On Brains

Susan Greenfield, Bewitched by Bacchae
Meaning, neuronal connections, and Euripides—perfect!

Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad, Radio Lab: Into the Brain of a Liar
How big was your fish?  Big-time liars have “more connections in the part of their brains responsible for complex thinking”

Charles Choi, Tiny Brain-Like Computer Created
This chip has dendrites!

Lauran Neergard, Study: Creativity Jazzes Your Brain
Stick a keyboard and a jazz musician in an fMRI, and this is what you get

The Internet

Gamespot, Study Uncovers MMORPG Gender-Swapping Epidemic
“54 percent of all males and 68 percent of all females “gender swap”–or create online personas of their opposite sex”

David Pogue, How Dangerous Is the Internet for Children?
Not as dangerous as the media sometimes says.  Surprise, the context of how you manage the Internet and your children at home makes a big difference in how they interpret what’s online

General Interest

Penepole Green, What’s In a Chair?
Psychiatrists’ offices matter!
Also see Vaughan’s take on this article at Mind Hacks

Nicholas Cristakis, Social Networks Are Like The Eye
The dynamics of social networks

Kevin Lewis, Uncommon Knowledge: Surprising Insights from the Social Sciences
The Boston Globe’s own round up

Decisions, Decisions

David Leonhardt, What Makes People Give
“Giving is not about a calculation of what you are buying.  It is about participating in a fight.”

Emily Pronin, I’m Objective, You’re Biased
Bias everywhere you turn—and research on why

Drake Bennett, When Shove Comes to Push
“Libertarian paternalism”: Choice while being nudged in the right direction

Health

Drake Bennett, Q&A with Anne Harrington
Diseases have histories, and a mind-body problem

David Kohn, Psychotherapy for All: An Experiment
Building successful community-based mental health care in India

Addiction

Jane Gross, New Generation Gap Emerges as Older Addicts Seek Help
Aging addicts: “different health issues, different emotional issues, different grief issues”

Talk of the Nation, Addicted Loved Ones: When to Intervene?
The pros and cons of staging interventions for drug and alcohol abusers

Polly Morrice, He Said, He Said
Father and son memoirs about the son’s struggle with meth addiction

PhysOrg, Drinking and Aggression Among University Students Often Depends On Context
“there is something about fraternities, sororities and campus residences”

Jonah Lehrer, Grape Expectations
Wine perceived as more expensive tastes better, even if it’s crap