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May 20, 2013 When several states passed laws banning same-sex marriages, researchers found that the mental health of gay residents seemed to suffer. Conversely, stress-related disorders dropped after the legalization of gay marriage in one state. Researchers say negative media portrayals and loss of safety were contributing factors.

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May 10, 2013 Anthropologists have long documented the differences in the extent of sexual coercion — including rape — in different human societies. But is it a vestige of evolutionary history, indicative of cultural activity or governed by power dynamics between females and males?

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May 6, 2013 In elementary school, girls often outperform boys on reading and math tests. Many factors shape academic performance, but two economists say one reason for the disparity might be that parents spend more time reading with girls and teaching them the alphabet and numbers.

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April 29, 2013 In scans of sleeping infants' brains, certain areas light up when they hear angry voices. But is that heightened activation damaging, or does it mean the children are learning to cope?

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April 9, 2013 Sociologists tracked stock trades in Finland and found that accounts belonging to chlldren under 10 years old wildly outperformed the accounts of adults.

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April 1, 2013 Expressing regret may grease the social wheels, but not doing so boosts your sense of power, control and self-worth. Try explaining that to your boss.

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March 25, 2013 The latest polls indicate 58 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage. In 1977, that number was 13 percent. One researcher says that jump in support isn't the result of a generational gap — it's that many who once opposed gay marriage have changed their minds or softened their opposition.

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March 4, 2013 Despite current trends, most parents assume their own kids won't grow up to be overweight adults. That 'optimism bias' has neurological roots, brain scientists say.

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February 1, 2013 Why do we reach for that handful of M&Ms and other high-calorie treats under stress? In prehistoric times, such gluttony was probably a useful response to scarcity. That "feast before famine" instinct is less helpful in modern times, when obesity is a bigger health risk than starvation – but evolution hasn't had a chance to catch up.

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February 1, 2013 Research from an Ohio sociologist has found that inmates "earn" illegal money in greater amounts after they serve time. Prison may serve as a classroom where inexperienced delinquents learn from hardened criminals — and become more dangerous criminals themselves.

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