Cognitive Science

Smart people tend to trust others more easily. But if you grew up facing economic or family hardships, your intelligence is far less likely to translate into this highly beneficial social trait.

Daydreaming is often viewed as a failure of attention, but new research suggests it serves a hidden purpose. Scientists have discovered that the temporary drop in self-control during mind wandering actually boosts the brain’s ability to unconsciously learn complex environmental...

Does learning to play an instrument actually make you more focused? A new study shows that musically trained individuals are faster, more alert, and less prone to "zoning out" than non-musicians with identical backgrounds.

Standard multiple-choice tests might be fundamentally mismeasuring human cognition. When researchers updated traditional intelligence tests to allow test-takers to express uncertainty and manage risk, women scored higher than men.

New research shows that genetic predispositions for cognitive performance can shift our economic views in opposite directions depending on our childhood class background, pushing poor individuals leftward and wealthy individuals rightward.

By tracking the brain activity of volunteers estimating the duration of flashing lights, scientists have uncovered the sequential neural pathway that allows us to experience the passage of time.

A new eye-tracking study reveals that our preexisting beliefs dictate how we learn new information. Researchers found that people struggle to adapt when facts challenge their views, shedding light on why fake news is so hard to combat.

A recent experiment shows that a quick jog on a treadmill can lower academic distress and sharpen mental focus. Researchers found that a short bout of aerobic activity physically rebalances the brain's ability to ignore distracting information.

A recent study reveals that adults can boost their cognitive and emotional well-being using brief, daily mental exercises. This research suggests mental decline is not inevitable, offering a proactive approach to extending brain vitality.

A persistent cultural myth holds that people default to cursing because they lack the vocabulary for proper expression. Recent psychological research contradicts this idea, showing that knowledge of swear words correlates directly with overall verbal fluency.

Scientists have tested whether triggering analytical thinking can lower a person's religious beliefs. Recent experiments provide evidence that prompting logical thought does not actually change deeply held faith.

A new study reveals that waking mind wandering is just as densely packed with bizarre elements as nighttime dreaming. While dreams feature slowly transforming impossibilities, daydreams are marked by abrupt jumps in logic.

A new study reveals that the long-standing belief connecting mathematical and musical abilities is largely explained by general intelligence. When researchers controlled for cognitive reasoning, the apparent link between being good at math and music practically disappeared.

People are increasingly outsourcing their thinking to artificial intelligence, bypassing critical reflection entirely. New research reveals that this "cognitive surrender" inflates confidence and causes users to blindly adopt algorithm-generated answers, even when the software is wrong.

Do vertical stripes actually make a person look thinner? A new study published in i-Perception provides evidence that horizontal pencil stripes can produce a more slimming effect. Researchers found that specific line spacing and direction alter our visual judgment of...