L. Carol Ritchie

Negative thinking can keep you from making social connections. Here's advice from psychologists about how to overcome the sneaky voice in your head that holds you back.

For most of us, sticking to a good habit is a battle of wills. But the researchers who study habit formation turn to science to help curtail their own tendency to slack off.

In their new book Compassionomics, two doctors review the field of compassion research. Their finding? When physicians take time to connect and express care, both patients and doctors benefit.

No snark or anti-commercialism rantings here, just a dose of simple sweetness. Readers share stories and photos — and an NPR artist re-creates a couple of valentines that live on only in memories.

In cramped offices near the White House, a brigade of staff, volunteers and former interns is scrambling to read every letter sent to President Obama — especially the letters from children.

Correspondents, editors and producers from our newsroom share the pieces that have kept them reading, using the #NPRreads hashtag. Each weekend, we highlight some of the best stories.

The premise of #NPRreads is simple: Correspondents, editors and producers from our newsroom share the pieces that have kept them reading and each weekend, we highlight some of the best stories.

#NPRreads is a weekly feature on Twitter and on The Two-Way. The premise is simple: Correspondents, editors and producers from our newsroom share the pieces that have kept them reading, using the #NPRreads hashtag. Each weekend, we highlight some of the best stories.

Elissa Nadworny, ‎NPR Ed Producer & ...

Saudi Arabia executed 47 people convicted of terrorism Saturday, including prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr, prompting condemnation throughout the Middle East.

Nimr has been an outspoken advocate for Shiite rights in Saudi Arabia; he also supported opposition protests in the Shiite-majority Eastern Province, reports NPR's Leila Fadel.

Leila tells ...

The Kansas City Royals fought off the Toronto Blue Jays and two Jose Bautista home runs to win Game 6 of the American League Championship Series Friday and advance to the World Series — their second trip to the series in two years.

The Royals will host the New York ...

The New York Mets are headed to the World Series for the first time since 2000. Fired by a record-breaking home-run drive by Daniel Murphy, the Mets completed a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs for the National League Championship.

Wednesday's 8-3 loss for the Cubs crushed the sell-out crowd ...

NPRreads is a weekly feature on Twitter and on The Two-Way. The premise is simple: Correspondents, editors and producers from our newsroom share the pieces that have kept them reading, using the #NPRreads hashtag. On Fridays, we highlight some of the best stories.

This week, we bring you three ...

Updated at 2:35 p.m. ET

German police say that about 450 migrants from Hungary have arrived at a train station in Munich after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country would not limit the number of asylum seekers allowed in.

Thousands more arrived in Austria, many en route to Germany, ...

Updated at 5:30 a.m. ET

More than 1,000 weary Syrian refugees were greeted with food and applause at the Austrian border after arriving by busloads from a long, chaotic journey through Hungary.

Some of the refugees had walked westward for hours on Friday after officials refused to let them board ...

Updated at 10:40 a.m. ET

Chinese police are clearing everyone within two miles of a fire in the port city of Tianjin over fears of chemical poisoning, days after a massive explosion that authorities now say has killed at least 104 people.

Police confirmed that highly toxic sodium cyanide was ...

Updated at 9:40 a.m. ET

Cleveland police in riot gear made a number of arrests Saturday night, as protesters poured into the streets, angry over the acquittal of a patrolman charged in the shooting deaths of two unarmed suspects.

Reuters says a total of 71 arrests were made.

Demonstrators chanting ...

Updated at 2:25 p.m. ET

Ireland has become the first-ever country to approve same-sex marriage by referendum, voting overwhelmingly to approve it despite opposition from clergy in the heavily Catholic nation, according to official results announced today.

Reuters says in Friday's vote "more than 60 percent of eligible voters cast ...

The Senate worked late into the night Friday and early Saturday, but still failed to agree on extending government surveillance programs under the USA Patriot Act before the Memorial Day holiday.

Lawmakers blocked votes on both a House-passed bill and a short-term extension of the Patriot Act provisions that allow ...

The bodies of all eight soldiers who were on a U.S. Marine helicopter when it crashed on an earthquake relief mission in Nepal have been recovered, Nepalese government and military sources said.

The bodies of six U.S. Marines and two Nepalese soldiers were recovered near the crash site in remote ...

The wait wasn't long. Just hours after she checked into the hospital in early labor, the Duchess of Cambridge delivered a baby, Kensington Palace announced Saturday.

The baby weighed 8 lbs 3 oz and both mother and child are doing well, the palace added in by Twitter.

The baby is ...