Economics Is Broken
A former economic adviser to Bill Clinton and Barack Obama argues that the field should be focused on maximizing people’s happiness and fulfillment.
A Linguist’s Case Against Socialism
History has made the term vague and unproductive. Should it be retired?
The Alt-Right’s Tactical Cruelty
The so-called alt-right is characterized not only by its ideology, but also by the cruelty of its tactics. Trump and his allies embrace those tactics.
Are Small Private Colleges Worth the Money?
Paying for college is becoming more difficult. So is justifying the full-freight cost of some private institutions.
Philanthropy Serves the Status Quo
What if powerful foundations pushed for radical, large-scale change?
How to Speak to Someone Who’s Suffering
A cancer patient wants the world to understand that bad things can happen to good people.
The Education Deserts of Rural America
The college-completion gap between rural and urban residents is widening.
Suicide Isn’t Just a Personal Issue
The U.S. has a long history of misunderstanding mental-health struggles.
A Practical Approach to Police Bias
Can changing officers’ default protocols help change minds?
Corporations’ Social Crusades Often Leave Out Workers
All the good PR in the world won’t raise wages or improve benefits for a company’s employees.
The Architects Redefining Aesthetics
Building design isn’t just about visual appeal.
Why Science Can Be So Indecisive About Nutrition
Years of conflicting studies about certain foods and diets tell us a lot about both our bodies and ourselves.
What Gets Lost When Polls Become the Story
As the 2020 presidential-election season gets under way, many journalists are reflecting on how not to make the same mistakes from the last cycle.
The Infrastructure of Joy
Will building delight into cities make them more cloying or more fun?
How to Remember Everything
The world’s most accomplished memorizers insist their powers aren’t an innate gift, but rather a skill that anyone can hone.
‘We Have Been Lazy on Hate’
Farah Pandith wants the U.S. government and corporations to do more to combat radical extremists as they recruit Millennials.
Electric Cars Still Face a Major Roadblock
To wean drivers off gas vehicles, automakers need to help them develop a whole new understanding of what it means to own a motorcar.
The Biggest Deterrent to Reporting Child Sexual Abuse
Children’s-rights advocates have been working to fix statute-of-limitation laws that stop victims from coming forward later in life.
Boeing Won’t Rename the 737 Max
“We’re not focused on branding and marketing. We’re focused on safety.”
‘Don’t Go After Old Uncle Joe Too Fast’
Chris Christie’s debate tips
How American Women Are Amplifying Their Political Power
“I am not interested in building the capacity of people who are in office that want to take away my health care.”
How to Respond to Teens’ ‘Emotional Eruptions’
Adolescents’ newly complex feelings are something they often struggle to make sense of.
A Rational Case for Following Your Emotions
Feelings aren’t as senseless as Americans have been led to believe.
Free Solo Is Not a Life Lesson
Alex Honnold’s historic climb is too extraordinary to become a story of motivational-poster determination.
What If Social Media Could Tell You When You’re Mean?
Ditching likes for facial scans could be the way to a kinder, if creepier, online world.
Can Neurodiversity Defeat Doublethink?
Masha Gessen suggests there was a connection between Asperger’s and social activism in the Soviet era.
Christie’s Scathing Indictment of Trump
He declared his intention to vote Trump in 2020—even though he thinks Trump surrounded himself with awful people.
The Two Technologies Changing the Future of Cancer Treatment
Researchers are eager to leave behind the brutal side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
What the U.S. Medical System Can Learn From Estonia
Americans waste time and money filling out paperwork and repeating tests in the doctor’s office. A small Baltic nation has found a better way.
The Hospital Is Too Damn Loud
The average hospitalized patient endures 350 alarms each day.
The Problem With Diversity in Computing
Tech’s discriminatory culture might never change, no matter how many women and people of color are invited into the room.
The Yale Happiness Class, Distilled
The psychology professor Laurie Santos delivers the “shortest possible crash-course version” of the university’s most popular course ever.
Should Human Feces Be Regulated Like a Drug?
A fecal-transplant patient has unexpectedly died just as the FDA is deciding the future of the unconventional procedure.
The Startling Rise of Choking During Sex
A quarter of women in the U.S. report feeling scared during sex.
What It Means for Health Care to Be a Human Right
To protect a population’s health, governments might have to think beyond access to care.
The Pediatrician’s Most Awkward Task
Can doctors teach people how to parent?
A Brit’s Advice for the U.S. Health-Care System
An expert on the National Health Service says the reason America doesn’t have universal coverage might be a difference in mind-set.
Human Lives Might Be Long Enough Already
Humanity has added three decades to people’s life spans in the past 150 years. Science is only beginning to catch up.
Is #MeToo Too Big?
Tarana Burke, the movement’s founder, wants it to return to its original—and specific—purpose: to serve as a counter to sexual violence.
What Classical Music Can Learn From Kanye West
Whether or not Ye was forward-thinking, the musicians behind the Yeethoven project want to bring two very different genres together.