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When a Mars Simulation Goes Wrong
The drive to the little white dome on the northern slope of Mauna Loa is a bumpy one. Mauna Loa, the “Long Mountain,” is a colossal volcano that covers half of the island of Hawaii. The rocky terrain, rusty brown and deep red, crunches beneath car tires and jostles passengers. Up there, more than 8,000 feet above sea level and many miles away from the sounds of civilization, it doesn’t feel like Earth. It feels like another planet. Like Mars. For the past five years, small groups of people have made this drive and moved into the dome, known as a habitat. Their job is to pretend that they really are on Mars, and then spend months living like it.
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How Music Can Fight Prejudice
The outpouring of hostility toward immigrants and refugees has reminded us that ethnocentrism remains a fact of life in both Europe and the United States. Combating it will require teaching a new generation to view members of different cultures as potential friends rather than threatening outsiders. But what mode of communication has the power to stimulate such a shift? New research from Portugal suggests the answer may be music. It reports schoolchildren around age 11 who learned about the music and culture of a faraway land expressed warmer feelings toward immigrants from that country than those who did not.
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Psychological Scientists Advocate for Value of Animal Research, Transparency
Nearly 600 individuals, including APS Fellows and other psychological scientists, have backed an open letter published in USA TODAY urging public support for animal research. Visit Page
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Why women need mid-career mentors
You probably have a mental picture of the usual mentor-mentee relationship: a college-aged ingenue sitting at lunch with an industry veteran. But for some women, that picture isn't accurate. For an older woman looking for mentorship through a career transition, creative stagnation or the second half of her career, there are increasingly few places to turn: there's no alumni network or old boys' club to step in and help. That's a problem for both women and employers since sponsorship and mentorship can be key to retaining female talent. Where can women turn if they're looking for guidance at later stages of their career?
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Can You Teach Happiness?
As head of Silliman College at Yale University, Laurie Santos interacts closely with students. Over the past few years, she's grown more concerned about their mental health. “I came to realize that college students were more depressed, anxious and overwhelmed than students realize,” says Santos, who is also a professor of psychology. “I was really worried about what I was seeing.” So she designed a new class, called the Science of Well-Being, that teaches students, in essence, how to be happier. Launched in January, the class has quickly become one of the most popular courses at the college.
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When Mind Wandering is a Strategy, Not a Disadvantage
Whether we are listening in a meeting or going for a walk, our minds often stray from the present task to other thoughts. People’s minds wander differently across situations, and new research suggests that we Visit Page
