Playtime may be the 'rocket fuel' of child development, but it's fast becoming the privilege of the few. The Real Play Coalition aims to close this growing disparity.

Jesper Brodin, John Goodwin, Gary Knell, and Kees Kruythoff 18 Jan 2019

Workforce and Employment

This is how companies in Japan are fighting the country’s sleeplessness epidemic

An epidemic of chronic sleep deprivation in Japan has prompted businesses to wake up to the costs of the problem and the benefits of well-rested employees.

Sean Fleming 11 Jan 2019

Neuroscience

Your brain has more in common with an ant colony than you realised

An ant colony has memories that its individual members don’t have, just as our brains have memories that individual neurons do not.

Deborah M. Gordon · Big Think 10 Jan 2019

Role of Religion

Why are people religious?

Only 16% of people worldwide are not religious - but could the faith of those who are be explained by how we learn to form attachments and enjoy pretend play as children?

Nick Perham · The Conversation 02 Jan 2019

Behavioural Sciences

Are you a morning lark or a night owl? This is how it's affecting your performance

A new study reveals just how much your body clock can affect you, from how tired you feel, to your performance in both mental and physical tasks.

Elise Facer-Childs · The Conversation 20 Dec 2018

Education, Gender and Work

This is where teachers are most (and least) respected

Research into how we feel about teachers has uncovered some unexpected statistics: men respect teachers more than women, as do older people and parents.

Johnny Wood 19 Dec 2018

Education, Gender and Work

The 10 best countries to be a woman

As Iceland enjoys a decade of being the best country for gender equality, there’s a new nation in the top 10 for the first time.

Kate Whiting 18 Dec 2018

Gender Parity

Having a daughter makes men less sexist, research confirms

The phenomenon, known as the "Mighty Girl Effect," can cause men to hold less traditional views on gender roles and norms, and could help tackle issues such as the gender pay gap.

Stephen Johnson · Big Think 18 Dec 2018

Behavioural Sciences

How knowing just one gay person can shift our attitude towards equality

In 2006, about 45% of the people who had a gay or lesbian acquaintance expressed support for same-sex marriage. By 2010, that figure had increased to 61%.

Matthew Swayne · Futurity 18 Dec 2018

Neuroscience

You make decisions quicker and based on less information than you think

Research has revealed that many of our choices are made on the spot - and that may not be such a bad thing.

The Conversation 14 Dec 2018

Digital Communications

The internet has a language diversity problem

English dominates the internet and risks creating a digital divide, as demonstrated by this chart showing the discrepancies between languages used online and those spoken in real life.

Emma Charlton 13 Dec 2018

Behavioural Sciences

What nature's 'useless' quirks tell us about evolution

We're used to the concept of 'survival of the fittest', but some aspects of evolutionary biology seem counterintuitive.

Ben Garrod · The Conversation 13 Dec 2018

Education, Gender and Work

Psychotherapy can boost your income, especially if you're a man

Psychotherapy is good for mental health, but it can be very expensive too. As economists we try to carefully model and evaluate the monetary effects of different actions and policies. So,...

Guido Cozzi, Silvia Galli, and Noemi Mantovan · The Conversation 12 Dec 2018

Education and Skills

Why procrastinating like Da Vinci and Darwin can be a good thing

Some of the brightest minds in history were notorious procrastinators.

Knowledge@Wharton · Knowledge@Wharton 10 Dec 2018

Workforce and Employment

This is how CEOs of multi-billion dollar companies spend their time

From therapy and exercise, to five-hour meetings and crisis management: a day in the life of a CEO.

Jeff Desjardins · Visual Capitalist 10 Dec 2018

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