Welcome to Bering in Mind, by Jesse Bering.
I’m a research psychologist, popular science writer, and university professor in New Zealand who has spent over two decades examining what makes us human. I’m excited to share with you here my colorful summaries of some of the latest and most intriguing psychology studies from around the globe, mostly in the field of evolutionary psychology. Human nature isn’t always pretty—actually, it’s usually not—but it’s always interesting. We’ll explore various aspects of the human condition, from the banal to the ridiculous to the most scandalous.
If you’ve read any of my books or stumbled on some of my earlier online writings at places like Scientific American or Slate, you’ll know that I don’t shy away from, well, much of anything. I can’t help it. But although I’ve got a bit of a sensationalist streak, I insist on handling the most fraught topics with scholarly care. Bering in Mind is a space for those interested in human behavior, warts and all, to delight in unadulterated psychological science. It features testable hypotheses and evidence, not opinions.
Each essay is ~1400-1800 words—long enough to do justice to complex ideas and experiments but short enough to avoid getting bogged down in the details. You might not like a study’s methods, the interpretation of the data, or the theory behind the work, but everything you’ll read here has gone through the gauntlet of expert peer review and has been published in an academic journal. Some studies will be from open-access journals, others not. Either way, if you’ve got questions, don’t ask me, ask the corresponding researcher! I’ll even give you their email address.
Science should be apolitical and non-moralistic, and frankly my stuff is as far removed from today’s fiery culture wars as you’re likely to find. Consider this a friendly sanctuary for curious, independent minds. I hope you enjoy it.
Original illustrations by the talented Lily Winter.
Why subscribe?
It’s 100% FREE, for starters! You’ll be able to read my articles as they’re released as well as all archived content. Prefer listening? You’ll also get access to the Bering in Mind read-alouds for every article.
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