Marriage Obsession Gets Recharged

A century ago most women wanted to marry because they lacked career opportunities. Yet, women who are established in high-paying jobs, or careers sometimes give them up and go back to being homemakers. It happened in the 1950s and the marriage imperative may be getting a boost from new legislation in Germany.

Sexual Wiring of Women's Breasts

If men have sex on the brain, they are not alone. Recent research found that women’s sensory cortex has three distinct areas corresponding to stimulation of the clitoris, vagina, and cervix (1). To their surprise, researchers found that self stimulation of the nipples lights up the same areas. This sheds further light on the sexual importance of breasts.

Why Women Feel Bad About Their Appearance

Women underestimate their attractiveness whereas men are overly complacent about theirs. Why the difference? It is tempting to imagine that this is simply a reflection of continuing power imbalances favoring men. Yet, there is a simpler explanation. Women care more about their appearance because looks are more consequential for them.

Being Nice Doesn't Always Work Out


The Big Why of Boston Bombings

The big question on everyone’s mind is motive. Why would two accomplished young men launch horrifying sadistic attacks on civilians in a city that had provided them a safe haven from war? As athletes, why target an athletic event? Why attack the Boston Marathon, a symbol of international friendship in a city that had embraced, nurtured, encouraged, and educated them?

Is City Life Hostile to Children?

How important is the right to reproduce? We may soon find out. The most advanced cities, such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and New York are now so hostile to childbearing that many women have stopped getting married or having babies.

Keeping Up With the Joneses Makes Us Sad and Sick

Being at the bottom of the heap is stressful and depressing. It is bad for health. Poor people are about twice as likely to develop clinical depression and have substantially shorter life expectancy. Living in an unequal society is stressful because there is a pervasive insecurity and lack of social trust.

The Home For Man and Beast

Winning at home may seem a bit like a pupil who excels at lunch. Yet, there are real advantages to the sense of confidence and security accruing to time spent at home. The underlying psychology has deep roots in evolution.

Finally, a Cure for Writer's Block!


What Do Porn Actors Want?

Pornography is a business and the actors are motivated primarily by money. As human beings, they are emotionally affected by what they do, however. Men react differently from women. These differences are essentially the opposite of gender stereotypes advanced by evolutionary psychologists.

Impact of Telecommuting on Family Life

Much of the controversy about telecommuting deals with how well people do their jobs, whether they are productive, collegial, or upwardly mobile. A slightly different topic is what telecommuting can, or can not, do for families. Telecommuters are better able to care for their children and they could benefit from cheaper housing and raise larger families.

Dieting Is Not the Path to Health

Mayor Bloomberg was in the news recently when his attempt to ban large sugary drinks got shot down in the courts. He feels obliged to do something to tackle the epidemic of obesity. He wants New Yorkers to go on a soda diet.

Do Lie Detectors Work?


Escaping Parental Control

A century ago, most parents dictated who their children socialized with, supervised their meetings with romantic companions, prevented premarital intercourse, and ensured that the young people married suitable individuals. Matters are very different today. Children are less pliant, less empathic, more independent.

Do Religious People Really Live Longer?

This question can be asked in two different ways. One can ask whether religious people live longer than their non religious compatriots. Or one can ask whether people living in religious countries enjoy longer lives than people in secular countries. Oddly, the answers to these questions are very different.

Big Government Kills Religion

Atheism blossoms in developed countries but is virtually absent in poorer nations. One interpretation of secularization is that big government helps citizens to feel more secure and less in need of religious reassurance. In a new study, I have found the most compelling evidence yet for this possibility.

Nice Guys Kill and Forget

Those of us who are old enough remember O. J. Simpson’s bizarre pursuit of the “real killer” of his murdered wife. And the Saturday Night Live skit where his analysis of football plays spelled out “I did it” on the screen. Now Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius seems to be acting from a similar script.

On the Benefits of Failure


Will Romantic Love Last Forever?

Many people are asking themselves if their relationship has staying power. In a recent post, I asked whether marriage itself is on the ropes. If marriage is really destined for the slag heap of history, what will that do to romantic love?

Coping with Boredom

If you make the experience more intense, it seems exciting. That simple trick was applied when restaurants used to serve their coffee super hot so no one would notice how bad it tasted. A simple way to make any activity more intense, or less boring, is to do it quickly.

The Health Premium of Marriage: Personality or Sex?

In The Case for Marriage, Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher promote the advantages of marriage. Married people are healthier, wealthier, and live longer, they conclude. As people spend increasing amounts of their lives single, such conclusions are under attack.

The Secret of Performance Under Pressure


Does Religion Control Teen Sex in America?

Social scientists often talk about the effects of religion on sexual behavior as though the dogmas of a church were automatically practiced. Evangelicals are the largest religious grouping in America and they are extremely anti-sexual. What about their conduct?

Why Women Are More Sexual in Some Societies


The Lure of the Incomplete Task

A waiter remembers every detail of an order but promptly forgets them when the plates hit the table. Evidently, the human brain strives to complete ongoing activities and focuses on details of the incomplete task. The lure of the incomplete task transcends memory to motivate a lifetime of creative achievement.

Is the Family Doomed?

If you had a trying time with your relatives this holiday season, the news is good. Such gatherings will soon be a faint memory according to sociologist Joel Cotkin in a new report “The Rise of Post-familism.”

Are Religious People Healthier?

The load of various infectious diseases in a country predicts how religious it is both in terms of belief in God and stated importance of religion

When the world won't end

End-of-the-world predictions are very much in the air between the dreaded 12/12/12 date and the Mayan calendar running out. Cults proclaiming that the end is nigh are dangerous to their members. That is why the cults themselves fail along with their prophecies.

Why Women Worry More


Trauma Resets Personality

Psychologists know that some aspects of personality are virtually unchangeable. These traits are described as “deep” meaning that they are (a) biologically based and (b) difficult to change. You cannot turn a sociopath into a saint or crush the ego of a narcissist.