Is happiness something to work hard towards and accumulate over time or is it something transient and fleeting that should be savored in the moment? Past research has examined who, when and why some people favor feeling happy now versus later, but those studies don’t address how this preference for immediate versus delayed happiness relates to behavior and well-being.

Social media distorts the mental models we build of the world, degrading our collective intelligence and our ability to make good decisions.

Psychology theories suggest that humans tend to primarily invest significant mental resources on problems that will reward them for their efforts. More specifically, they propose that before they start thinking in great depth about a problem, humans ponder on whether the benefits of solving it outweigh the "cost" in terms of required mental efforts.

A biased "assistant" was able to influence the arguments made in essays.

In the hills north of Brisbane, a mental health and addiction treatment centre is home to a group of four-legged staff who can calm clients just by their presence. The health benefits of animal therapy, alongside other treatment methods, for people suffering from issues like anxiety is well known.

New research published in Psychoneuroendocrinology explored the relationship between adolescents’ perceived safety, cortisol levels, and race. The findings indicated that race did not play a role in feelings of perceived safety among U.S. adolescents. However, for all participants, those who reported feeling less safe also had higher cortisol levels. This reinforces the work of other researchers who have found a link between stress and higher cortisol levels.

Essay - expressive writing to cope with cancer.

Single people are increasingly turning online to find love, with more than 300 million people around the world trying their luck on dating apps. Some find their fairy tale. But for others, stories of online dating have very different endings.

Understanding the benefits of creating a personal commute for remote workers.

Your team just missed the playoffs, but you're already thinking about next year. Why does your brain do this?

American lore is full of tales of the lone cowboy, the rugged individualist who will do what needs to be done. But, in reality, loneliness in the U.S. can be deadly: this month, the U.S. surgeon general declared it an epidemic

Sometimes life’s most meaningful relationships grow from the briefest of connections. Like when you go to a party and meet someone wearing your favorite band’s T-shirt, or who laughs at the same jokes as you, or who grabs that unpopular snack you alone (or so you thought) love. One small, shared interest sparks a conversation—that’s my favorite, too!—and blossoms into lasting affection.

Original broadcast date: January 21, 2022. Fiction can serve as a window into multiple realities—to imagine different futures or understand our own past. This hour, author and TED speaker Dave Eggers talks technology, education, and the healing power of writing. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) sponsor-free. Sign-up at: plus.npr.org/ted

A study of former National Hockey League players shows that enforcers who spent a lot of time dropping their gloves or in the penalty box lived significantly shorter lives than their peers.

Forensic pathologists are investigating if augmented reality and artificial intelligence could reduce the number of invasive autopsies and the associated trauma.

As self-checkout kiosks are incorporating the option to include tips, customers question where the money is going.

We might think the sky is blue and trees are green, but the truth is rather stranger

A new study published in Philosophical Transactions B explores whether pauses in conversation are experienced or interpreted differently depending on whether the conversation is between friends or strangers.

A two-wave panel survey of young adults revealed that ghosting friends and ghosting partners are two different phenomena. Ghosting romantic partners is predicted by communication overload i.e., receiving more messages than one is able to handle and had no impact on well-being, while ghosting friends was predicted by one’s self esteem and increased depressive tendencies over time.

You might not care about the fast-food commercial shots of juicy burgers or creamy milkshakes, but they might change your beliefs about these items, whereas shots of fresh salads and berries might not, according to a new study.