Scientific American Mind - USA (2020-11 & 2020-12)

November–

December

2020

Volume 31 • No. 6

WHAT’S

INSIDE

FEATURES

15. In Defense of the
    Psychologically Rich Life
    It involves complex
    mental engagement,
    a wide range of deep,
    intense emotions, and
    diverse, novel and
    interesting experiences


16. Emotional Labor Is
    a Store Clerk Confronting
    a Maskless Customer
    The preeminent
    sociologist Arlie Russell
    Hochschild discusses
    the control over one’s
    feelings needed to go
    to work every day during
    a pandemic

OPINION

22. The Problem with Implicit Bias Training
    It’s well motivated, but there’s little evidence
    that it leads to meaningful changes in behavior


23. Were French People Born to Speak French?
    No. The belief that people are suited to speak
    particular languages by biology is widespread—
    but wrong


24. The Weirdness of Watching Yourself
    on Zoom
    As babies, we learn that it’s ourself we see
    in a mirror. But online meeting rooms are
    a whole different thing


25. Penis Size Has Nothing to Do
    with Masculinity
    Mocking men who tote big guns or drive fast
    cars as “compensating” for their presumably
    inadequate endowment is sexist and toxic

ILLUSIONS

32. Perplexing Perspectives
    Conflicting viewpoints coexist at the crossroads
    of math and art

NEWS

4. Mountain Peaks
   Seem to Shape
   Personality Traits
   in the American West
   Topography may
   contribute to
   the formation of
   regional temperament


5. Cracking the
   Neural Code with
   Phantom Smells
   Scientists used light
   to evoke an odor
   directly in a mouse
   brain—no nose involved
   8. How Dozens of
   Languages Help Build
   Gender Stereotypes
   Usage patterns shape
   biases worldwide,
   whether in Japanese,
   Persian or English
   10. Elon Musk’s
   Pig-Brain Implant
   Is Still a Long Way from
   "Solving Paralysis"
   His start-up Neuralink
   is not the first to
   develop a wireless
   brain implant. But the
   considerable resources
   behind the effort could
   help commercialize
   the technology faster
   12. COVID-19-Era
   Isolation Is Making
   Dangerous Eating
   Disorders Worse
   People with anorexia,
   bulimia or binge-eating
   disorder report suffering
   relapses related to
   the stress of staying
   at home

NEURALINK PAUL MCGEE

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NICOLA KATIE

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SIMONE GOLOB

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