Economic Inequality Is Affecting More Than Our Wallets
February 16, 2018
Economic inequality is a growing concern to Americans. Disparities in wealth and education have a real impact on American lives, especially during childhood. Poverty has deleterious effects on early brain development and even genetics, studies show, in …
To End the Cycle of Poverty, Begin in the Womb
January 9, 2018
We have long known that environmental toxins can have an adverse impact on pregnant mothers and their infants, but it turns out the environment can have a subtler impact than once thought. Chronic, pronounced stress during pregnancy …
How Nurture Affects Nature
November 15, 2017
Policymakers often debate the merits of programs to change decision-making and behavior, wondering if they have enough bang for the buck. Now there is research showing that the choices people make affect us all the way down …
Why “Just Say No” Programs Don’t Prevent Alcohol Misuse
September 21st, 2017
Youth programs with a “just say no” approach to preventing substance use have proven largely ineffective. Researchers have known this for over a decade, but now studies are helping to explain why. Alcohol misuse results from a …
Should you give your child a time-out? It depends
July 27, 2017
One of the hardest parts of being a parent or teacher is dealing with behavior problems. Tantrums, aggression, and oppositional behaviors are painful for everyone involved, and when they are persistent, they increase a child’s risk of …
What We Don’t Know Can Hurt Us: Toxic Chemicals, Science, and Policy
June 21st, 2017
Environmental protection is the subject of heated debate these days. In February of this year, President Trump signed an executive order to roll back the clean water rule, which limits corporations’ ability to pollute about 60% of …
