December 2004
Scientific American Mind

Cover; December 2004; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

Table of Contents; December 2004; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

From the Editor; December 2004; by Mariette DiChristina; 1 Page(s)

Human Kind

Letters; December 2004; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Head Lines; December 2004; by Jonathan Beard, Aimee Cunningham, Nicole Garbarini, Lisa DeKeukelaere, Karla Adam; 4 Page(s)

Dyslexia by Culture; The Pleasure of Revenge; Refueling the Brain; Drink Up, Girls; Voters Fear Death; Working Better on Drugs; Toying with Creativity; Cocaine Vaccine; A Reason to Stutter; TV Weakens Attention

Perspectives: Antidepressants: Good Drugs or Good Marketing; December 2004; by David Dobbs; 4 Page(s)

A scandal over hidden data about adolescent suicide lights a dark corner of our drug approval system

The Samaritan Paradox; December 2004; by Ernst Fehr and Suzann-Viola Renninger; 8 Page(s)

If we live in a dog-eat-dog world, then why are we frequently so good to each other?

How Group-Think Makes Killers; December 2004; by Bernd Simon; 6 Page(s)

Lost in a crowd, average individuals can become exceptionally virtuous or deadly. Their behavior depends on how they believe they are expected to act

Stressed-Out Memories; December 2004; by Robert M. Sapolsky; 6 Page(s)

A little stress sharpens memory. But after prolonged stress, the mental picture isn't pretty

Treating Depression: Pills or Talk; December 2004; by Steven D. Hollon, Michael E. Thase and John C. Markowitz; 6 Page(s)

Medication has reduced depression for decades, but newer forms of psychotherapy are proving their worth

The Forgotten Brain Emerges; December 2004; by Claudia Krebs, Kerstin Hüttmann and Christian Steinhäuser; 4 Page(s)

After disregarding them for decades, neuroscientists now say glial cells may be nearly as important to thinking as neurons are

The Tyranny of Choice; December 2004; by Barry Schwartz; 6 Page(s)

Logic suggests that having options allows people to select precisely what makes them happiest. But, as studies show, abundant choice often makes for misery

Informing the ADHD Debate; December 2004; by Aribert Rothenberger and Tobias Banaschewski; 6 Page(s)

The latest neurological research has injected much needed objectivity into the disagreement over how best to treat children with attention-deficit disorders

Worlds of Feeling; December 2004; by Martin Grunwald; 6 Page(s)

Underappreciated yet vital, the sense of touch helps to complete an amazingly accurate mental picture of our surroundings and ourselves

The Limits of Multitasking; December 2004; by Klaus Manhart; 6 Page(s)

Reading e-mail, sorting data and talking on the phone at once--multitasking clearly saves time in a fast-paced world. Or does it?

Secret Powers Everywhere; December 2004; by Thomas Grüter; 6 Page(s)

Conspiracy theories offer attractively simple explanations for a chaotic world. But be careful about what you believe

Test Subjects in Diapers; December 2004; by Gisa Aschersleben; 4 Page(s)

When do babies recognize the intentions of others--and become capable of deliberate actions themselves?

Thinking Out Loud; December 2004; by Nicola Neumann and Niels Birbaumer; 6 Page(s)

Thought-deciphering systems are enabling paralyzed people to communicate--and someday may let them control wheelchairs, prosthetics and even their own muscles

Casting Out the Demons; December 2004; by Gunther Klosinski; 6 Page(s)

Adolescents are naturally drawn to occult ideas, but parents and therapists should know the signs that indicate when this fascination has become deeper and more dangerous

Taming Compulsion; December 2004; by Marion Sonnenmoser; 4 Page(s)

For people trapped in obsessive-compulsive thoughts and rituals, therapy and medication may offer the best way out

Think Better: Crossing Your Personal Rubicon; December 2004; by Maja Storch; 2 Page(s)

The road to hell is said to be paved with them: good intentions that we never realize. But you can do something about that

Mind Reads; December 2004; by Lisa DeKeukelaere, Nicole Garbarini, Richard Lipkin; 2 Page(s)

Reviews of A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness: From Impostor Poodles to Purple Numbers by V. S. Ramachandran; Mind: A Brief Introduction by John R. Searle; On Intelligence: How a New Understanding of the Brain Will Lead to the Creation of Truly Intelligent Machines by Jeff Hawkins, with Sandra Blakeslee; A Well-Tempered Mind: Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn by Peter Perret and Janet Fox

Head Games; December 2004; by Abbie F. Salny; 2 Page(s)

Match wits with the Mensa puzzler

Illusions: The Phantom Hand; December 2004; by Vilayanur R. Ramachandran and Diane Rogers-Ramachandran; 1 Page(s)

The feeling of being touched on a fake hand illuminates how the brain makes assumptions about the world