Susan Faludi

Backlash Then, Backlash Now

“No feminist ever said the women’s movement was about women ‘having it all,’” Susan Faludi said. “In the 80s, it was falsely held up as a feminist promise broken.”
ProPublica child detention center recording

The Cries Heard Around the World

ProPublica's audio of crying children in detention centers touched a nerve. Humans are keenly attuned to the sounds of crying, in part because of evolution.
optimistic kids

Children Are Natural Optimists (Which Has Its Ups and Downs)

Human beings seem to be born wearing rose-colored glasses. Psychologists are interested in how this bias toward the positive works in the very young.
Photgraph: Fred Rogers lacing up his iconic sneakers

Source: Grand Communications/The Fred Rogers Company

Long Live Mister Rogers’ Quiet Revolution

Fred Rogers argued by example and in his quiet, firm way that television’s power could be harnessed to shape future generations for good.
Cropped Image Of Man And Woman Kissing

The Murky Linguistics of Consent

In many #MeToo stories, crucial signals, verbal and non-verbal cues, are sent but not received. Why is that?
Hurricane Katrina drawing

Helping Kids After Harvey

Right now, there’s an outpouring of support for families displaced by Harvey, but what happens after the waters recede in Texas?
Comic illustration of a mother ignoring her child in favor of a smart phone

Yes, Smartphones Are Destroying a Generation, But Not of Kids

Why parents need to embrace our role as digital mentors: offering kids and teens ongoing support and guidance in how to use the internet appropriately.
Sesame Street characters

Sesame Street’s Controversial Early Years

Sesame Street's original purpose was to use TV to deliver research-based educational techniques and prepare low-income kids for school.
A pair of hands making L's to distinguish which one is actually the left one

Be Honest, Can You Really Tell Left from Right?

Laterality, or left-right orientation, takes years to master. A surprising percentage of adults struggle telling left from right, including some surgeons.
Depressed man

Anxiety and Treatment

Anxiety is on the rise in the general populace, says Will Hutton in this weekend’s Guardian.