The Psychology of the Cart: Why Stress and Trauma Drive Impulsive and Compulsive Spending
It is a familiar modern scenario: You are scrolling through your phone after a particularly exhausting, high-stress day, and suddenly the targeted advertisements begin to glide past your screen. There…
Bridging the Divide: How Overcoming Loneliness Can Help Heal American Polarization
While the United States has experienced a historic civil war in its past, making it difficult to claim that the nation is more polarized than it has ever been, the…
Beyond the Ivory Tower: The Myth of Pygmalion and the Modern Danger of Parasocial Isolation
As the crisp air of autumn arrives, it naturally invites a period of introspection, a chance to refresh daily routines, and an opportunity to deeply engage the senses. Whether one…
Beyond the Script: Rethinking How We Read and Misread Autistic Empathy
This article was written in collaboration with Tristan Lavender. Most Western cultures teach a very specific, rigid set of rules for how to express empathy and offer emotional support. For…
The Divided Self: Why Our Deepest Sexual Fantasies Often Clash with Real-Life Desires
Hannah can describe her favorite fantasy without hesitation, painting a picture that feels entirely vivid yet entirely detached from her daily reality. In this imagined world, several men, all older…
Navigating Screen Time and Digital Habits: Experts Urge a Shift From Shame to Mindful Connection
The modern debate surrounding digital technology in the household rarely centers on whether screens are here to stay; rather, it focuses on how families can coexist with them without sacrificing…
Is Social Media Sucking the Intelligence Out of Us? Exploring the "Reverse Flynn Effect"
In a memorable scene in the science-fiction classic "Aliens," Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, exasperatedly asks a room full of corporate managers, "Did IQs just drop sharply while I’ve been…
Navigating a Quiet Revolution: Why Most ADHD Patients Should Stick With What Works Despite a Wave of New Medications
For nearly two decades, clinicians treating Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in the United States lived through a prolonged period of formulation recycling. Pharmaceutical companies routinely took established molecules—primarily amphetamines and methylphenidate—and repackaged…
The Psychology of Fandom: Why Fans Say "We" When Winning and "They" When Losing
In many hometowns, attending a formal event like a wedding or a funeral means adhering to strict, somber dress codes. You will certainly not see people dressed in a blue…
Beyond Romance: What Aristotle’s Ancient Philosophy Can Teach Us About the Rarity of True Friendship
In contemporary culture, romantic love occupies an unchallenged pinnacle. From blockbuster films and pop music to the algorithms of modern dating apps, society remains utterly obsessed with finding "the one."…