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Our pick of the week’s best psychology and neuroscience links.

02 April 2016

By Christian Jarrett

The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers (video)
How do creative people come up with great ideas? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant studies “originals”: thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world. Here’s his recent TED talk.

Lost for Words
A disease called primary progressive aphasia gradually robs people of their language skills while leaving their minds intact.

The “Drugs vs Talking” Debate Doesn’t Help Us Understand Mental Health
Mental illness and how we treat it is back in the spotlight – but confusion and false distinctions create problems for both doctors and patients, argues Simon Wessely.

Runs In The Family
New findings about schizophrenia rekindle old questions about genes and identity.

So What Is A Gene?
Ken Richardson at The Psychologist with a different take following on from recent debates on the role of genetics in human psychology.

Make Recycled Goods Covetable
To reduce consumption and waste we must overcome our squeamishness about repurposing pre-owned possessions, says Bruce Hood.

Don’t Grade Schools on Grit
Angela Duckworth op-ed in the New York Times.

Why Are We Eternally Fascinated By Serial Killers?
Murderers like Charles Manson and Ted Bundy are a tiny threat to our society – yet our interest in them appears to be endless. Why?

Everybody Loves Dopamine
The Neurocritic cites two new recent studies that challenge popular theories about the function of the neurotransmitter.