Shankar Vedantam

The fallacy is that we are surprised when things that are supposed to vary a lot, come down one way a number of times. We feel the next case must break the pattern. In reality, there is no pattern.

Scientists have been studying reactions to terrorist events, and how those reactions shape public policy. They found emotional response to terror attacks is often out of proportion to actual risk.

Our unconscious moral framework shapes how we make arguments. Research indicates that if you want to persuade people, you should frame your points using your opponents' moral framework.

Research finds that viewers who binge watch are less engaged with ads than viewers who watch TV shows periodically. We explore the psychological reasons why binge watchers are less interested in ads.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, FBI hate crime data and census trends show that states with the strongest backlash against Muslims saw decreased rates of assimilation among Muslim immigrants in America.

People who are even temporarily given the feeling that they are experts become more rigid in their thinking, and become less likely to be willing to consider new points of view, according to research.

Ahead of the climate talks in Paris, researchers stress the importance of psychological research. Studies indicate countries could walk away from a deal even if it is in their best effort to agree.

Researchers find that wage cuts endured by workers whose peers do not have their wages cut are much more painful and detrimental to morale than wage cuts that are experienced by everyone on a team.

Economists talk about moral hazards. When you protect people against risk you prevent bad things from happening. But something curious happens: Some start to take more risks because they feel safer.

Can you tell anything about politicians' accuracy by analyzing how they speak? A new analysis finds that lying politicians tend to be more verbose.

NPR's Shankar Vedantam tells Steve Inskeep about a Halloween experiment to see whether children can be swayed to change their political preferences with candy.

New research finds that e-signatures can potentially make people behave in more dishonest ways. It turns out people are less willing to lie and cheat when they handwrite and sign thei...

For scientists, there have long been advantages to working in big cities — in close proximity to other scientists and inventors. A new analysis delves into whether this is still the case.

Analysis finds that four in five course readings in the field of international relations are written by men. Female professors are 36 percent more likely to offer readings that have female authors.

New social science research explores why the unemployment rate for blacks is persistently worse than the unemployment rate for whites.

Gamblers like to win but. But research shows they also get a thrill by simply getting close to a win. A look at the science of near misses.

Annie Duke was often the only woman at the poker table, which influenced the way people saw her - and the way she saw herself. Feeling like an outsider can come at a cost, but also be an advantage.

When the same athletes succeed over and over at a sport, is it because they are simply more talented than everyone else, or is it because "nothing succeeds like success"?

Interruptions are ubiquitous and annoying. Studies indicate that getting interrupted is also costly — it can take a long while for people who have been distracted to settle back into ...

Renee Montagne talks with Dion Nissenbaum, whose book tells the stories of Israeli and Palestinian families on Assael Street, a political and religious fault line in Jerusalem since 1948.