Shankar Vedantam

New research explores our tendency to label mass shooters as either mentally ill or as terrorists, based on whether they are Muslim or not.

Many companies are investing money in social media to advertise new products. But they could be paying a hidden price for those ads.

NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with Shankar Vedantam, host of NPR's Hidden Brain podcast about how witnessing traumatic events — even from a great distance — can affect mental health.

South Carolina researchers have drawn a connection between low-income students' poor performance on math tests and the time of month when their families run low on food stamps.

An analysis of Seattle restaurants shows that as the city dramatically raised the minimum wage for restaurant employees and other workers, restaurants responded by lowering hygiene standards.

Some new research says that many people use free speech arguments only when convenient, and as a cover for their own feelings.

Finding a new job may be the solution to your woes at work. But there may also be other ways to get more out of your daily grind.

Every time you give in to the buzzing notifications of our phone or computer, you pay a price: little by little, you lose your ability to focus.

A new study shows a connection between cigarette taxes and food stamps. When cigarette taxes go up, smokers end up spending more of their income on cigarettes and that leaves less money for food.

Whether people consume news in a social setting or alone can affect how likely they are to fact-check. Research suggests people let their guard down when they're in groups and become less skeptical.

According to research, between 10 and 40% of kids who intend to go to college at high school graduation don't show up in the fall. This phenomenon, known as "summer melt," has puzzled universities.

If you've ever shouted at Siri or rolled your eyes at your Roomba, you know that artificial intelligence isn't always that smart. But there's still a lot that robots can tell us about ourselves.

A study from the University of Kentucky shows that doing something virtuous can make indulging later even more pleasurable.

Compared to older siblings, second-born boys are more likely to go to prison, get suspended in school and enter juvenile delinquency. Why? Parents of first-borns are more invested in their upbringing.

Child care centers don't necessarily hire the most qualified teachers. A new study shows that child care centers pick applicants who are in the middle of the pack.

Pundits and prognosticators make predictions all the time: about everything from elections, to sports, to global affairs. This week, we explore why they're often wrong, and how we can all do better.

Research shows people are more likely to label an attack as terrorism if the perpetrator is Muslim. Terrorist attacks committed by Muslims receive more coverage than those not committed by Muslims.

In the last five years, 12 percent of terrorist attacks in the U.S. were carried out by Muslims and more than 50 percent by far right extremists. So why the media focus on "Islamic terrorism"?

In a shooting involving a police officer, there's often a familiar blame game: Was the cop was racist? Was the person shot threatening? Or maybe, the bias that leads cops to shoot affects us all.

Olutosin Oduwole was a college student and aspiring rapper when he was charged with "attempting to make a terrorist threat." We explore how perceptions of rap music may have played a role.