Psychology & Sociology

On the trail of motivation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHtCpdhDy1E What motivates us? What strengthens the driving force and what weakens it? At the University of Tübingen, Humboldt Professor Kou Murayama is...

Targeting criminals

The ingenious detection methods used by forensic scientists are, among other things, the focus of the cover story of bdw. © Microgen/istock From crime...

Monkeys sense their own heartbeat

Rhesus monkeys can associate audiovisual displays with their own heartbeat pattern. Illustration © Matthew Verdolivo/UC Davis What is going on in my own body?...

Fear in the focus of research

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2_jT4OoH4M At the University of Marburg, an internationally renowned anxiety researcher is working on transferring neuroscientific results to clinical psychology. Source: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

When we think of “people” do we tend to think of men?

Language can shape certain ideas. © cienpies/ iStock Anyone who tries to use gender-neutral language often uses gender-neutral terms such as "persons", "people" or...

Origin shapes orientation skills

Whether people grew up in well-ordered settlement structures like in Chicago (left) or in more "organic" ones like in Prague (right) is reflected in...

Animal emotions raise ethical questions

What does an octopus feel? © Freder/ iStock Squid can solve complex puzzles, bees have different levels of exploration based on previous experience, and...

Why we are carried away by samba music

Researchers have devoted a study to the effects of samba rhythms and their neural echo. © Joa_Souza/iStock At the famous carnival parades in Rio...

Uncovering the mysteries of language

Linguists study the many interesting aspects of human language. ©iLexx/iStock When and why did humans develop their ability to communicate verbally, what happens in...

How parrots control themselves

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChsjyjG1bDg Sometimes it's a good idea to wait wisely: people can resist immediate temptation knowing it will reward them later. Parrots are also capable...

Post-truth tendencies since 1980

A change from rational to intuitive language can also be seen in books. (Image: demaerre/ iStock) "We conclude" or "I believe"? In the...

On the trail of cosmic superintelligences

What other intelligent beings could there be in the universe? (Image: bjdlzx/iStock) Are we alone in space? The search for signals from extraterrestrial...

How the brain associates smells with places

It appears that olfactory neurons encode spatial maps. (Illustration: Diogo Matias, Champalimaud Foundation) This is what the office smells like, so the kitchen ...:...

The Psychology Behind Age Gap Relationships

Should the gap in ages between the consenting adults in a relationship matter? The short answer to that is, of course, not. Although singles...

Mother’s smell promotes confidence in infants

The mother's scent gives babies security. (Image: d3000 / iStock) The maternal body odor not only promotes the bond between mother and child, but...

Do we recognize cultural affiliation by laughing?

Can you hear where a laughing man comes from? (Illustration: Roza Kamiloglu and Disa Sauter) Is that where a Japanese or a Dutchman laughs?...

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