SciShow Psych

Sometimes you hear music and you automatically tap your foot, or do a little dance, or walk to the beat. What’s happening in your brain that makes your body move like that? Can music’s effects on movement or speech rewire your brain?

Compared to most animals in the vast kingdom, humans have one of the longest childhoods. And you might think this is so we have time to develop our advanced thinking skills, but scientists think it might not be that simple.

When it's time to play in the big game against your fiercest rivals, you might put on your "game face." But how much does this expression affect your opponents? And might you also be affecting yourself?

Some people are capable of concentrating in a storm of noise and motion, and some get distracted by the slightest squeak of a classmate’s chair. This has to do with our brain’s ability to filter, and not only are both entirely natural, each can boost our creativity.

Researchers have noticed a decline in reading ability starting in your 40s. And learning more about why this happens might help us tell the difference between healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

Objectively, some shows end with rough final acts, but we are finding that this isn’t the only factor in our discontent. Unsatisfactory finales also reflect common types of relationships we build with fictional characters.

There are aspects of computer code that look like language and some that seem more like algebra, and since we may be headed for a future where many people will need to learn to code, researchers are interested in figuring out how exactly the brain interprets code.

Fast food was invented to help us keep up with our fast-paced world. But it’s also had some unintended psychological consequences and can influence our choices in situations that don’t have anything to do with food.

There’s no doubt that lithium has a diverse list of uses. But the way that it interacts with our bodies to help treat bipolar disorder is aiding us in better understanding the disorder and potentially developing new drugs to combat it.

Have you ever wondered why you feel better after a good, hearty sob? Well, it turns out the reasons are kind of a mystery, and they range from social support to brain temperature.

In Parkinson's disease, certain kinds of neurons die over time, but it might be possible to reprogram other types of cells in the brain to replace those lost ones.

Humans are fascinated by shiny stuff. Not only do we find these things attractive, but we also tend to perceive them as being high quality. Well, turns out this infatuation may be related to our evolutionary relationship to water.

When talking about the brain, neurons have been dazzling scientists for a long time. But behind every successful neuron is a glial cell - particularly one type of them: microglia.

Meditation methods and the scientific method are teaming up to explore some of the deepest questions about our existence and human nature.

Most of us can probably think of a time when we were enjoying a video game and then suddenly...it's 2 am. And that may not be entirely your fault! Video games are designed with elements that suck you in and put you in a state of flow, making it easy to miss how just much time is passing.

It’s hard to study dreams because it’s not like you can communicate back and forth with someone while they’re asleep...at least you couldn’t, until now!

Temper tantrums are more complex than just a toddler's unbridled rage. And recent research into what toddlers are thinking and feeling can help us better support kids’ healthy development!

Have you ever had a great idea or a burst of insight while taking a shower? Well, it turns out that shower thoughts are more than just an internet phenomenon, and understanding them better can help us harness their power for good!

We’ve all been tripped up by tongue-twisters. That’s the whole point! But at a neuroscientific level, they’re as difficult to understand as they are to say.

Our immune systems aren't just critical to our physical health. It turns out they may play a big role in our mental health, as well. And learning more about how these two aspects of our health are interconnected can help us develop more effective treatments for mental health conditions — and help destigmatize them in the process. Please note: the following video discusses mental and physical health, but we are not doctors, and nothing we say should be taken as medical advice.

You might have had the experience of heading out for the night, feeling good, snapping a few selfies with friends that memorialize for all time how great your hair is looking. But the next day, you’re tagged in someone else’s photos and… yikes. How did you look so good in your photos and not in your friends’? Was that actually what you looked like all night?

You have a lot of choices if you’re looking to learn a new language, from Spanish to coding, or even whistling! And there are some broad similarities and patterns in the ways our brains process these different forms of communication.

You’ve probably been there before, working hard on your job until your brain gets all mushy and fuzzy. But small breaks, like watching this video, can help you in multiple ways! Just, don’t fall into any cat video rabbit holes.

After a bad day, you might feel like you deserve a treat and order that pair of shoes you've had your eye on. But psychologists have wondered if that impulse purchase can end up leaving you feeling more unfulfilled than happy.

Flinching in response to an unexpected loud noise might not be pleasant, but it's also not a problem for most people. For one family, however, getting startled would cause their bodies to go stiff and fall.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle used sensory experiences and body parts to propose that humans have five senses. But almost as soon as he proposed them, people noticed things that didn’t fit the bill. And the debate has continued ever since because it all comes down to what we consider a sense.

For a long time, scientists considered the neocortex the brainiest part of the human brain – an obvious candidate for the thing that makes us unique. But in some ways, it’s not that different from other mammals’ brains. So researchers have started looking at other places to figure out what makes us distinctly human.

Remote mental health services have been around for a while, long before the pandemic. So, we've had plenty of time to study how well they work, and there are some encouraging findings.

We have a powerful way to study how brains work thanks to a relatively new technology called chemogenetics. With chemogenetics, scientists can give an injection to mice that turns specific parts of their brains on or off!

When you think of a brain, you probably imagine that pink, wrinkly organ in your skull, but we don’t have to stop there! Neither the brain’s functions, nor its cells, are confined to the organ we normally think of as the brain.

Researchers have noticed some trends in the relationship between academic performance and noise. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t sound good.

You’re probably familiar with that flash of recognition that happens when you see a person and suddenly realize it is someone you know, but neuroscientists have been trying to understand exactly how our brains do this for years.

Back in the early days of neuroscience, we didn't study the animals you might expect to learn about how brain cells communicate.

When we think of the neurotransmitter dopamine, we often imagine it, and other molecules in our brains, as doing one specific thing. But that's just flat out wrong!

If you're feeling anxious about climate change, you're not alone, but taking steps to help the world might also help you.

To the average tongue, the color "red" doesn't have a flavor or a smell. But color can affect how we perceive the world in so many ways - including how things taste and smell!

Humans have been taking psilocybin-containing mushrooms for centuries, but there has been recent research into the therapeutic possibilities of this molecule.

Neuroscience is abound with debates over the nature of consciousness. Which makes sense, because it’s a very abstract idea. We know we are conscious, but theories of why, how and what brain activity causes it are still simply that: theories.

You might thank your nose for letting you experience the lovely aromas of a good soup, but you probably wouldn't think to thank it for helping you experience other people's emotions!

It can be tough to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, but a team of researchers believes that artificial intelligence might be able to do it just by listening.

Even when you know what you want to do, sometimes actually doing the thing is hard. Luckily, research suggests a few ways you can make it a little easier.