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Tania Lombrozo Tania Lombrozo is a contributor to the NPR blog 13.7: Cosmos & Culture.

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Tania Lombrozo

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Monday April 9, 2018

Giving Notice: Reflections On Capturing The Light

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Giving Notice: Reflections On Capturing The Light

April 9, 2018 • For years, 13.7 has brought opinions on science and culture to NPR's online readers. Commentator Tania Lombrozo reflects on her time writing for the blog, and on the science and culture of writing.

Tuesday March 27, 2018

The Psychology Of Fake News

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Psychology Of Fake News

March 27, 2018 • How can we succeed in creating and perpetuating a culture that values and promotes truth? Cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo considers the science of fake news — and how to protect ourselves.

Monday March 12, 2018

No Man Is An Island: The Wisdom Of Deliberating Crowds

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

No Man Is An Island: The Wisdom Of Deliberating Crowds

March 12, 2018 • What can a competition to estimate the weight of an ox tell us about democratic decision-making? Cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo considers two studies, conducted 100 years apart.

Thursday March 1, 2018

3 Ways To Elevate The Debate About Guns

A man signs a banner against guns as mourners pay tribute at a memorial on Feb. 25 for the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Miami Herald/TNS via Getty Images hide caption

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

3 Ways To Elevate The Debate About Guns

March 1, 2018 • Understanding the authority of science means, when it comes to factual claims, intuitions and gut feelings won't cut it — whichever side of the political aisle they come from, says Tania Lombrozo.

Monday February 12, 2018

A New Goal: Aim To Be Less Wrong

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

A New Goal: Aim To Be Less Wrong

February 12, 2018 • When beginning from the assumption that you are wrong, a criticism may be easier to construe as a helpful pointer, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.

Monday January 29, 2018

The 'IKEA Effect' — And Getting Kids To Eat Their Veggies

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The 'IKEA Effect' — And Getting Kids To Eat Their Veggies

January 29, 2018 • What can Swedish furniture teach us about getting kids to eat their veggies? Cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo considers new research on the "IKEA effect."

Monday January 8, 2018

What History And Fiction Teach Us About Women And Power

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

What History And Fiction Teach Us About Women And Power

January 8, 2018 • Psychologist Tania Lombrozo considers two books: In one, we learn what ancient Greece can tell us about Twitter trolls and, in the other, we're shown a world in which women have power over men.

Monday December 18, 2017

Kids Start To Test Surprising Claims By Early Elementary School

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Kids Start To Test Surprising Claims By Early Elementary School

December 18, 2017 • As many families prepare for a visit from Santa, and some face questions about the jolly old man in the red suit, a new study looks at how children react to surprising claims, says Tania Lombrozo.

Monday December 4, 2017

Can Celebrity Scientists Change The Way People Think About Science And Religion?

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Can Celebrity Scientists Change The Way People Think About Science And Religion?

December 4, 2017 • Do people like Richard Dawkins and Francis Collins impact public opinion on how science and religion relate? Tania Lombrozo considers a study on the influence of big-name scientists on the debate.

Monday November 20, 2017

Can Science Explain The Human Mind?

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Can Science Explain The Human Mind?

November 20, 2017 • Science will one day explain visual perception and memory loss. But will it also explain romantic love and morality? Tania Lombrozo considers people's beliefs about what science can and can't explain.

Monday November 6, 2017

What's Your (Epistemic) Relationship To Science?

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

What's Your (Epistemic) Relationship To Science?

November 6, 2017 • Tania Lombrozo looks at a new paper arguing that research on the public's understanding of science often conflates knowledge and understanding — and that this conflation has costs.

Monday October 23, 2017

The Good Psychology In 'The Good Place'

NBC's "The Good Place" cast during the Aug. 2, 2016. press appearance (left to right): William Jackson Harper, Ted Danson, D'Arcy Carden, Kristen Bell, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images hide caption

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NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Review

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Good Psychology In 'The Good Place'

October 23, 2017 • Despite my skepticism at the outset, for a light and amusing TV sitcom "The Good Place" does a pretty good job with philosophy — and a pretty good job with human psychology, too, says Tania Lombrozo.

Monday October 9, 2017

What Influences Attitudes Toward Gun Control Reform?

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

What Influences Attitudes Toward Gun Control Reform?

October 9, 2017 • People see the causes of mass shootings differently, depending on whether they own guns. Those who don't own guns often blame such incidents on the widespread availability of guns — but owners do not.

Monday September 25, 2017

Is Curiosity A Positive Or Negative Feeling?

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Is Curiosity A Positive Or Negative Feeling?

September 25, 2017 • Not all feelings of curiosity are the same. A study finds that one factor affecting the balance of negative and positive when it comes to curiosity is time, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.

Monday September 11, 2017

Yes, Some Questions Are Better Than Others

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Yes, Some Questions Are Better Than Others

September 11, 2017 • In the child's world of Twenty Questions, it's pretty easy to evaluate what makes a good question. But producing good questions in the real world can be a more complicated affair, says Tania Lombrozo.

Monday August 28, 2017

What Should We Be Teaching Young Children?

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

What Should We Be Teaching Young Children?

August 28, 2017 • Many things can be learned just as well later — so the focus should be on ones that really need to be early, like languages, music and communication, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.

Monday August 14, 2017

In Children's Storybooks, Realism Has Advantages

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13.7: Cosmos And Culture

In Children's Storybooks, Realism Has Advantages

August 14, 2017 • Young children have an easier time exporting what they learn from a fictional storybook to the real world when the storybook is realistic, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.

Monday July 31, 2017

The Subtleties In Causation Talk

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Subtleties In Causation Talk

July 31, 2017 • Randomized controlled trials are a gold standard for good reason, but the notion of causation established here departs from the way we often use causal language, says blogger Tania Lombrozo.

Monday July 24, 2017

How Small Inequities Lead To Big Inequalities

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

How Small Inequities Lead To Big Inequalities

July 24, 2017 • How do societal inequalities arise and persist? Tania Lombrozo interviews philosopher Ron Mallon about "accumulation mechanisms": the processes that explain how small biases can have big effects.

Monday July 17, 2017

Technology Can Be A Tool, A Teacher, A Trickster

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Technology Can Be A Tool, A Teacher, A Trickster

July 17, 2017 • Shaping technology to some form of learning could depart pretty radically from the more familiar aim of shaping technology to the way we are now, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.

Monday July 10, 2017

You Can Learn From Declaring A Mystery

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

You Can Learn From Declaring A Mystery

July 10, 2017 • A new paper suggests that to declare something a mystery isn't just a confession of ignorance: Some of the time, you can learn something important from it, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.

Monday June 26, 2017

Transgender Prejudice And The Belief In A Biological Basis For Gender

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

Transgender Prejudice And The Belief In A Biological Basis For Gender

June 26, 2017 • New findings suggest that if people appreciate the non-dichotomous nature of gender identity, they're less likely to maintain negative views towards people who are transgender, says Tania Lombrozo.

Sunday June 18, 2017

The Neurobiology Of Father's Day Cards

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Neurobiology Of Father's Day Cards

June 18, 2017 • Psychologist Tania Lombrozo had a tough time explaining some of the Father's Day cards on the supermarket shelf to her young daughter — so she turned to scientific literature for answers.

Monday June 12, 2017

The Dangers Of Hidden Jargon In Communicating Science

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Opinion

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

The Dangers Of Hidden Jargon In Communicating Science

June 12, 2017 • Double-masked jargon is so sneaky that I've only managed to uncover a few examples, says blogger Tania Lombrozo; it's real and, in some cases, it presents a barrier to effective science communication.

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