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The Myth of “Fight or Flight”
Lisa Feldman Barrett is professor of psychology at Northeastern University and author of How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. In a recent Scientific American article, she asked whether the brain’s much-touted
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Why Humans are Drawn to Extremely Spicy or Sour Foods — Even if They Hurt
For some, foods that generate pain can trigger an adrenaline rush, similar to watching a horror movie. … In both cases, the brain can override the initial pain reaction. Paul Rozin, a professor of psychology
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Chemical Communication is Nothing to Sniff At
Research is uncovering just how much our noses know about our social environments.
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Silence Is a ‘Sound’ You Hear, Study Suggests
The hush at the end of the musical performance. The pause in a dramatic speech. The muted moment when you turn off the car. What is it that we hear when we hear nothing at
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Our Brains May Process Silence and Sounds the Same Way
Can you hear the sound of silence? It’s a question that may seem better suited to a philosophy class (or a Simon & Garfunkel concert) than a science lab, but a new study published today
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Do We Actually ‘Hear’ Silence?
At a concert hall near Woodstock, N.Y., in August 1952, the pianist David Tudor played John Cage’s three-movement composition 4’33″. Doing so did not require enormous jumps with the right hand. Most people could play the
