From cursed video games like Polybius to haunted recordings, we explore the psychology behind our fear of haunted tech and our anxiety that our creations will turn on us.
Urban Legends 3 | Digital Nightmares: The Rise of the Online Legend
From the genesis of Slender Man on a forum to the moral panic of the Momo Challenge, discover how the internet, creepypasta, and collaborative storytelling have created a terrifyingly new breed of urban legend.
Sewer Alligators and Bodies in the Bed: The Shocking Urban Legends That Are Actually True
Think all urban legends are fake? Think again. We investigate the chilling cases, from sewer gators to hotel horrors, where unbelievable folklore has a basis in fact.
Urban Legends 2 | The Global Ghost: How One Urban Legend Changes Across the World
Travel the globe with the “Vanishing Hitchhiker” legend. Discover how this single story transforms into a Hawaiian goddess, a Latin American demon, and a Japanese ghost, reflecting each culture’s unique beliefs and fears.
The Babysitter is Calling from Inside the Patriarchy: A Feminist Guide to Urban Legends
Ever wonder why classic urban legends always star women in peril? We explore how tales like “The Hook” reflect deep societal anxieties about female independence.
Urban Legends 1 | The Lure of the Legend: Why Our Brains Believe Urban Legends
Explore the psychology behind urban legends. Learn how cognitive biases like confirmation bias and emotional narratives make us believe and share stories that aren’t true.
Anatomy of a Hoax: The Science of Why We Fall for Disinformation
Ever wonder why you fall for online hoaxes? Discover the cognitive biases and emotional triggers manipulators exploit and learn how to build your mental toolkit.
Recent Posts
The Myth of the Starving Artist: Does Scarcity Fuel Creativity, or Kill It?
We romanticize the starving artist myth, but is it a creative truth or a convenient lie? This article dismantles the idea that hardship fuels great art, exploring how the cognitive tax of true scarcity can kill inspiration. Discover why a safety net, not suffering, might be the true key to unlocking our world’s greatest creative potential.
The Grammar of Judgment: How We Build Poverty’s Walls with Words
How do words like “handout” versus “lifeline” shape our reality? This article explores the subtle grammar of judgment we use when discussing poverty, revealing how our vocabulary can build invisible walls of stigma. Discover how the connection between language and poverty impacts perception and policy, and ask yourself: if we changed our words, could we change our world?
The Story of Grameen Bank and Microcredit | Listening Comprehension
Improve your advanced English listening skills for exams like TOEFL and IELTS with this practice test. Listen to a lecture about Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank, and answer 10 comprehension questions.
The Many Faces of Poverty: Why Income Is Only Half the Story
Poverty isn’t just about a lack of money. Explore the concept of multidimensional poverty and discover why access to healthcare, education, and clean water reveals the true reality of global inequality.
The Antidote to Polarization: Can Critical Thinking Heal Our Divided World?
Explore how the decline of critical thinking fuels political polarization and social media echo chambers. Discover how intellectual humility and good-faith arguments can help heal our divisions and strengthen democracy.
The Examined Life: Applying Critical Thinking to Your Health, Finances, and Happiness
Take critical thinking out of the abstract and into your daily life. Learn to evaluate wellness fads, avoid financial biases, and use self-reflection to improve your health, wealth, and happiness.