Maria Konnikova

How We Learn Fairness

Maria Konnikova writes about the concept of fairness, and specifically about studies exploring advantageous-inequality aversion.

Why Are Babies So Dumb If Humans Are So Smart?

Maria Konnikova on new research into human intelligence and evolution.

Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect

Maria Konnikova on research that suggests innate abilities, rather than deliberate practice, are the primary factor in academic and athletic success.

The Power of Touch

Touch is the first of our senses to develop, and it remains emotionally central throughout our lives. Why have scientists been slow to appreciate its power?

No, Mornings Don’t Make You Moral

The way different people act depends on the time of day. Some companies may find that their employees are more productive later in the day.

The Walking Dead

Maria Konnikova on chronic sleep deprivation: it is widespread—and it affects us more than we know.

The Work We Do While We Sleep

Maria Konnikova writes about recent research on why our brains and bodies need sleep.

Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

In the first piece in a three-part series on sleeping, waking, and dreaming, Maria Konnikova examines new research on when and how we go to bed.

You Have No Idea What Happened

If we remember dramatic and emotional moments so well, why do most people forget what they were doing when the Challenger exploded?

Problems Too Disgusting to Solve

The technology to turn sewage into clean water has been around for years, and its efficacy is an established fact. So why hasn’t it been widely adopted yet?

I Don't Want to Be Right

To change false beliefs, appealing to a person’s sense of self may be more important than the facts.

How to Tell When Someone Is Lying

Over time, the psychologist Paul Ekman has found that one particular characteristic can prove useful in detecting liars.

What We Really Taste When We Drink Wine

Two glasses sit side by side on the table, each filled midway up with red wine. On the bottom of each stem is a white piece of paper. One reads “Wine …

Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy

Mondegreens are funny, of course. They also give us insight into the underlying nature of linguistic processing and how our minds make meaning out of sound.

The Surprising Science of Yawning

Yawning may be the opposite of what we think—not a signal of sleepiness but a signal that it’s time to act.

When It’s Bad to Have Good Choices

Why are people in affluent countries often unhappy and anxious?

Is Internet Addiction a Real Thing?

As far back as 1997, before the days of ubiquitous smartphones and laptops, psychologists were already testing the “addictive potential” of the Web.

The Limits of Friendship

How does the increased prevalence of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in our lives affect our social circles?

Hunters of Myths

A Call for Spelling Standardization (or Is That Standardisation?)

British English, American English, Noah Webster English, or 'New Yorker' English? Let's just pick one and stick with it.