Happiness A Universal Human Right? (March 20, 2017)
Beware Of ‘Accuracy’ (March 13, 2017)
Autism And The Drive To Explain And Explore (March 6, 2017)
As The Seasons Change, So Do Our Color Preferences (March 3, 2017)
3 Things You Might Not Know About Charles Darwin (February 6, 2017)
What Makes Science Science? (January, 30, 2017)
Do You Suffer From Illusions Of Moral Superiority? (January 23, 2017)
Using Smartphones For Smarter Social Science (January 9, 2017)
Adopting A Sci-Fi Way Of Thinking About The Future (January 2, 2017)
2016
The Ideal Mother Vs. The Ideal Worker (December 19, 2016)
Early Family Life May Be Tied To ‘Mind-Reading’ Ability (December 12, 2016)
Is Education Tied To Conspiracy Theory Belief? (December 5, 2016)
For Some, Scientists Aren’t The Authority On Science (November 28, 2016)
What Does A Trump Presidency Mean For Climate-Change Education? (November 21, 2016)
Expanding The Circle Of Moral Concern (November 15, 2016)
Social Science Says: Go Vote! (November 7, 2016)
Halloween Provides A Look Into Human Psychology (October 31, 2016)
5 Facts That Are Not About The Election (October 24, 2016)
Do We Need Scientific Idioms For Everyday Experience? (October 17, 2016)
Could Video Chats Be Good For Your Infant? (October 3, 2016)
How To Watch A Debate Without Bias (September 26, 2016)
What Dogs, Lies And Sex Teach Us About Our True Selves (September 19, 2016)
Do The Presidential Candidates Recognize What Science Can, And Cannot, Do? (September 12, 2016)
Is There Such A Thing As Scientific Luck? (August 29, 2016)
Why Do We Judge Parents For Putting Kids At Perceived — But Unreal — Risk? (August 22, 2016)
Does Religion Matter In Determining Altruism? (August 15, 2016)
Who Cares About Politics? (August 8, 2016)
The Selective Laziness Of Human Reasoning (August 1, 2016)
Embracing The Humanities: A Perspective From Physics (July 25, 2016)
What Is A Paradigm Shift, Anyway? (July 18, 2016)
Is It Time To Ban Computers From Classrooms? (July 11, 2016)
Vote For The Best Illusions Of The Year (June 27, 2016)
The Curse Of The Inability To Imagine (June 20, 2016)
Are Stories A Key To Human Intelligence? (June 13, 2016)
Think Mothering Young Kids Is Hard? Get Ready For Even Tougher Times (June 6, 2016)
Why Do We Gossip? (May 23, 2016)
Humans Are Animals, Too (May 16, 2016)
The Deeper Reason Trump’s Taco Tweet Is Offensive (May 9, 2016)
Can Songs Help You Learn Scientific Concepts? (May 2, 2016)
Hey! What Are You Laughing At? (April 25, 2016)
Merging Career And Motherhood, In Simultaneous Practice (April 18, 2016)
Is The Mind’s Approach More Like A Scientist Or A Trial Lawyer? (April 11, 2016)
Scientists Largely Trusted, But Also Seen As ‘Inhuman’ (April 10, 2016)
The ‘Swap-The-Baby’ Test (March 28, 2016)
Barriers For Women Today May Be Less Visible, But Not Less Real (March 21, 2016)
Parenthood Gave Me A Black Eye (March 14, 2016)
To Make Better Predictions, Don’t Stick With The Easy Stuff (March 7, 2016)
Want To Make Better Predictions? (February 22, 2016)
What Is It Like To Be ‘The Only Woman In The Room’? (February 15, 2016)
We May Not Need An Electorate Of Scientists (February 8, 2016)
What Compels People To Share Certain Videos? (February 1, 2016)
Science Can Quantify Risks, But It Can’t Settle Policy (January 25, 2016)
A Look At The Case For Paid Family Leave (January 11, 2016)
We’ve Got Resolutions All Wrong (January 4, 2016)
2015
3 Christmas Questions, As Answered By Science (December 23, 2015)
Sometimes Confusion Is A Good Thing (December 14, 2015)
What Makes People Susceptible To Pseudo-Profound ‘Baloney’? (December 7, 2015)
How Psychology Can Save The World From Climate Change (November 30, 2015)
Being Thankful In The Wake Of Tragedy (November 23, 2015)
Carrying A (Welding) Torch For Philosophy (November 16, 2015)
Why We Care About Lies (November 9, 2015)
Is Your 4-Year-Old A Liar? Here’s The Bright Side (November 2, 2015)
The Humanities: What’s The Big Idea? (October 26, 2015)
Children Want Factual Stories, Versus Fantasy, More Often Than Adults (October 19, 2015)
Science, Sustainability And The Dangers Of Naïve Policy (October 12, 2015)
Stuff Happens, And The Way We Talk About It Matters (October 5, 2015)
Think Remembering Is Always Best? Forget About It! (September 28, 2015)
Do Attitudes Toward Women Follow People Into The Voting Booth? (September 21, 2015)
Scientific Literacy: It’s Not (Just) About The Facts (September 14, 2015)
Is Gun Violence Due To Dangerous People Or Dangerous Guns? (August 31, 2015)
Is It Safe To Follow A Vegan Diet During Pregnancy? (August 24, 2015)
Belief That Mental Illness Can Be Contagious Contributes To Isolation (August 17, 2015)
Would Voters Entrust The White House To An Atheist? (August 10, 2015)
In Science Headlines, Should Nuance Trump Sensation? (August 3, 2015)
15 Questions About Science And Religion, Answered (July 27, 2015)
The Negative In Positive Stereotypes (July 20, 2015)
The Magic Of Words (July 14, 2015)
What You Really Know About Bicycles (July 6, 2015)
Don’t Believe In Evolution? Try Thinking Harder (June 29, 2015)
Why We Need Philosophers Engaged In Public Life (June 22, 2015)
Privileged ‘Primates’ And The Mothers Who Mock Them (June 15, 2015)
What Junk Food Can Teach Us About Junk Science (June 8, 2015)
Storing Information In Other People’s Heads (May 18, 2015)
Explanation, Orgasm And The Need For Basic Science Research Funding (May 11, 2015)
A Found Poem For Mother’s Day (May 4, 2015)
The Danger Of GMOs: Is It All In Your Mind? (April 27, 2015)
Considering ‘The Philosophy Of The Web’ (April 20, 2015)
Are Scientific And Religious Explanations Incompatible? (April 13, 2015)
Ice Cream Activism (April 6, 2015)
Why We Need Ruth Bader Ginger Ice Cream (March 30, 2015)
Don’t Be Myopic About Heritability (March 23, 2015)
We Experience The World We Infer, Not The World As It Is (March 20, 2015)
Easy Knowledge Can Be A Dangerous Thing (Maybe) (March 9, 2015)
Embrace Your Inner Algorithm (March 2, 2015)
Exploring The Metaphysics Of Love (February 16, 2015)
Psychological Biases Play A Part In Vaccination Decisions (February 9, 2015)
Beware Of The Pseudoscience Of The Self (February 2, 2015)
Is There Something Uncanny About Machines That Can Think? (January 26, 2015)
Learning About The Human Mind, Magically (January 12, 2015)
My Resolution For 2015: Be Smart About My Smartphone (January 5, 2015)
2014
Santa Clues: How Kids Learn The Truth About Christmas (December 25, 2014)
The Math and Science of Latkes (December 15, 2014)
What If Atheists Were Defined By Their Actions? (December 8, 2014)
Does It Matter Who Accepts Evolution? (December 1, 2014)
Is The Blogosphere Self-Correcting? (November 24, 2014)
Culture Of Psychological Science At Stake (November 17, 2014)
Is It Time To Reappropriate Pink? (November 10, 2014)
Why Lab Rats Don’t Observe Daylight Saving Time (November 3, 2014)
What An Advertising Challenge Illustrates About The Mind (October 27, 2014)
Are Factual And Religious Belief The Same? (October 20, 2014)
Putting A Critical Eye On Brain Imaging Studies (October 6, 2014)
Domesticated Robots And The Art Of Being Human (September 29, 2014)
Being Good Isn’t Zero Sum (September 22, 2014)
How Not To Teach Climate Change (September 15, 2014)
Awe, With And Without The Gods (September 8, 2014)
Using Science To Blame Mothers (August 25, 2014)
Thinking Like A Scientist Can Help Overcome Allure Of Appearances (August 18, 2014)
Of This And That: Intimacy In Social Media (August 11, 2014)
Reports Of Psychology’s Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated (August 4, 2014)
Cognitive Science Honors Its Pioneers And Leaders (July 28, 2014)
Rituals That Work And Why (July 21, 2014)
Sex, Death And Evolution … Nursery Rhyme Style (July 14, 2014)
Is Obesity A Disease? (July 7, 2014)
3 Things Everyone Should Know Before Growing Up (June 30, 2014)
Why We Aren’t The Parents We Know We Could Be (June 23, 2014)
Blame Your Brain: The Fault Lies Somewhere Within (June 16, 2014)
Learn To Code, Learn To Think (June 9, 2014)
Science, Trust And Psychology In Crisis (June 2, 2014)
Best Visual Illusions Of 2014 (May 21, 2014)
Climate Change: A Time For Humor, A Time For Action (May 19, 2014)
Calling All Allomothers: You Deserve A Day Of Thanks (May 12, 2014)
How (And Why) We Should Celebrate Mother’s Day (May 5, 2014)
Rational Debate: We Can’t Live (Together) Without It (April 28, 2014)
Yes, We Do Know What You’re Thinking (April 14, 2014)
Sizing Up Your Children Is A Tricky Business (April 7, 2014)
‘Mind Maps’ Exhibit Hacked: A Case Of Guerrilla Curation? (March 31, 2014)
The Rotating Snakes Are All In Your Mind (March 24, 2014)
The Green You See Is Not The Green You See (March 17, 2014)
Evolution Is Coming To A Storybook Near You (March 10, 2014)
Alzheimer’s Challenges Notions Of Memory And Identity (March 4, 2014)
How Not To Name Your Baby (February 24, 2014)
Galileo Lives On (February 17, 2014)
Dear Mr. Ham: You Can’t Have It Both Ways (February 10, 2014)
This Could Have Been Shorter (February 03, 2014)
Must Science Murder Its Darlings? (January 27, 2014)
Why Personalized Internet Ads Are Kind Of Creepy (January 13, 2014)
Equal Sign Named ‘Symbol Of The Year’ For 2013 (January 06, 2014)
2013
Science: A Laughing Matter? (December 30, 2013)
A Science Geek’s Guide To Christmas Celebration (December 23, 2013)
Global Warming Explained, In About A Minute (December 16, 2013)
Solving The Conundrum Of Multiple Choice Tests (December 09, 2013)
The Truth About The Left Brain / Right Brain Relationship (December 02, 2013)
Dancing To The Tune Of Ph.D. (November 25, 2013)
‘Brain Porn’ Not So Seductive After All? (November 18, 2013)
Let’s Talk: Can Comments Advance Science? (November 04, 2013)
How Real Is The Candy Witch? (October 28, 2013)
Scientist = Geek Is A Dangerous Equation (October 21, 2013)
Fear Not The Voracious Vegan (October 07, 2013)
Are Women Less Corrupt Than Men? (September 30, 2013)
Does Science Require Faith? (September 23, 2013)
Can Faith Ever Be Rational? (September 16, 2013)
Science Vs. Religion: A Heated Debate Fueled By Disrespect (September 09, 2013)
In Defense of (Conceptually Messy) Psychology (August 26, 2013)
Stop Multitasking! It’s Distracting Me (And You) (August 19, 2013)
Is There Existential Meaning Beyond Religion? (August 12, 2013)
Is Weak Evidence Better Than No Evidence? (August 06, 2013)
The ‘Prisoner’s Dilemma’ Tests Women In And Out Of Jail (July 29, 2013)
What Makes Something A ‘New’ Language? (July 22, 2013)
Human Emotions Explained In 60 Short Interviews (July 15, 2013)
What Does Your Summer Reading Say About You? (July 08, 2013)
Chest Hair, Breast Milk And Human Disgust (July 01, 2013)
Don’t Blame Your Unconscious Mind For Your Own Actions (June 24, 2013)
Name Five Women In Philosophy. Bet You Can’t. (June 17, 2013)
Would You Accept DNA From A Murderer? (June 10, 2013)
Explain This: The Illusion Of Political Understanding (June 03, 2013)
‘Cheating’ Can Be An Effective Learning Strategy (May 20, 2013)
The National Center For Science Education Keeps Evolving (May 13, 2013)
A Mother’s Day Gift That Makes You Feel Better, Too (May 11, 2013)
Science, Meet The People (May 06, 2013)
Elegance Trumps Ethics In A Scientific Scandal (April 29, 2013)
Fewer Backflips, More Lentils: A Recipe For VegWeek 2013 (April 22, 2013)
The Humiliations Of Motherhood (April 15, 2013)
Atheist Shoemaker Loses Faith In U.S. Mail (April 08, 2013)
Should All Women Heed Author’s Advice To ‘Lean In’? (April 02, 2013)
The Ironic Success Of Experimental Philosophy (March 25, 2013)
Death By Drone: The Moral Way To Go? (March 18, 2013)
Is Having A Child A Rational Decision? (March 11, 2013)
Can We Ever Explain Human Tragedy? (March 04, 2013)
Science: A Relationship You May Not Understand (February 25, 2013)
Of Rats And Men: Edward C. Tolman (February 11, 2013)
Speaking Out About Women And Power (February 04, 2013)
Be Like A Bat? Sound Can Show You The Way (January 28, 2013)
Music, Multivitamins And Other Modern Intelligence Myths (January 22, 2013)
What Should We Be Worried About In 2013? (January 14, 2013)
Resolving To Be A Better Person This Year? It’ll Take More Than Good Intentions (January 07, 2013)
2012
Climate Change Revisited: It Isn’t Just For Natural Scientists Anymore (December 17, 2012)
Gift Giving: It Isn’t Just The Thought That Counts (December 15, 2012)
What Do Aliens, Climate Change And Princess Di Have In Common? (December 10, 2012)
Learning Facts Through Fiction: An Imagined Encounter (December 03, 2012)
It’s Time To End The Turkey-Tofurky Thanksgiving Food Fight (November 26, 2012)
Would You Vote For An Atheist? Tell The Truth (November 13, 2012)
Are You Responsible For The Outcome Of The Election? (November 05, 2012)
Is It Silly To Seek Purpose In The Natural World? (October 29, 2012)
Should Scientists Promote Results Over Process? (October 24, 2012)
For Edge.org
2017
What Scientific Term or Concept Ought to be More Widely Known?
2016
What Do You Consider the Most Interesting Recent [Scientific] News? What Makes it Important?
2015
What Do You Think about Machines that Think? Don’t Be a Chauvinist about Thinking
2014
What Scientific Idea Is Ready for Retirement? The Mind Is Just the Brain
2013
What Should We Be Worried About? Illusions of Understanding and the Loss of Intellectual Humility
2012
2011
What Scientific Concepts Would Improve Everybody’s Cognitive Toolkit? Defeasibility
For Psychology Today
2013
Is it Rational to Have a Child? Can Psychology Tell Us? (March 11, 2013)
2012
Are You a Sucker For Math? (December 29, 2012)
Can You Explain Your Moral Choices? (September 21, 2012)
Explaining Gender Differences (August 28, 2012)
A Simple Lesson From Strep Throat (May 23, 2012)
Does Curiosity Guide Children’s Learning? (April 14, 2012)
Explanation Roundup (February/March Edition) (March 26, 2012)
If Your Mind Made You Believe It, Is It True? (March 8, 2012)
Is Evolution “Just a Theory”? (February 18, 2012)
Do You Wish Evolution Weren’t True? (February 7, 2012)
Embracing Darwin in an Uncertain World (January 26, 2012)
What’s the Most Beautiful Explanation? (January 17, 2012)
Explanations Everywhere, Even In Improv (January 14, 2012)
Choosing the Best Explanation Is Elementary, My Dear Watson (January 8, 2012)