Jim Davies
Some Music Is Inherently Bad—But People Can Be Convinced Otherwise
Artistic appreciation is a deeply subjective process, perhaps the most essentially personal thing that humans do. But are there some explanations for why we like what we do? Why, for instance, does a particular song get popular? Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Some of it has to do […]
The Death of Hundreds Is Just a Statistic—But It Doesn’t Have to Be
Imagine that tomorrow I were to show you a newspaper article describing a deadly wildfire. Do you think you’d be more upset upon reading that 10,000 people died than if you read that five people died? Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . This scenario makes people engage in affective […]
Finding the Perfect Amount of Creativity in Cars & Religion
There is only a certain level of novelty that most people are willing to tolerate.
Why Are You So Smart? Thank Your Mom & Your Difficult Birth
Our inability to care for ourselves as babies is a key to the genius of our species.
New Year’s Resolutions and the Science of Willpower
The “marshmallow experiment” has become a famous way to measure the self-control of children. (This is a version of the test made for entertainment, not research, purposes.) Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Every year since 1988, my friend Lou and I have picked a New Year’s resolution together. […]
Is Santa Claus a God?
Father Christmas bears some striking similarities to the divinities of many religions.
How Your Brain Gaslights You—for Your Own Good
Nailia Schwarz via Shutterstock Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Runners can tell you that sometimes the last mile of a run seems to feel dramatically longer than the first. This perceptual distortion isn’t limited to brains addled by exercise—it’s a consistent feature of our minds. When we look […]
San Francisco Is Smarter Than You Are
The city is a big brain that can solve big problems.
San Francisco Is Smarter Than You Are
The city is a big brain that can solve big problems.
How a Mental Disorder Can Disappear from the World Overnight
The dinosaur long ago renamed “Apatosaurus” is still often called “Brontosaurus.” stevegeer via iStock Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Over the past few decades, autism and Asperger syndrome have become prominent in the public consciousness, and that prominence has been reflected in popular art and entertainment. Autism, a […]