Robb G. BestDec 11, 20192 minHow "Smart" is Your City?Have you ever found yourself walking down a busy city sidewalk, so overwhelmed and overstimulated by all the signs, sounds, and cars that...
Robb G. BestDec 6, 20193 minBad Breakup? Neuroscience Can HelpMinnesota-based singer-songwriter, rapper, and essayist Dessa is famous—to the extent she is famous—for her gorgeous, aching breakup song...
Robb G. BestNov 21, 20192 minWhen Machines Get Mean(Picture credit: Carnegie Mellon University) Science has well established that a person’s ability to perform a task is affected by what o...
Robb G. BestNov 14, 20192 minWhy Today's Music Sounds WorseWhen you were in high school or college, what did your parents think of the music you loved? While there are exceptions, statistically sp...
Robb G. BestNov 7, 20192 minAnxious? Here's One Thing You NeedIt’s estimated that some 40 million American adults have an anxiety disorder, and the condition is also rising among children and teens, w...
Robb G. BestOct 31, 20192 minFire Studies Shed New LightFire: these days, starting one is as easy as flicking the switch on a gas stove. But if you’ve ever been on a camping trip, you know firs...
Robb G. BestOct 10, 20192 minThe Myth of "Addictive Personality"Do you have an addictive personality? No. No, you don’t. How can we be so certain? Well, as it turns out that technically speaking, there...
Robb G. BestOct 4, 20192 minWhen Having a Snack Might Save YouGot an important decision to make? If you’re feeling hungry, new research suggests you should probably have a snack or a meal before you ...
Robb G. BestSep 26, 20192 minThe Narcissist TrapHow good are you at reflective thinking? If you’re a narcissist, your answer is probably something on the order of “stupendous, just asto...
Robb G. BestAug 24, 20192 minGuns and Mental Illness: What the Experts SayGuns and mental illness: it’s a topic that frequently surfaces, in the wake of each mass shooting in the U.S. The problem, say some polit...
Robb G. BestAug 8, 20192 minThe Road to ExtremismWhere does extremist violence come from? In the wake of yet another American shooting by a white nationalist, this question is more press...
Robb G. BestAug 1, 20192 minThis is Your Brain on PowerWarning: it can cause symptoms similar to brain trauma, including increased impulsivity, decreased awareness of risk, and, perhaps most a...
Robb G. BestJul 25, 20192 minVaccinating Against MisinformationAlthough “yellow journalism” is probably as old as journalism itself (the term itself dates back to the Pulitzer vs Hearst circulation wa...
Robb G. BestJul 22, 20192 minA Second Look at the Bystander EffectIf you’ve ever read a psychology textbook, you’re probably familiar with the tragic and infuriating story of Kitty Genovese, a 28-year-ol...
Robb G. BestJul 11, 20192 minThe Dad FactorLet’s take a moment to appreciate the father figures in our lives—and in the lives of mammals, evolutionarily speaking. Having a huge bra...
Robb G. BestMay 9, 20192 minWho are You, Now: Does Personality Change as We Age?Are you the same “you” that you were twenty years ago? Thirty? Forty? What about fifty years ago? While science still struggles to quanti...
Robb G. BestMay 2, 20192 minMedicinal Music: Stroke RecoveryLast week, we talked about a study suggesting that listening to a Bach sonata boosts the effectiveness of a painkiller. Today, it’s more ...
Robb G. BestApr 25, 20192 minThe Best Painkiller is Not What You Think it IsWhen we say that listening to the right song makes us feel better, usually we mean it in terms of emotions. However, a new study from the...
Robb G. BestApr 22, 20192 minThe Happiness HackHappiness: it’s something we all want, and in one way or another, most of us spend our lives attempting to pursue it. Multiple industries...
Robb G. BestMar 25, 20192 minThe Anti-Alzheimer's Diet, Part 2While there is no one fool-proof diet guaranteed to guard against age-related cognitive decline, a series of recent studies have found a ...