April/May/June 2009
Scientific American Mind

Cover; April/May/June 2009; by Staff Editor; 1 Page(s)

From the Editor; April/May/June 2009; by Mariette DiChristina; 1 Page(s)

Say So

Table of Contents; April/May/June 2009; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Letters; April/May/June 2009; by Staff Editor; 2 Page(s)

Head Lines; April/May/June 2009; by Roberta Friedman; Marina Krakovsky; Kurt Kleiner; Nikhil Swaminathan; Nicole Branan; Rachel Mahan; Lucas Laursen; David Dobbs; Melinda Wenner; 8 Page(s)

A Gene for Athleticism?; More Tit Than Tat; I Know That Nose; Nanotech Meets Neuroscience; Memory for Grammar; Car Character; Napping Is for the Birds; An End to Senior Moments; Brain Freeze; Put on a Happy Face; Value Vision; Hierarchies among Equals; Depression's Wiring Diagram; Finding Connections

Perspectives: Explaining Fiscal Foolishness; April/May/June 2009; by Jonah Lehrer; 2 Page(s)

A behavioral scientist discusses the irrational human impulses that led to the economic downturn

Consciousness Redux: Neuroscience Meets Psychoanalysis; April/May/June 2009; by Heather A. Berlin and Christof Koch; 4 Page(s)

Suppression and dissociation, two psychoanalytic defense mechanisms, are now studied by modern neuroscience

The Power of Symmetry; April/May/June 2009; by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran & Diane Rogers-Ramachandran; 3 Page(s)

Our brain's preference for symmetry influences how we perceive motion

Calendar; April/May/June 2009; by Rachel Dvoskin and Katherine Harmon; 1 Page(s)

Exhibitions, conferences, movies and more

Laughing Matters; April/May/June 2009; by Steve Ayan; 8 Page(s)

Seeing the bright side of life may strengthen the psyche, ease pain and tighten social bonds

Brain Trainers; April/May/June 2009; by Kaspar Mossman; 8 Page(s)

Put your cortex through its paces with these software games

Perturbed Personalities; April/May/June 2009; by Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg; 4 Page(s)

Scientists are peering into the brains of people with borderline personality disorder and finding clues to the roots of this disabling illness

Knowing Your Chances; April/May/June 2009; by Gerd Gigerenzer, Wolfgang Gaissmaier, Elke Kurz-Milcke, Lisa M. Schwartz, Steven Woloshin; 8 Page(s)

When might a positive HIV test be wrong? Are your chances of surviving cancer better in the U.S. or in England? Learn how to put aside unjustified fears and hopes and how to weigh your real risk of illness--or likelihood of recovery

Building Around the Mind; April/May/June 2009; by Emily Anthes; 8 Page(s)

Brain research can help us craft spaces that relax, inspire, awaken, comfort and heal

Think Better: Tips from a Savant; April/May/June 2009; by Jonah Lehrer, Daniel Tammet; 4 Page(s)

You may never have the memory of Rain Man, but you can still get tips for improving your cognitive performance from this extraordinary thinker

Facts & Fictions in Mental Health: Road Warriors; April/May/June 2009; by Hal Arkowitz and Scott O. Lilienfeld; 2 Page(s)

Often played for laughs, road rage is a real phenomenon with serious consequences for driver safety and society

We're Only Human: All Together Now; April/May/June 2009; by Wray Herbert; 2 Page(s)

An explanation for synchronous swimming and other group rituals

Reviews and Recommendations; April/May/June 2009; by Nicole Branan; Jascha Hoffman; Corey Binns; Erica Westly; 2 Page(s)

Prone to Goof; The Hard Problem; Beyond Rain Man; Worlds of Words

Ask the Brains; April/May/June 2009; by Russell G. Foster, Edward H. Hagen; 1 Page(s)

Do blind people ever suffer from seasonal affective disorder? If so, can sunshine or tanning beds help? Does postpartum depression serve some evolutionary purpose?

Head Games; April/May/June 2009; by The Editors; 1 Page(s)

Match wits with the Mensa puzzlers