Articles
I am a contributing editor at Scientific American and write the Brain Waves blog for Psychology Today (you can find those posts here). My work has also appeared in The Atlantic, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Time, Vogue and many other publications. Earlier in my career, I was on staff at Newsweek, and People, among other places and I’ve included a few of my old favorites from those days.
The Stuttering Mind
Once blamed on personalities or parents, this speech disorder originates from neurological wiring and genes. New findings are pointing to new treatments.
Lee Reeves, who stutters, demonstrates three sounds that trip him up: “L” (left), “W” (center) and “ST” (right). Reeves says that relaxing when he forms the sounds reduces a lot of his speech stumbles. Credit: Anthony Francis Stuttering Stems from Problems in Brain Wiring, Not Personalities Poor neural connections among…
The pandemic tested our friendships. Which ones will survive?
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: BRYAN GEE/THE GLOBE AND MAIL. SOURCE IMAGE: ISTOCK Back at the very beginning of the pandemic, when no one had cancelled anything yet but we were eyeing the headlines with a growing dread, I noticed a detail buried in the news here in New York. Our second case…
Adolescent Brains Are Wired to Want Status and Respect: That’s an Opportunity for Teachers and Parents
Advances in neuroscience and psychology could lead to real-world benefits in education and mental health
Credit: Alison Seiffer Advances in neuroscience and psychology could lead to real-world benefits in education and mental health Here is a parable for our time: There once was an adult who wanted to encourage eighth graders to eat healthier food. The adult designed a lesson plan full of nutritional information—why…
How to end a friendship: Should you address it directly, or simply unsubscribe?
Ghosting/Unsubscribing, concept (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) I’ve spent years reporting on the emerging science of friendship. Here’s what I’ve learned about ending one Rachel Jones has unsubscribed. I stared at the computer screen—looking at the list of people who had opted out from my author newsletter. I get it. People…
Conservative and Liberal Brains Might Have Some Real Differences
Scanners try to watch the red-blue divide play out underneath the skull Credit: Getty Images In 1968 a debate was held between conservative thinker William F. Buckley, Jr., and liberal writer Gore Vidal. It was hoped that these two members of opposing intellectual elites would show Americans living through tumultuous times…
A Quest for Quincy: Gene Therapies Come of Age for Some Forms of Autism
A gene therapy for Angelman syndrome stands at the forefront of efforts to treat autism-linked conditions that stem from single genes. Photograph by William Mebane Allyson Berent is a specialty veterinarian in New York City. She treats animals that other doctors cannot help. When no good therapies are available,…