How Can We Make Science More Inclusive?

Scientists are on their way to developing the capacity to create “designer babies." The ethics of “special ordering” children have yet to be addressed. Parenting will take on new complexities should we become able to dictate children’s attributes and skill sets. Genetically modified children may experience...

Have you ever thought about what you are? The question might seem simple at first but it can be answered from different perspectives. I recently stumbled upon Peter Godfrey-Smith’s marvelous book Metazoa: Animal Minds and the Birth of Consciousness, and I was surprised to discover an answer to the question of what we are that I hadn’t considered before.

We construct a mental self-image on the basis of how other people treat us and how we differ from other people. Feelings of self-esteem are based on the value of one’s personal identity plus the combined value of one’s many social identities. This post is Part 1 of...

How changes over time in two types of narcissistic traits are related to changes in relationship satisfaction. Increases in narcissistic rivalry, a defensive and antagonistic trait, were related to declines in relationship satisfaction. Here are several ways to interpret these research findings. It is well-documented that narcissists don't make good...

Around 42 percent of Americans "actively avoid the news at least some of the time." Research shows that different ways of engaging with the news can be either harmful to our mental health or empowering. By assuming detached engagement, we can strive to be invested in what’s going on in...

Feelings of excitement will give you the energy necessary to project the slightly bigger-than-life persona you need. The mental exercise required to recall an emotion has the added benefit of making you forget your nerves. Use deep breathing to various forms of meditation to maintain your calm. Is stress bad...

When one chooses the path of meditation to heal psychologically and spiritually, one forgets at times about feelings like compassion and forgiveness. One might even forget about the attitudes of kindness, generosity, and gratitude. When people meditate, they might experience feelings of ease, well-being, and lucidity. I have experienced these meditative states as beautiful and comforting. However, even though the practice of meditation allows a person to experience positive states, they need to support human, everyday living, rather than encourage escaping from what is difficult to face.