Could Negentropy Help Your Life Run Smoother?
In physics, entropy is the process of a system losing energy and dissolving into chaos. This applies to social systems in everyday life, too.
The Hidden Meaning of a Notorious Experiment
In Stanley Milgram's studies of obedience, people believed they were giving shocks to others. But did their compliance say much about the Nazis?
Is the Authoritarian Personality a Legitimate Concept?
A group of thinkers who fled Europe wanted to explain the rise of Nazism, but their ideas haven't withstood scrutiny.
Your Brain on Quarantine
Struggling to stay inside during quarantine? Feeling bored? Anxious? Researchers say you're not alone.
The Self-Help Mantra That Got Better and Better
Every day, in every way, the pop psychology of Emile Coué conquered 1920s Britain.
How Jewish Immigrants Changed American Psychology
Secular Jewish psychologists like Boris Sidis criticized the positive optimism of Protestant-centered psychology.
Why Being Laid Off Can Hurt So Much
If an occupation becomes part of your identity, losing work can feel like a personal failing, even if it's clearly not your fault.
Your Brain Evolved to Hoard Supplies and Shame Others for Doing the Same
Have people gone mad? How can one individual be overfilling their own cart, while shaming others who are doing the same?
Ancient Monks Got That Quarantine Feeling, Too
Listlessness, boredom, torpor, that "noonday demon" that tempts you away from spiritual connections—that's what was called acedia.
Selling Hedonism in Postwar America
The hedonism of American consumer culture is the result of deliberate efforts by mid-twentieth century marketing experts.