psychology

Some of us can't wait to frolic in the leaves.

Wondering why you— or your friends—like fall so much? Here’s the science behind our love of the season.

An ouroboros on a grave marker in West Highgate Cemetery, London.

The serpentine symbol has represented the eternal cycle of life for thousands of years.

Grocery stores are intentionally designed in a way that makes you want to spend more money. The long trek to the dairy section is part of it.

Researchers reduced people's implicit racial and gender biases by having them undergo anti-bias training—and then take a nap.

If you were a woman in the 19th century, virtually anything could get you committed to a psychiatric hospital—including drinking too much tea.

Emojis can be misinterpreted by older adults.

Certain emojis prompt uncertainty among older adults.

If you swear you’ve seen Bloody Mary, you may have experienced the Troxler effect.

The spooky Bloody Mary phenomenon has a scientific explanation.

Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological coping mechanism.

Is Stockholm Syndrome real? Learn about the survival tactic that leads captives to sympathize with their captors.

She's probably spent the last 20 minutes listening to the same fuzzy song on a loop.

There are some psychological reasons why being put on hold is such a frustrating experience.

There's new insight into the reasons we're not down with clowns.

Use of the word ‘placebo’ in a medical context is more recent than you might think.

What is a placebo? Technically, a Latin phrase meaning ‘I will please.’ It’s also a Catholic prayer and a clever insult.

Scientists investigated whether Ouija Boards could speak for those beyond the veil.

Some 19th-century scientists embraced psychical research, while others tried to debunk the sensational stories.

A grocery store’s layout strategy is very calculated—and rearranging inventory is meant to confuse you.

Photo illustration by Mental Floss. Images: iStock/Customdesigner (TV), iStock/D-Keine (crime scene)

Everywhere you turn these days, it seems like there’s a new—and wildly successful—book, podcast, or show devoted to a crime. Which raises the question: Why are we so obsessed with true crime? Here’s what the experts have to say.

Chemistry between couples does involve actual chemistry.

We know chemistry when we feel it, but we don't always know why we're drawn to one person over another. Science has some answers … but not all of them.

When kids ask if Santa is real, is it time to come clean?

'White Christmas' (1954) has been getting people into the holiday spirit for nearly 70 years.

Holiday movies play to our nostalgia bias, a cognitive process that makes us long for past times because we think they were somehow better than now.

Color illusions get pretty complicated when there are multi-colored lines involved like there are in this image.

Tom Cruise stars in 'Risky Business' (1983).

Did Tom Cruise really dance in his underwear and a pair of Ray-Bans in 'Risky Business'? If you answered “yes,” you might be suffering from the Mandela Effect.