Neuroplasticity and Experience
Two recent reviews, published in The Journal of Neuroscience and Nature Neuroscience, describe a new type of neuroplasticity that helps our brains learn from a single experience over the course of just a few seconds.
Brain Lenses
Essays and podcast episodes about how we see the world, ourselves, and each other.
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Lawsuits and AI
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Food and Attention
A new study published in April of 2026 suggests that an increase in the consumption of highly processed foods can lead to difficulty focusing and an increased risk of developing dementia.
Ord Clouds
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Women as Breadwinners
A recent study looked at seven common explanations for why there seem to be more separations in heterosexual couples where the woman is the primary breadwinner.
Parasocial Media
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Green Habits
A study published in mid-2026 found that while personal-scale, pro-climate actions and habits don’t tend to keep people from engaging in larger-scale, more impactful and systemic solutions, they also don’t tend to lead to more collective action and climate policy support.
Haunted Houses
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Bilingual Grammar
A recent study looked at how our brains handle the differing grammar rules between languages when we speak more than one language.
Dishonesty Estimation
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Parenthood Happiness Penalty
In the mid-20th century, several studies indicated that couples with children tended to be less happy, on average, than couples without children.
Conflict Headlines
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Slow Breathing and Risk Assessment
A 2026 study looking at the impacts of slow breathing on brain function and risk behavior found that prolonged exhalation can increase risky behavior by changing how we respond to our internal reward systems.
Boring Conversations
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Bixonimania
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Speech Streams
A recent study looking at the human brain’s capacity to focus on spoken language streams and shift attention from one stream to another found that we can process two conversations at once, but we generally only do so for a second or two at a time.
High Schools
A recent study found that improving the quality of a students’ high school plays a significant role in their eventual labor market outcomes, and this seems to be especially true for students from low-income families.
Nature and Diet
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Think of the Children
The “Think of the Children” cliché refers to a common rhetorical tactic (which is especially popular in politics) that centers an issue around the impact it could theoretically have on children.
Hawks and Doves
More information about Brain Lenses at brainlenses.com.