-
Science Academies From Around the World Release Joint Statement on Basic Research
The G-Science Academies is a group of science academies made up of the G-7 countries, plus an additional seven countries, that releases periodical statements to their respective governments on the state of science in the world.
-
Psychological Scientists Convene on How Research Can Shape the Future of National Security
On June 24, 2020, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a webinar colloquium that brought prominent researchers in the fields of psychological science, neuroscience, and cognitive science together to discuss how their research can help shape the future of national security.
-
Five Years Ago, Love Won. Here’s How Research Helped Make That Progress Possible.
Five years ago today, the Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriage to become the law of the land when it struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman. It was a victory built on generations of tireless advocacy, election day disappointments, and spurts of progress across the country. One of the key elements to winning this battle was research, notably that of UCLA psychologist Evelyn Hooker. In the 1940s and 50s, when gay men could be arrested just for being gay, Hooker bucked the norms of her era and studied them like any other subject. Her groundbreaking work showed that being gay was not a mental illness. It started with a friendship.
-
Psychological Research: Racial Biases in the Peer-review and Publishing Enterprise
Researchers closely examine the racial dimensions of what they consider to be top-tier cognitive, developmental, and social psychology journals.
-
The World’s Getting Better. Here’s Why Your Brain Can’t Believe It.
Life has improved for most people around the world over the past generation, temporary pandemics aside. The rub is that you can’t get anyone to believe the good news. And the result is a toxic political environment—and the potential collapse of democratic norms if too few people feel that a stressed system is worth saving. Those on the right tend to be certain that crime and unauthorized immigration are growing out of control, in the face of statistics showing the opposite.
-
It’s an Angry Time, but It Can Also Be Energizing
... It’s an angry time, all right, with political polarization at record levels, cable news and social media monetizing outrage, and the pandemic, unemployment and fury over racial injustice heating the toxic emotional stew. Mental health experts worry about rising domestic violence and drug and alcohol abuse, warning that Americans urgently need better tools to calm emotional storms. Abundant research supports the adage that holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. Study after study links simmering aggression with heart disease — the No. 1 killer of Americans before the pandemic.
