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More Than Just Being a Sentimental Fool: The Psychology of Nostalgia
In the 17th and 18th centuries, nostalgia was viewed as a medical disease, complete with symptoms including weeping, irregular heartbeat and anorexia. By the 20th century, nostalgia was regarded as a psychiatric disorder, with symptoms
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When 2 + 2 = Major Anxiety: Math Performance in Stressful Situations
Imagine you are sitting in the back of a classroom, daydreaming about the weekend. Then, out of nowhere, the teacher calls upon you to come to the front the room and solve a math problem.
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The Psychology of Déjà vu
All of us have experienced being in a new place and feeling certain that we have been there before. This mysterious feeling, commonly known as déjà vu, occurs when we feel that a new situation
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Beads of Memory
Born with an “academic silver spoon” in his mouth and an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time, APS William James Fellow Award recipient Morris Moscovitch honed his interest in
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Study Reveals Clues to How We Forget Over Short-Term
Even though forgetting is such a common occurrence, scientists have not reached a consensus as to how it happens. One theory is that information simply decays from our memory—we forget things because too much time
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Magical Memory Tour
Earlier this year, the Observer (April 2008) highlighted a study being conducted by Catriona M. Morrison and APS Fellow Martin A. Conway at the University of Leeds that asked people to record their memories of
