Social Sciences

Horror is a popular genre, but why do we find scary content appealing... and can it help us in real life?

No one is entirely sure why humans enjoy humour... but that there seems to be a sinister link between it and the darker aspects of your personality...

Though often thought of as a pseudo-science suited only for "magic" shows, hypnosis is an actual psychological phenomenon. Researchers have found that it can alter memory, offer pain relief or even modify behaviour...

Cannibalism does happen in the modern world, and not only amongst isolated tribes. From religious sects and killers to the jungles of New Guinea, there are plenty of individuals who've tasted long pig.

Many cultures have folklore about supernatural possession - could these encounters be explained by psychological conditions?

The real-life practice that took over 1,000 days to complete

For several centuries, a few members of Europe’s nobility suffered from the belief they were made of glass.

Religious leaders, wing-nuts, charlatans, and even a chicken have predicted the end of the world, but we are still here.

The human psyche is complicated. From an imaginary bug infestation to believing yourself to be dead, here are eight of the weirdest conditions a human can experience.

There is no such thing as an average human and believing there is leads to all sorts of mistakes.

Many treatments have been tried on mentally ill folks throughout history. Some wouldn't look out of place in Guantanamo Bay. Here are the five most disturbing.

Named after a hostage situation in Stockholm complicated by the captives bonding with their captors, Stockholm syndrome may be a warped form of survival instinct. Read on for more about Stockholm syndrome and the equally bizarre Lima syndrome.

This article assesses the market sales and challenges facing the balut industry in Pateros.

The willingness to conform is part of the human psyche, something that allows us to form massive social groups – or commit acts of callous cruelty. Here are three studies that illustrate how far a human will go to fit in.

The human psyche is amazing. While all of us are unique, certain psychological theories such as the Bouba-Kiki theory and Barnum Effect apply to all of us irrespective of our nationality and language. Isn't it amazing how we all are so different yet have so many similarities?

There was a time when yearning for a previous age was believed to be bad for people's health.

Clinical lycanthropy is a recognised disorder! It is the belief that you are becoming a wolf. Read on to explore this disorder and real-life cases.

Pragmatics, a sub-field of linguistics, talks about "face theory" and "politeness theory". It discusses the "face" we put on while interacting with others and explains why we choose certain words over others in our interactions.

Collectively, large numbers of people seem to be better at decision making than individual experts; until they aren't.

Mass hysteria can infect a crowd with irrational behaviour and beliefs, ranging from outbreaks of spontaneous dancing to a fear of shrinking genitals.

There are many groups of people who don't want their activities to become public. Here, is just a small sample.

Well-known cultural symbols sometimes cause strange psychological impacts.

Universal Basic Income (UBI) is an idea of governments providing their citizens with a basic, guaranteed income every month. While the concept sounds like science fiction, due to the fragile labor market, increasing inflation, and the rapid development of AI, UBI is a more relevant topic than ever.

Explore the irony of dwindling attention spans amidst growing global complexity, the crucial role of thought leaders, and our power to champion nuance in our world.

The United States is enormous, with about two billion acres of land. We should all know how that land is being used since space will eventually be a grave concern.

The Aztec Ruins National Monument is a protected area in northwestern New Mexico, United States, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monument encompasses 318 acres and contains several ancient Pueblo structures, including the Great House, with over 400 rooms. This article will explain more.

Learn about the meaning of 172 religious symbols from 42 religions from every historical era and continent of the world.

A discussion of Freud's levels of mind, Libet's experiments on free will, and how you can reprogram your subconscious mind to improve your life.

The feminist movement has gone through various stages of development, and these stages are often referred to as waves. This article provides an overview of the three waves of feminism, highlighting key terms and important theorists associated with each wave in a simple conversational way

Learn about the inseparable history of religion and art, and discover how their evolutionary functions connect them, with illustrative examples of beautiful and sacred art.

Submitting screenshots as evidence to a court often leads to issues determined by failing to prove the authenticity of this kind of document. This article will show how you can take a screenshot so it cannot be disputed during a trial in court.

Everybody lies and, it turns out, we're not very good at unmasking the deceit of others.

During the Great War, it slowly dawned on the military that the conditions of combat were causing men to develop serious mental health problems.

Understanding the way we acquire knowledge is important for students, teachers and parents. This innovative and novel approach proposed by psychologist Howard Gardner addresses this issue in a simple and concise way.

The Kikuyu believed in one God, Ngai, also known as Mwenenyaga. Their religion was not separate from the ordinary lives of the people.

Read on to learn all about seven of the world's most unusual burial practices, including Viking ship burials and Tibetan self-mummifying.

A land of over 300 islands, only 100 of which are inhabited, Fiji is a place of beauty and adventure. Here are five facts about this magnificent archipelago.

Wild children, also known as feral children, are children who have either lived in solitude, deprived of human contact or have been raised by animals.

Learn about how the government can never go broke, taxes don't fund federal spending, the national debt isn't a debt, a budget surplus is bad, and money creation doesn't cause inflation.

Cheating is a familiar part of politics, sports, business, academia, and even in areas that seem quite trivial. This article is not about cheating on your partner.

Liz Truss resigned as the Prime Minister of the UK after only 55 days in office, but is she the shortest serving of all? This article covers British Prime Ministers that served the shortest time.

The Guna are native people who live in Panama and Colombia and are at risk of losing their land to rising sea levels.

This article is an up-to-date view of the history and treatments for mental illness in the last 120 years. Both psychotherapy and psychiatric treatments have come a long way during this time. It is likely these treatments will continue to improve in the future.

Ever wonder why some children choose to be invisible or avoid other people? Being a part of the roles in a dysfunctional family, a lost child is a child who chooses to 'escape' every possible encounter that has the potential to hurt them as an act of defense mechanism. Check it out!

When facing an emergency, our guts seem to know exactly what we should do, even though we cannot explain why. We should pay attention to what our guts tell us, and here is why.

Quirks of history have left the world with numerous strange boundaries between countries.

Sensing and intuition can be one of the harder spectrums in MBTI to understand. For some, their sensing or intuitive traits are noticeably strong. For others, sensing and intuition are secondary to feeling and thinking. To learn more about MBTI, read this article.

The polling company Ipsos MORI carries out surveys of how much people know about their own countries; the results are sobering.

The Maasai are instantly recognisable for their iconic red garments and decorative jewellery. They have preserved these ancient traditions for generations.

Arabella Mansfield opened the door to the practice of law for women and minorities in Iowa.