Discovering your talents

Do you feel you are a talented and successful person? Could you name your five greatest talents, if asked? Most people find this quite difficult. Find out whether talent is a prerequisite for success, and read about six ways to discover your talents.

Suzanne van de Groep • October 25, 2018

How difficult is language learning? And to explain it?

Language is a vertiginously complex symbolic system, and yet humans all learn it, effortlessly, within a remarkably short period of time. How do they do this?

Fenna Poletiek • October 11, 2018 • 11 comments

Is intelligence testing in school the smart thing to do?

In educational settings, intelligence tests are used more and more frequently. The results of these tests are used for a multitude of purposes. Usage of these tests, however, also has negative sides. So how smart is using intelligence testing in school?

Bart Vogelaar • September 24, 2018 • 1 comment

Does social media use prevent us from remembering the moments we try to preserve?

Imagine yourself at a party, enjoying drinks with your friends. You are having a great time and decide to snap a picture and post it on Instagram. This will surely help you remember this moment, right? Well, it might, but it will also alter your experience

Ilse van de Groep • September 10, 2018 • 1 comment

PhDiary: Summer School in Nijmegen

Last week I temporarily left beautiful Leiden for Nijmegen to visit a Summer School. During a Summer School you dive into a certain subject intensively for a short period of time (in my case a week), but there is also ample opportunity to meet new people.

Suzanne van de Groep • August 30, 2018

Psychology and genetic engineering - part 2

It's been over a month since I first visited the lab. By now I can gladly say I know what a pipet is and I can actually cut and paste the DNA of bacteria. Quite a feat as a psychology student! Read about my experiences as an amateur synthetic biologist.

Lotte Weel • August 16, 2018

Healthy lab, happy scientist

Young scientists worldwide experience major mental health concerns. The increasing workload plays a key role in the mental crisis currently facing academia. But how should we deal with this daily pressure? How can we ensure we stay happy in our work?

Anika Bexkens and Marieke Bos • July 19, 2018

Pupil mimicry: a bonding mechanism

Did your mom ever ask: "Did you steal a cookie? Look at me!"- and you had to look away. Eyes are important social signals. Eye contact increases with familiarity and liking and seems trust-enhancing. What underlies this effect of eye contact on trust?

Eliska Prochazkova • July 16, 2018

What happens if you can't communicate anymore?

I am Sun-Mi Venema, 34 years old. I noticed that I had frequent and heavy hair loss. I was also often dizzy and nauseous. Like flu symptoms, say. I decided to go to the doctor anyway and I told him about my symptoms.

Sun-Mi Venema • July 09, 2018 • 2 comments