Scientific American Mind Digital Magazine: December 2004

December 2004
Scientific American Mind

Price: $7.95

Researchers have been puzzled about why altruism, so frequently and generously offered, should exist at all. In a Darwinian world of "survival of the fittest," why do perfect strangers volunteer to help, even when such aid may come at a cost to themselves? Seeking answers, scientists probe our behavior in experiments designed to reveal the roots of altruism. "The Samaritan Paradox," by Ernst Fehr and Suzann-Viola Renninger, for example, describes how altruism emerges spontaneously even in anonymous exchanges among people, whereas animal altruism starts and ends with kin.

Mulling our surprisingly cooperative nature seems fitting in this, the premier edition of Scientific American Mind, a new quarterly publication. Each issue will explore similar mysteries about what makes us humans humane, heartless, helpless, hopeful--in short, why we are the way we are. Issue by issue, we aim to lift the veils, to reveal more about our own shared essence.--The Editors

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