We share our planet with other living beings and all of us share an ability to glean energy and sensory stimulation from the physical world. How exactly we do that is a question with which scientists, poets, and theologians all wrestle as humans who ask questions. Wonder and curiosity about our lives connects all of us as human beings and…
Hearts or Minds or Both?
One of the challenges that public opinion researchers face is that people are not always cooperative in sharing what is on their minds. Sometimes people do not want to be judged for an opinion they think might be controversial. In other cases, people have not spent time articulating their thoughts in words. Think about how often you talk about having…
Brains, Minds, Selves, and Science
Are you a human being reading this note? If you are, you carry with you a brain. You also live with and through a mind. Where is the you who is reading this note, though? Would someone with a brain scanner be able to see that self? Scientists operate in a physical world and yet they observe and think about…
Learning from Native American Communities
For more than three decades, the U.S. federal government has recognized National Native American Heritage Month each November. The histories of Native American communities across the continent we now call North America have included tragedy and turmoil but also stories of community support, celebration of nature, and contributions to the United States and the rest of the world. That complicated…
After the Storm, How Can We Help?
When Hurricane Helene first made landfall in the southern United States late on September 26th, 2024, it arrived with fierce winds and rain but it was not entirely clear how much chaos eventually would unfold in the days that followed as it carved a path north. Western North Carolina and the surrounding region would absorb earth-shattering damage as flood waters…
How Developing Minds Shape Language and How to Support New Language Learners
Guest Post by Ella Winslow, Davidson College Communication through language has been integral to all human societies. But how does language develop and how do our minds influence language development? Dr. Molly Flaherty, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Davidson College, seeks to understand the development of the mind through early language acquisition and works to help shed new light on…
A New Year, Our 10th Year, and the Path to Equity in Science
We first discussed creating The Measure of Everyday Life with WNCU leadership in 2014. As 2024 dawns, so does the tenth year of our collaboration on air. Putting a spotlight on all of the contributions which researchers make to our understanding of the lives we lead together at times has been challenging but always has been rewarding. One of our…
Guest Post: Keeping Families Safe in the Current Social Media Landscape
Post by Nora E. Lindner, MPH Where do you go for information on safety? It’s no surprise that many of us would now answer that we rely, at least in part, on social media to learn about health and safety issues affecting ourselves and our families. But as we scroll through our feeds, stumbling upon or seeking out this information,…
Algorithms, Decision-making, and the Future of Your Healthcare
Human beings often can quickly form an opinion in response to a question. Taking the time to carefully consider why you have a particular opinion is rarer, however, and yet openness to understanding how you arrived at an opinion can offer important flexibility in response to new information while ensuring that you act according to the key values which you…
Artificial Intelligence and Everyday Life
Many commentators and journalists have mentioned the rise of artificial intelligence as a key trend to note. Some of that commentary implies the new technology has arrived out of the blue, without precedent and with the appearance of what may be a worrying degree of agency beyond the bounds of human control. In reality, however, many of the applications currently…
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