Many of us have no doubt noticed that if we’re feeling stressed or upset about something, we feel better about it after we exercise. But why would this be? A new study suggests an intriguing answer. Researchers from Beijing Normal University in China tested the theory that engaging in vigorous physical activity improves our capacity […]
How exercise helps us regulate our emotions Continue Reading >
In my work I try to challenge conventional notions of what intelligence is—not a lump of stuff inside one’s skull, but rather an ongoing process of assembling resources located inside and outside the head. I welcome other challenges to our narrow ideas about intelligence. Some of the most interesting come from the study of animal
There’s not one single way of being smart Continue Reading >
If you like to read about psychology, you may have encountered the term “theory of mind,” which refers to our ability to think about the mental states of others: their thoughts, feelings, and intentions. But what about having a theory of our own mind? How well do we understand what’s going on in our own
Do you have a theory of your own mind? Continue Reading >
Political observers spend a lot of time contemplating how voters think: what they believe, how they can be persuaded. But how about what voters feel—literally, the physical sensations in their bodies? Manos Tsakiris urges us to consider what he calls “visceral politics.” Tsakiris, a psychologist at the University of London, writes in a fascinating new
Politics plays out in the body Continue Reading >
In so many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a disaster for education. But there some ways in which the disruption it has induced has made room for new approaches—within educational systems that are resistant to change in normal times. One of these approaches is bringing bodily movements into the learning process. Javeria Salman
The new appeal of “touchless” games Continue Reading >
Our bodies are repositories of knowledge that we can draw on to make better decisions—if only we can access that knowledge. In a recent column for the Wall Street Journal, financial writer Jason Zweig provides some fascinating insight into how we can do so. What we call a “gut feeling” actually “encompasses a multitude of
Creating conditions that promote learning from the body Continue Reading >
Moving our bodies can help us express, and even to understand, an abstract concept. One very enjoyable example of this phenomenon is the annual “Dance Your Ph.D.” contest, in which scientists explain their research through dance. NPR just reported on this year’s winners. “The winning entry came from three atmospheric science graduate students at the
To understand an abstract concept, get moving Continue Reading >
Physical movement affects the way we think. For example: we are able to understand abstract concepts by linking them to the very concrete and familiar experiences of our bodies. We construct metaphors that link the two. For example: I understand what it means for a project to “move forward”—and I describe the project’s progress using
Fluid movements promote fluid thinking Continue Reading >
Research tells us that language emerges out of gesture: infants and toddlers can use their hands to communicate before they’re able to speak. A study published in 2020 by researchers at the University of Calgary reports that babies’ gestures at one year of age predicted stronger communication skills at age five, when those same children
For young children, more gestures now mean more words later Continue Reading >
Lots of research has shown that students learn better when their teachers’ words are accompanied by gesture. A new study offers insight into when, and why, gesture is helpful. Researcher Casey Hall of the University of Chicago notes that gesture represents implicit, non-declarative knowledge: information that we “know” but can’t put into words. When it
How teachers’ gestures help students learn Continue Reading >