Psychology | Penn Today

Teen drivers often unsafe on the road with speeding and handheld cellphone use

A study by Catherine McDonald of the School of Nursing finds that many teens are prone to risky behaviors while driving, particularly handheld cellphone use and speeding.

Dogs can smell your stress, study finds

James A. Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine discusses the potential value of a United Kingdom study suggesting that dogs can smell stress.

Hallie Jackson NOW

Robert Meyer of the Wharton School explains what psychological barriers stop people from leaving their homes during a storm.

A computer screen displays the brain activity of a man with electrodes on his head.

Defining neural ‘representation’

Neuroscientists frequently say that neural activity ‘represents’ certain phenomena, PIK Professor Konrad Kording and postdoc Ben Baker led a study that took a philosophical approach to tease out what the term means.

A dog who loves boxes. A cat who loves socks. Why are pets so weird?

Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that pet quirks are an evolution of ancestral behaviors adapted to new domesticated lives.

What we learned from Philadelphia’s vaccine lottery

In an op-ed, Katy Milkman and Linnea Gandhi of the Wharton School and Angela Duckworth of the School of Arts & Sciences explain what policy answers they learned by developing the Philly Vax Sweepstakes, a citywide regret lottery.

Psychologist Jer Clifton sits on the steps of his office

What beliefs shape our minds?

Jer Clifton of the Positive Psychology Center developed a framework to study primal world beliefs, our most fundamental sentiments about the world as a whole. Now, he’s ready for everyone to discover what their primal world beliefs are.

At Penn museum’s art of smells exhibit, beauty is in the nose of the beholder

Norwegian-born smell researcher and artist Sissel Tolaas will have her first major U.S. exhibition, where interactable installations elicit sensations through smell, on display in the Institute of Contemporary Art through Dec. 30.

The fear of public places in the age of COVID: Is it agoraphobia or something else?

Sandy Capaldi of the Perelman School of Medicine defines agoraphobia and explains what distinguishes it from other anxiety disorders in the context of the pandemic.

I’m still single but this is why I’m quitting dating apps like Tinder and Hinge forever

Russel Ramsay of the Perelman School of Medicine is quoted on the notion of uncertainty as an anxiety generator.

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