Ja n u a r y-
February
2020
Volume 31 • Number 1WHAT’S
INSIDE
BAPTISTE FERNANDEZGETTY IMAGESFEATURES
17.
Play May Be a Deeper Part of Human Nature
Than We Thought
An animal study brings us closer to understanding
our own behavior
20.
How Dishonesty Drains You
Deceitful behavior diminishes our ability to read
emotions, with many consequences
23.
Cultivating Emotion Regulation and
Mental Health
Susanne Schweizer is a neuroscientist
investigating the development of emotional
regulatory processes and their role in mental
health across the life spanOPINION
26.
A New Way to Think
about Mental Illness
Instead of looking
for “the” cause
of schizophrenia,
depression and other
disorders, we should
consider whether there
might be a network
of causes
28.
Galileo’s Big Mistake
How the great
experimentalist created
the problem of
consciousness
31.
Can Empathic Concern
Actually Increase
Political Polarization?
Research suggests that
those who display the
most concern for others
are also the most
socially polarizedILLUSIONS
35.
A Pair of Crocs to
Match the Dress
Casting new light
on viral illusionsGETTY IMAGESNEWS
4.
How Research on
Working Memory
Can Improve Your
Romantic Relationship
A cognitive factor helps
explain how well we
understand one another
6.
A Simple Test Predicts
What Kindergartners
Will Earn as Adults
Psychologists zero
in on the skills that
predict future success
7.
Scientists
Demonstrate Direct
Brain-to-Brain
Communication
in Humans
Work on an “Internet
of brains” takes
another step
10.
Western Individualism
Arose from
Incest Taboo
Researchers link a
Catholic Church ban
on cousins marrying in
the Middle Ages to the
emergence of a way
of life that made the
West an outlier12.
Deep Sleep Gives Your
Brain a Deep Clean
Slow-wave activity
during dreamless
slumber helps wash
out neural detritus15.
Failure Found to
Be an “Essential
Prerequisite”
for Success
Scientists use big data
to understand what
separates winners
from losers