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Why Do I Do That?

Dreams about taking exam, being naked -- what they mean

You're in a classroom and the teacher puts an exam face down on your desk. You pick it up and can't really make out what's on it; it's blurry, or it's in another language, or it's in a subject you didn't study.

updated Wed May 05 2010 08:12:23

Dreams about taking exam, being naked -- what they mean

You're in a classroom and the teacher puts an exam face down on your desk. You pick it up and can't really make out what's on it; it's blurry, or it's in another language, or it's in a subject you didn't study.

updated Tue Feb 02 2010 16:24:21

Body dysmorphic disorder patients see details, not whole face

Some people check their appearance in any mirror, window or computer screen they can find, but not out of vanity. It's because they hate the way they look so much.

updated Wed Jan 13 2010 15:50:12

How are dog people and cat people different?

Do you rejoice at the sound of barking but cower at a meow? Or do you look at a cat and feel an instant sibling-style connection?

updated Tue Dec 15 2009 13:22:49

Coming out late in life complex but not unusual

Howard Selekman knew he had been attracted to men since he was 8, but in his 20s he still planned to marry a woman and have children with her. When he brought his fiancee to see his psychiatrist, the young woman was optimistic, even though she knew Selekman was gay.

updated Wed Dec 09 2009 15:19:32

Post-traumatic stress may harm kids' brains

Psychological trauma may leave a visible trace in a child's brain, scientists say.

updated Tue Dec 08 2009 10:37:52

Study: Military teens have more stress

Jordan Pittard, 14, remembers feeling anxious about his father being deployed with the U.S. Army in Iraq from 2006 to 2007. His mother, Lucille, a teacher, admits struggling to have enough time to work, take care of the house and talk enough to her kids.

updated Fri Dec 04 2009 10:52:31

Loneliness spreads in social networks

Have you ever felt cut off from other people, even if there are plenty around you? Maybe you felt all alone in the world, but you were making other people feel lonely without even realizing it.

updated Wed Oct 28 2009 11:33:36

How the 'fame motive' makes you want to be a star

As a large silver balloon floated its way over Colorado, millions of Americans spent hours glued to their televisions wondering if 6-year-old Falcon Heene, assumed to be inside the contraption, was alive.

updated Fri Oct 09 2009 10:37:26

Obesity, politics, STDs flow in social networks

Meet "network man." He has basic desires of his own, but has many arbitrary preferences, such as in music or clothes, that have been influenced by the people he knows.

updated Fri Oct 02 2009 10:18:44

Love, pleasure, duty: Why women have sex

What makes a woman want to have sex? Is it physical attraction? Love? Loneliness? Jealousy? Boredom? Painful menstrual cramps?

updated Fri Aug 14 2009 11:45:51

Some obsessions, compulsions not part of OCD

Driving over a pothole may not be a big deal for most people, but for Jeff Bell, it was a source of endless frustration.

updated Tue Aug 11 2009 14:38:10

More happiness may come with age, studies say

Richard Rose used to challenge his wife, Joyce, if he thought she was misstating something, but these days he lets it go.

updated Fri Jul 24 2009 12:15:27

Why so many minds think alike

You're in a room with 10 other people who seem to agree on something, but you hold the opposite view. Do you say something? Or do you just go along with the others?

updated Tue Jul 14 2009 10:53:21

Hair-pulling: 'My hands were my enemies'

Christina Pearson was half-bald at age 13. She just couldn't stop pulling her hair, and ended up taking out every lock from the tops of her ears to the crown of her head.

updated Wed Jun 24 2009 17:23:09

Retweeting: 'Followers' look to 'leaders' as social networks grow

An avid Twitter user, Alana Taylor wrote a song about the social networking site and uploaded it to YouTube last April. Soon, her Twitter feed became flooded with messages linking to it.

updated Thu Jun 04 2009 12:52:10

Insights on why people 'snap' and kill

A University of Georgia professor shot and killed his wife and two other adults in Athens, Georgia, in late April, according to police. A U.S. soldier fired on fellow troops in early May at a counseling center at a base outside Baghdad, Iraq, killing five comrades, according to authorities.

updated Fri May 15 2009 16:06:37

Mothers' talk is key to kids' social skills, study says

Mothers often get blamed for the way their children turn out, and a new study gives additional weight to that accusation.

updated Fri May 15 2009 12:46:57

How memories form, fade, and persist over time

What was the name of that guy with that stuff in that place with those things? Don't you remember?

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:54:57

Suicidal behavior may run in families

The poet Sylvia Plath, who made a name for herself through prose and poetry that conveyed a sense of depression and suicidal tendencies, famously died by asphyxiating herself in an oven in 1963.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:50:53

Happiness is contagious in social networks

If you're feeling great today, you may end up inadvertently spreading the joy to someone you don't even know.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:49:43

Seeing color in sounds has genetic link

When Julian Asher listens to an orchestra, he doesn't just hear music; he also sees it. The sounds of a violin make him see a rich burgundy color, shiny and fluid like a red wine, while a cello's music flows like honey in a golden yellow hue.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:46:08

Why funny guys get the babes

Attention, single dudes: Women want you to make them laugh.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:27:33

Men see bikini-clad women as objects, psychologists say

It may seem obvious that men perceive women in sexy bathing suits as objects, but now there's science to back it up.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:05:56

Pucker up: Scientists study kissing

When your lips gently brush against the mouth of your beloved this Valentine's Day, it may feel magically romantic, or sloppily slobbery, or blissfully gentle, or perhaps too rough and toothy.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:05:24

Feeling lonely? Genes might be at fault

For one person, the idea of spending a cold winter's night alone seems great -- a perfect time to catch up on novels, watch cheesy movies, and drink hot chocolate with marshmallows. For another, the prospect is less comforting -- feelings of depression, anger, isolation set in as the hours go by.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:05:03

Putting a price on procrastination

David Laibson knows that when he procrastinates, mere deadlines are not always enough to get him going. So, when this Harvard economics professor collaborates on a major project, he'll sometimes promise to deliver a finished product by a certain date -- or else pay his co-authors $500.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:04:30

Experts ponder link between creativity, mood disorders

The works of David Foster Wallace, who committed suicide September 12, are famous for their obsessively observed detail and emotional nuance.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:03:44

Why your brain can't always make good decisions

We all make bad decisions sometimes. In some contexts, to a certain extent, psychologists know why.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:03:20

You may be more racist than you think, study says

Would you get upset if you witnessed an act of racism?

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 15:02:37

Why some women go back to their abusers

A middle-of-the-night fight, a surprise pullout from the Grammy Awards, leaked photos, a police investigation -- new pieces of the puzzle of the alleged assault of pop singer Rihanna by her boyfriend Chris Brown have been emerging since early February.

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 14:59:02

Charting the psychology of evil, decades after 'shock' experiment

If someone told you to press a button to deliver a 450-volt electrical shock to an innocent person in the next room, would you do it?

updated Thu Apr 02 2009 14:58:22

Study: Experiences make us happier than possessions

Even in tough economic times, you may find yourself with a bit of cash to spare. You've been working hard, and you want to treat yourself. Should you spend it on an experience, such as a baseball game or concert, or a material object?

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