Trends in Cognitive Sciences

Psychology & Psychiatry

Babies don't just look cute, scientists find

What is it about the sight of an infant that makes almost everyone crack a smile? Big eyes, chubby cheeks, and a button nose? An infectious laugh, soft skin, and a captivating smell? While we have long known that babies look ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

How the brain helps us focus our attention

How can we shift from a state of inattentiveness to one of highest attention? The locus coeruleus, literally the "blue spot," is a tiny cluster of cells at the base of the brain. As the main source of the neurotransmitter ...

Neuroscience

The anatomy of pain

Grimacing, we flinch when we see someone accidentally hit their thumb with a hammer. But is it really pain we feel? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and other institutions ...

Neuroscience

Changing our understanding of consciousness

Measuring and defining consciousness has been an ongoing challenge for neuroscientists, philosophers and psychologists for centuries. The concept of levels of consciousness is mostly theoretical, limiting the abilities of ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Why smiles (and frowns) are contagious

Smile! It makes everyone in the room feel better because they, consciously or unconsciously, are smiling with you. Growing evidence shows that an instinct for facial mimicry allows us to empathize with and even experience ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Using the outside world to save on brainpower

Every day, we rely on our physical surroundings—friends, gadgets, and even hand gestures—to manage incoming information and retain it. In a Review published August 16 in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, two researchers explain ...

Neuroscience

How much do we really see?

Glance out the window and then close your eyes. What did you see? Maybe you noticed it's raining and there was a man carrying an umbrella. What color was it? What shape was its handle? Did you catch those details? Probably ...

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